bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Methodological Issues in the Etiology of Drug Abuse
Authors: McBride Duane C. , Clayton Richard R.
Published: November 2015

It is the purpose of this paper to examine the role of etiological research in the study of drug abuse, the problems in etiological research imposed by the nature of the phenomenon of drug abuse and the dominance of epidemiological studies, and to offer some suggestions for advancing research on the etiology of drug abuse. It is argued that the statistical rarity of drug abuse and the pressure to conduct epidemiological studies have resulted in the application of the methodology that does not meet the needs of etiological research. Suggestions are made that research on the initiation, continuation or cessation of drug abuse must develop a procedure for integrating conceptually and methodologically the variety of substances used simultaneously and sequentially. Further, it is suggested that research must integrate the power of survey methodology and statistical explanation with the understanding of the subject's perception and definition of the initiation and sustaining of use.
Sentencing Federal Drug Offenders in Australia: A Pilot Study
Authors: Potas Ivan , Walker John
Published: November 2015

This paper is a shortened version of a study undertaken by the Australian Institute of Criminology in 1982. The study's aim was to review the extent of sentencing disparity relating exclusively to drug offenders at the Federal level. Some 300 sentencing decisions decided between 1976 and 1980 were examined, and it was found that when drug type and quantity of drug were taken into account, together with a further discrete number of other factors, differences between sentences were very slight. In the course of the study a novel sentencing chart was devised and the present article describes the key features of the methodology used.
Attitudes of New South Wales Businessmen toward Drugs, Drug Abusers, and Rehabilitation Programmes
Authors: Woellner R. H.
Published: November 2015

A survey of 1,000 private and governmental employers was undertaken. Respondents' perceptions of substance abuse, their knowledge about various drugs, their willingness to employ ex-addicts and alcoholics, and their beliefs as to what type of treatment programme they would be prepared to support were analyzed.
Some Thoughts on Drugs and the Media
Authors: Dick Nigel
Published: November 2015

The media require specific, concrete information on drug abuse if they are to be enlisted in the raising of community awareness about the dangers and extent of the problem. Newsworthiness, based upon solid research, is the benchmark, rather than appeals to editors' social conscience.
Alcohol Use and Dissatisfaction with Self and Life: A Longitudinal Analysis of Young Adults
Authors: Newcomb Michael D. , Bentler P. M. , Collins Caroline
Published: November 2015

This study examined whether alcohol use is a significant antecedent (causal factor) and/or consequence (result) of feelings of dissatisfaction toward self (self-derogation) and toward one's peer relationships, life opportunities, and global-perceived environment. Six hundred-forty subjects were assessed as adolescents and four years later as young adults on identical sets of alcohol use and dissatisfaction measures. Consumption of alcohol (beer, wine, and liquor) increased significantly over this four-year period. Self-derogation and dissatisfaction with parents decreased, whereas dissatisfaction with school or work and “chances to be what you want” increased over the same period of time. A series of cross-lagged latent variable structural models were used to evaluate the longitudinal antecedents and consequences of alcohol use on the dissatisfaction measures. Although Alcohol Use and Self-Derogation (as latent factors) were positively correlated at the first time point, adolescent Alcohol Use significantly decreased Self-Derogation as a young adult. Adolescent Alcohol Use significantly increased Dissatisfaction with Peer Relations and Dissatisfaction with Perceived Environment as young adults, even after controlling for initial levels of dissatisfaction. Finally, adolescent Dissatisfaction with Opportunity significantly increased young adult Alcohol Use when initial levels of alcohol consumption were controlled.
Common Elements in Youth Drug Abuse: Peer Clusters and other Psychosocial Factors
Authors: Oetting E. R. , Beauvais Fred
Published: November 2015

