Introducing the National Drug Early Warning System.

Purpose Of Review: In 2013, NIH NIDA released a special funding opportunity to update and expand their longstanding Community Epidemiology Workgroup (CEWG) by creating a coordinating center for a new type of monitoring system that became the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS). This article provides an overview of four primary NDEWS components: core staff; an approach to detecting and monitoring emerging drug trends including community-based epidemiologists and national databases; small rapid follow-up studies; and innovative multimedia approaches for disseminating information.

Recent Findings: The cornerstones for detecting and monitoring are the 1700+ member NDEWS Network and a coalition of local epidemiologists.