National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

• DATE: Established in September 1973

DEFINITION: The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a US government organization focused on substance abuse disorders and addiction research.

Background

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) was established by the US Congress in late 1973 in an attempt to stem the tide of drug addiction in the United States. In its early days under its first medical director, Robert L. DuPont, NIDA focused on demand reduction (decreasing the desire for drugs) while law enforcement agencies focused on supply reduction (decreasing drug availability to those at risk of developing a drug use disorder).

For eighteen years after its inception, NIDA was responsible both for overseeing research related to substance abuse and delivering services to patients. When NIDA became part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1992, its focus shifted entirely to research, with provision of services moving to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.

Since becoming an institute under the NIH, NIDA has been responsible for overseeing myriad research projects involving substance abuse and addiction. One of these early and well-known studies was the NIDA Collaborative Cocaine Treatment Study, which was a multicenter, eighteen-month trial studying 480 persons being treated for cocaine addiction. As a result of this study and thousands of others conducted under the purview of NIDA, medical professionals began to understand addiction as a treatable, chronic condition rather than the result of a lapse in moral judgment. This point of view is generally attributed to Nora Volkow, NIDA director.

As with the Collaborative Cocaine Treatment Study, NIDA often focuses on specifics of drug use and also specific communities. In 2024, NIDA launched a program aimed at better understanding and assisting Native American communities to address overdoses, substance use, and pain while supporting mental health and wellness. The overdose rates of Native Americans rose 15 percent, according to a NIDA study done between 2021 and 2022. In response, NIDA created the National Collective Research Effort to Enhance Wellness Program (N CREW) to assist Indigenous communities in implementing research prioritized by Native communities, and to support this research by providing accessible and technical assistance, training, resources, and tools that are culturally grounded and meaningful to the communities.

Mission and Goals

Since 1992, the focus of NIDA has been predominantly on drug abuse and addiction research and the dissemination of information to professionals in the field and to the public. In its 2022-2026 mission statement, the NIDA stated its goals are to identify the causes and consequences of drug use and addiction; develop strategies to prevent drug use; develop treatments for substance use disorders and help maintain recovery; and increase the impact of NIDA research and programs.

In prevention, NIDA’s aim is to keep people from becoming involved with drugs and to stop addiction. For treatment, research is aimed at developing better treatment modalities for addiction. NIDA ensures that this research is translated into treatments and that these treatments are more accessible to all persons in need.

By the 2020s, NIDA prioritized five scientific areas, including translating research findings into real-world, innovative health applications and implementing evidence-based strategies. The institute also prioritized the development and testing of prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery strategies. This included developing scientifically-backed plans that consider the cost and feasibility of implementation. Another priority, understanding the interaction between the brain, behavior, and drugs, aims to better define the biological, environmental, and behavioral mechanisms that underly addiction. Similarly, NIDA prioritized research concerning the intersection of HIV, related conditions, and substance use.

NIDA has significantly improved medical knowledge concerning the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among individuals with drug use disorders. In collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), NIDA has helped expand rapid HIV testing in drug treatment centers. The institute's research focus in this area involves developing and evaluating the success of syringe services programs and community-based outreach models. The NIDA aims to decrease the spread of HIV among individuals who use drugs and improve the quality and access to treatment, particularly in criminal justice settings and rural areas.

Research in the area of cross-cutting priorities is aimed at investigating the impact of other health issues on drug use disorders. Other goals in this area include eliminating health disparities experienced by people with drug use disorders, educating society about addiction, and encouraging people from many backgrounds to participate in drug abuse research, prevention, and treatment. By fulfilling these strategic goals, NIDA will accomplish its mission of fostering research on drug use, leading to a better understanding of addiction, translating research findings into practice in the prevention and treatment of addiction, and disseminating this information to the public.

Bibliography

Aklin, Will M., and Evan S. Herrmann. "National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Research Priorities to Support the Development of Incentive-Based Treatments for Substance Use Disorders." Preventive Medicine, vol. 176, 2023, doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2023.107650. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

Courtwright, David T. “The NIDA Brain Disease Paradigm: History, Resistance, and Spinoffs.” BioSocieties, vol. 5, no. 1, 2010, pp. 137–47, doi:10.1057/biosoc.2009.3. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

Crits-Christoph, Paul, et al. "The National Institute on Drug Abuse Collaborative Cocaine Treatment Study. Rationale and Methods." Archives of General Psychiatry, vol. 54, no. 8, 1997, pp. 721–26, doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1997.01830200053007. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

Crits-Christoph, Paul, et al. "Psychosocial Treatments for Cocaine Dependence: National Institute on Drug Abuse Collaborative Cocaine Treatment Study." Archives of General Psychiatry, vol. 56, no. 6, 1999, pp. 493–502.

Lamb, Sara, et al., editors. Bridging the Gap between Practice and Research: Forging Partnerships with Community-Based Drug and Alcohol Treatment. National Academy, 1998.

"Mission." National Institute on Drug Abuse, 12 Feb. 2025, www.nih.gov/about-nih/what-we-do/nih-almanac/national-institute-drug-abuse-nida. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

"NIDA IC Fact Sheet 2025." National Institute on Drug Abuse, 7 Mar. 2024, nida.nih.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/budget-information/fiscal-year-2025-budget-information-congressional-justification-national-institute-drug-abuse/ic-fact-sheet-2025. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

“NIH Launches Program to Advance Research Led by Native American Communities on Substance Use and Pain.” National Institute on Drug Abuse, 15 Aug. 2024, nida.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/2024/08/nih-launches-program-to-advance-research-led-by-native-american-communities-on-substance-use-and-pain. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

Spencer, Merianne R., et al. “Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2002–2022.” National Center for Health Statistics, CDC, 21 Mar. 2024, www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db491.htm#section_3. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

Volkow, Nora. "Reflecting on NIDA’s 50th Year and Looking to 2025." National Institute on Drug Abuse, 8 Jan. 2025, nida.nih.gov/about-nida/noras-blog/2025/01/reflecting-nidas-50th-year-looking-to-2025. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.