Psychosocial factors are the principle determinants of youth drug abuse. Among those factors, the most important direct influence on drug use is that of the peer cluster: “gangs,” best friends, or couples. Other psychosocial characteristics, however, set the stage for this involvement with drug-using peer clusters. Social characteristics that influence drug use in this way include the community, socioeconomic status, neighborhood environments, family, religion, and the school. Psychological characteristics tend to have only low correlations with drug use, but there is some influence on peer clusters from traits such as self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and introversion, particularly when these lead to anger. Implications for prevention and treatment are considered.
Family Approaches to Alcoholism: Why the Lack of Interest among Marriage and Family Professionals?
Authors: French Sandra
Published: November 2015

Reasons for lack of attention by marriage and family professionals to applications of family theories to treatment of alcohol problems are explored. Empirical evidence most readily available to family professionals—that which appears in publications related to marriage and family—typically suggests that alcohol abuse is linked to individual neuroses, an area outside their expertise. Additionally, empirical data to dispell cultural myths concerning alcoholics has not often appeared in marriage and family literature. Finally, greater emphasis of family structure over processes may suggest that problems of alcoholic families are more effectively resolved by reorganization and elimination of alcoholics from families. However, if unhealthy family systems produce alcohol abuse rather than vice versa, alcohol problems should subside as family therapy improves health of such families in other areas.
Alcoholism Treatment and Hispanic Youth
Authors: Delgado Melvin
Published: November 2015

Hispanic adolescents have received increased attention in the professional literature due to their increasing numbers and the unique challenges they bring to intervention. The goals of this article are to provide an understanding of the issues that cloud a clear conceptualization of alcohol abuse among Hispanic adolescents and to present themes found in culture-specific intervention. To accomplish these, this article will consist of four sections: (1) an overview of the literature; (2) factors inhibiting an understanding of alcohol abuse; (3) an examination of what role acculturation plays in alcohol/substance abuse; and (4) intervention themes.
The Accuracy of Drug Use Monitoring in Methadone Treatment
Authors: Magura Stephen , Lipton Douglas S.
Published: November 2015

Patients' urinalysis results are used in methadone maintenance programs to help make decisions about methadone dosage, medication take-home privileges, referrals for employment and job training and detoxification from methadone. Little systematic research exists, however, addressing the adequacy of the procedures used to detect illicit drug use. This study examined the accuracy of patients' clinic thin-layer chromatography (TLC) urinalysis profiles by comparing these with two independent measures of drug use; patient self-reports of drug use and urinalysis using a more sensitive test, enzyme immunoassay (EMIT). A representative sample of 229 patients in three methadone clinics was studied. The study found that drug use as measured by self-reports or by EMIT is 2.5 times higher than use as measured by TLC. The level of agreement between self-reports and EMIT was high, while the levels of agreement between these measures and clinic TLC urinalysis were low. Clinic decisions about take-home medication were shown to be correlated with clinic urinalysis results. The study examines the causes and consequences of inaccurate drug screening and discusses possible alternative responses to the problem for the methadone treatment field.
Should Alcohol and Drug Education Be a Part of Comprehensive Prevention Policy? The Evidence from the College Campus
Authors: Gonzalez Gerardo M.
Published: November 2015

Although there have been several recent reviews of the literature that are critical of alcohol and drug education as an effective means of prevention, this paper argues that a truly comprehensive prevention policy must include a continued commitment to educational efforts. Evidence is presented from the college campus to show that at the same time that alcohol-education efforts have increased, there have been significant reductions in alcohol-consumption levels and related problems. Alternative explanations for the reductions, such as the raise in the drinking age, are rejected. The author suggests that theory-based, comprehensive approaches to alcohol and drug education should be evaluated for their impact on individual student attitudes and behavior, as well as the environment in which students function.
Predictors of Driving While Intoxicated among Teenagers
Authors: Barnes Grace M. , Welte John W.
Published: November 2015

