NIDA Infofax Science-based Facts on Drug Abuse and Addiction Now Available via Toll-free, 24-hour Information Service 1-888-NIH-NIDA (1-888-644-6432) 1-888-TTY-NIDA (1-888-889-6432) (For Hearing Impaired)

National Institute on Drug AbuseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Thursday, December 4, 1997, Mona W. Brown, Sheryl Massaro

NIDA Infofax, a new information resource of science-based facts about drug abuse and addiction, was announced today by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health. NIDA Infofax is a toll-free recorded phone service providing:

Fact sheets via fax-on-demand, mail, or TTY Access 24 hours a day in English, Spanish, or TTY Brief audio messages on drugs of abuse and other topics

NIDA Infofax was introduced at NIDA's Fourth Annual Constituent Conference in Lansdowne, Virginia. The system is the newest part of NIDA's ongoing information dissemination activities. Dr. Alan I. Leshner, Director of NIDA, said, "Over two decades of scientific research have produced a tremendous wealth of information that can be of great use to both drug abuse professionals and to the general public. These are facts everyone can use to educate themselves about drugs of abuse, the chronic illness of addiction, how to prevent abuse, and the options for treating addiction. This service is one of the best ways I can think of to ensure access by the general public to this information."

NIDA Infofax provides about 40 fact sheets on a range of topics related to illicit drug abuse. The fact sheets are based on recent research findings and are updated regularly. They are available by dialing 1-888-NIH-NIDA (1-888-644-6432) and, for the hearing impaired, 1-888-TTY-NIDA (1-888-889-6432). Callers to 1-888-NIH-NIDA can listen to audio messages about drug abuse and addiction and also can instruct the system to send them fact sheets via fax or mail. The fact sheets and audio portion of NIDA Infofax are available in English and Spanish.

NIDA supports more than 85 percent of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction and carries out a large variety of programs to disseminate research information. Information on NIDA's activities and research also can be accessed on the NIDA Home Page at http://www.nida.nih.gov.