Youthful driving while intoxicated (DWI) is a leading cause of death among teenagers and young adults. In spite of great social concern about teenagers and DWI, definitive studies are lacking which characterize youth who are at a high risk for this problem behavior. The present study uses a large representative sample of over 11,000 New York State secondary school students aged 16 years and older. The relationships between DWI, alcohol use, other drug use and numerous social factors are explored using multivariate analysis. Driving while intoxicated is found to be a prevalent problem, occurring among almost a quarter of the high school students in the past year. DWI is strongly related to various sociodemographic factors such as age, sex, ethnicity and geographic region. Furthermore, DWI is found to be part of a complex network of adolescent problem behaviors including other alcohol-related problems, illicit drug abuse and school misconduct.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome in Infants, Children, and Adolescents
Authors: Schwarcz Sandra K. , Rutherford George W.
Published: November 2015

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first described as a disease of homosexual men. The first cases of AIDS in children were reported in 1982 and involved a transfusion recipient and four infants born to women at increased risk for AIDS. Infants may acquire their infection perinatally or possibly postnatally through infected breast milk. Parenterally acquired infection, through transfusion of blood or blood products, occurs in infants, children, and adolescents. Adolescents are also at risk for infection through sexual transmission and through shared needles among intravenous drug users. By January 1987, 1.4% of the AIDS cases were in children less than 13 years old, and 0.4% were in adolescents 13 to 19 years old. Additionally, 4.4% of the total AIDS cases were reported in 20 to 24 year olds, which most likely reflects infection which occured during adolescence. In children less than 13 years old, infection occurred primarily thorugh perinatal transmission from mothers who were intravenous drug users or sexual partners of intravenous drug users. Adolescent cases of AIDS have followed adult patterns of transmission with most cases resulting from sexual transmission. As the prevalence of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus increases, increases in drug-use-associated transmission in women followed by perinatal transmission to infants and sexual transmission in adolescents seems likely to occur. To prevent further spread, health agencies must develop and target extensive AIDS prevention campaigns at adolescents, young adults, and sexually active women.
Can Public Policies Limit the Spread of HIV among IV Drug Users?
Authors: Conviser Richard , Rutledge John H.
Published: November 2015

Given a rapid rise in the incidence of HIV as a result of needle sharing among IV drug users (IVDUs), public health officials and policymakers have been developing innovative programs to slow the spread of the epidemic in this population. While the response in some areas has been punitive, more typically programs have been developed to reduce the demand for drugs, increase the supply of needles, or teach IVDUs how to sterilize their needles. Street outreach programs to do the latter require cultural sensitivity. However, in many areas, needle sharing practices are changing slowly, and the risk of further spread of the epidemic to sexual partners of IVDUs is going unaddressed. The epidemic heightens the need to re-examine the marginalization of IVDUs.
Clinicians, the Elderly and Drugs
Authors: German Pearl S. , Burton Lynda C.
Published: November 2015

The increase of the elderly within our population makes for increased chronic disease and, hence, greater use of sophisticated medications now available. This paper reviews current knowledge of the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics among elderly users of drugs and estimates the prevalence of use of prescribed drugs. Less is known of specifics of prescribing patterns, but evidence clearly suggests the strong influence of patient/doctor communication in compliance and control of side effects. There is little hard evidence on the populations considered at high risk for inappropriate prescribing and use and for side effects. The influence of race, socioeconomic class and age are all suggested Since drugs and their uses increase daily, it is important to investigate the area of high-risk populations in order to accumulate evidence which can lead to appropriate interventions.
The Natural History of an University Employee Assistance Program
Authors: Denzin Norman K.
Published: November 2015

This article presents a natural history and analysis of the history of an employee assistance program at a major university. It identifies the stages of development of that program, the resistance it met and its current status in the university agenda.
Contrasting Organizational Responses to Alcohol and Illegal Drug Abuse among Employees
Authors: Staudenmeier William J.
Published: November 2015

The example of the employer response to substance abuse provides an illustrative case of the importance of environmental influences in shaping the employer response to worker deviance. Despite similar claims of the ill effects of worker abuse on the business interests of employers (e.g., absenteeism and lost productivity), abuse of alcohol and drugs are defined differently, the proper limits of employer interest are defined differently, and the two substances are dealt with quite differently, strongly influenced by the organizational environment. The author describes major differences in employer control efforts in the policy areas of identification, discipline, and rehabilitation for alcohol versus illegal drug cases and provides a conceptual framework for thinking about these differences and the influences on them.
HIV-1-Related and Nonrelated Diseases among IV Drug Users and Sexual Partners
Authors: Trapido Edward J. , Lewis Nancy , Comerford Mary
Published: November 2015

As part of a project to reduce risk of HIV-1 infection/transmission among IV drug users (IVDUs) and sexual partners (SPs) of IVDUs, individuals not currently in drug treatment were recruited, tested for HIV-1, and interviewed about risk factors for AIDS and history of various health conditions. Of the sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), gonorrhea, syphilis and genital sores were common. Of non-STDs, pneumonia, and hepatitis were reported most often. Among IVDUs, most STDs were more common in seropositives and subjects with multiple sexual partners. Among SPs, serostatus was related to gonorrhea and syphilis. IVDUs had more endocarditis and hepatitis than SPs, and overall, more STDs. These data suggest that IV drug-using and sexual behaviors need targeted interventions to reduce the prevalence of associated diseases.
Drug Policy as a Factor of Trends in Trade and Use of Different Substances
Authors: Arnao Giancarlo
Published: November 2015

Recent analysis of drug policy shows an unintentional effect: law enforcement, rather than undermining the market, indirectly promotes its evolution. The risk-benefit balance of trade, as affected by law enforcement and the use of different substances, is considered. Finally, a scenario for the future evolution of the drug phenomenon is described.
A Bundle of Peaceful Compromises
Authors: Trebach Arnold S.
Published: November 2015

Despite years of obvious failure, the U.S. government is, tragically, expanding its War on Drugs. But there are peaceful compromises that can limit this hopeless conflagration. Four basic principles are proposed, as well as a number of more specific possibilities. The basic principles are these: 1) Recognize the futility of the very concept of a war on drugs; 2) Medicalize marijuana and heroin to ease the suffering caused by cancer, glaucoma and other serious diseases; 3) Experiment with various forms of decriminalization or legalization of recreational drugs and 4) Invest billions in new treatment methods and treatment research. Actions such as these can heal some of the wounds already created by the drug war and, at the same time, ameliorate the very problems that the drug war has unsuccessfully attempted to solve.
Arguments for a Harmfulness Tax
Authors: Grinspoon Lester , Bakalar James B.
Published: November 2015

A “Harmfulness Tax” is proposed as an alternative to the present unsuccessful drug prohibition policy. Both legal and currently illegal drugs would be taxed in proportion to the social cost associated with their use. In a sense, drug users would be required to buy insurance against the harm their drug use might cause to society. The scheme would be implemented in stages beginning with alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. After the program had been established in this way, it would be extended to other drugs, including cocaine. This proposal accords well with experiences gained in taxing legal drugs and with the realities of current drug use in America.
A Values Approach to Addiction: Drug Policy That is Moral Rather Than Moralistic
Authors: Peele Stanton
Published: November 2015

Efforts in the United States to eradicate drug addiction fail because they are based on a fundamental misconception of the nature of addiction. In contrast, an accurate view of addiction provides strong clues about policies that can reduce its dangers. The most successful antidotes to addiction are pro-social values and behavior. A value-, skill-, and environment-oriented approach to addiction will be more effective than current medical and admonitory approaches to drug abuse. Although a values-skills-environmental approach recognizes that values are crucial in the formation and maintenance of addiction, it is actually less moralistic than approaches that view abstinence from drugs as the only healthy and moral lifestyle.
Experience of Crack Use: Findings from a Community Based Sample in Toronto
Authors: Cheung Yuet W. , Erickson Patricia G. , Landau Tammy C.
Published: November 2015

This paper presents Canadian data on crack use collected from a community-based study of seventy-nine crack users in Toronto, and compares these findings with popular images of crack and its users. Crack was portrayed in the media and police reports as extremely dangerous because of the quick and intense high from smoking it and its powerful addictive property. Data from the study show that, while the quick and intense high was what crack users liked most, adverse physical, psychological and financial consequences of crack addiction have also cautioned users. The overall frequencies of use in the past month, past year, and lifetime were quite low, suggesting that crack use is not necessarily compulsive. The major factor affecting level of use was perceived risk of harm. Crack users were likely to be powder cocaine users as well, and they did not differ significantly from powder users with respect to sociodemographic characteristics. Treatment and prevention implications of the findings are discussed.
A Longitudinal Study of the Relationships among Marijuana/Hashish Use, Cocaine Use and Delinquency in a Cohort of High Risk Youths
Authors: Dembo Richard , Williams Linda , Getreu Alan , Genung Lisa , Schmeidler James , Berry Estrellita , Wish Eric D. , La Voie Lawrence
Published: November 2015

Study of the relationship between drug use and crime over time remains an important topic in the field. Data from a longitudinal study of detained juveniles are examined to address this issue. Results indicate that self-reported delinquent behavior and alcohol use prior to initial interview are key predictors of reported delinquent behavior during the 10- to 15-month follow-up period. However, self-reported drug use and urinalysis test results (measured at initial interview), and prior delinquent behavior are significant predictors of the use of marijuana/hashish and cocaine over time. The research and policy implications of these findings are drawn.
Pretrial Urine-Testing in the District of Columbia: Its Usefulness for Risk Classification and as a “Signaling Device” for Release Risk
Authors: Toborg Mary A. , Yezer Anthony M.J. , Carver John A.
Published: November 2015

Systematic urine-test data from arrestees in Washington, D.C. improved risk classification of arrestees with regard to pretrial rearrest, failure-to-appear and overall pretrial misconduct; urine testing of defendants released before trial was an effective “signaling” mechanism of post-release risk. Successful participants in the pretrial urine-testing program had rates of pretrial rearrest, failure-to-appear and overall pretrial misconduct that were about one-half the rates for individuals who failed to show up for urine testing or who dropped out after only a few tests.
Patterns of Prescription Drug Mortality in Texas: 1976–1986
Authors: Harlow Kirk C.
Published: November 2015

Recent concern for drug abuse has focused on illicit drugs, although evidence suggests that prescription drugs also have a potential for abuse and misuse. This article examines drug overdose mortality in Texas, an indicator of drug abuse and misuse, for three categories of prescription drugs, barbiturates, antidepressants, and tranquilizers. Through the examination of data including gender, age, county of residence, and occupation from 1976 through 1986, various populations at risk are identified and discussed. The findings suggest women over the age of 40 are a particularly high risk population. Suggestions for preventative action and areas for further research are offered.
Hiv Knowledge and Attitudes among Intravenous Drug Users: Comparisons to the U.S. Population and by Drug Use Behaviors
Authors: Celentano David D. , Vlahov David , Menon A. S. , Polk B. Frank
Published: November 2015

As part of the baseline survey of a prospective study of the natural history of HIV-1 infection among intravenous (IV) drug users, 1,580 current and former IV drug users (IVDUs) were interviewed about their knowledge of AIDS, acquisition and prevention of HIV-1 infection, and risk behaviors. Using the National Center for Health Statistics's AIDS Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire, responses are compared to a cross-section of the U.S. population. The results show few differences between current knowledge of routes of transmission, general AIDS knowledge, unlikely sources of infection, and methods of prevention among IVDUs who are at high risk of acquiring HIV-1 and the general public, presumably at very low risk of infection. Analyses of HIV-1 and AIDS knowledge also demonstrated virtually no differences by HIV-1 antibody status or awareness of their serostatus at baseline, with the exception that those aware of their status were less likely to be hopeless in dealing with the problem. While few consistent differences were found between drug use behaviors and knowledge, IVDUs who reported having been in drug treatment were systematically better informed as to routes of transmission and prevention methods. However, those with a history of treatment were also more likely to see themselves at higher risk of acquiring HIV-1 than those who did not have this history. The data demonstrate that basic knowledge about HIV-1 has diffused to the IVDU community. Increasing treatment opportunities would seem to offer one avenue for assisting in behavior change in light of the HIV-1 epidemic these individuals face.
Correlates of Drug Use, Sexual Behavior, and Attitudes toward Safer Sex among African-American and Hispanic Women in Methadone Maintenance
Authors: Schilling Robert F. , El-Bassel Nabila , Gilbert Louisa , Schinke Steven P.
Published: November 2015

Female intravenous drug users are among the fastest growing segments of the population infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. This article, based on interviews with 91 African-American and Latina women in methadone clinics, describes respondents' drug use, sexual risk taking, and attitudes toward condom use and negotiation of safer sex; and examines relationships between sexual risk taking and demographic characteristics, length of time in treatment, current drug use, and attitudes toward negotiating safer sex and condoms. Forty-two percent of the sample reported that they had changed their sexual practices to reduce their risk of AIDS. Recovering IV drug users in long-term monogamous relationships tended to use condoms less frequently during sexual intercourse than those in casual relationships. Various drugs were differentially related to high-risk sexual activity. Frequent drug injectors admitted to having more sexual partners and to having sex more frequently, and used condoms with less frequently than women who used IV drugs less often.

Attitudes toward negotiating safer sex and frequency of condom use varied by ethnicity. In addition, use of condoms appeared to be related more to attitudes toward negotiating safer sex and the degree of comfort with social skills in communicating with sexual partners than to perceptions about the properties of condoms. Findings have implications for developing interventions to reduce AIDS risks.
Thinking about Displacement in Drug Markets: Why Observing Change of Venue Isn't Enough
Authors: Caulkins Jonathan P.
Published: November 2015

This article discusses displacement of drug markets, that is, the phenomenon of markets adapting to police enforcement rather than being eliminated by it. The extent to which displacement occurs and the forms that it takes must ultimately be resolved by empirical observation, but it is important to clarify some issues surrounding displacement now so that these questions are framed properly before the data is collected.

This article argues that markets displace in method of operation as well as in physical location; that different forms of physical displacement can be distinguished; that the extent to which displacement occurs is a continuous and not a binary variable; and that even when there is “complete” displacement, interventions may still yield benefits to society.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Self-Regulation of Drug Advertising and Promotion
Authors: Mossinghoff Gerald J.
Published: November 2015

Contrary to critics' contentions that pharmaceutical promotion and advertising hurts medical care and raises health care costs, the opposite is true. Advertising and promotion improves health care quality by keeping health care providers up to date about the best medicines for preventing, treating and curing diseases. This knowledge reduces the need for more expensive medical care and helps restore good health, which lowers overall health care costs. The article cites a number of instances in which advertising and promotional efforts by pharmaceutical companies have increased awareness of health problems amenable to pharmaceutical intervention, with positive results. Pharmaceutical company support of medical journals and continuing medical education has been an important resource for the dissemination of new medical knowledge. Government regulation of pharmaceutical advertising and promotion is strict. The research-based pharmaceutical industry has adopted guidelines that prohibit many of the activities critics have referred to as abuses. Further government regulation would be unnecessary and unwise.
The Evolving Role of FDA in Prescription Drug Promotion
Authors: Morris Louis A. , Griffin Joseph P.
Published: November 2015

This article reviews the contemporary rise of pharmaceutical promotion and FDA's current regulatory policies. Four trends are identified that have spurred a vast increase in the amount and diversification of promotional messages and methods (i.e., evolving technology, new audiences, more sophisticated marketing strategies, and increasingly competitive environments). FDA's surveillance and enforcement activities are discussed. A case history regarding Syntex's promotion of Naprosyn and FDA's reaction is discussed to illustrate how the industry may use a coordinated marketing campaign to violatively promote its products and how FDA enforces the drug advertising law and regulations.
High-Risk Behaviors for Transmission of HIV among Clients in Treatment for Substance Abuse
Authors: Huebert Kathy , James Darlene
Published: November 2015

This study examined AIDS knowledge and HIV-related risk behaviors among injection drug users admitted for treatment at the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC). Clients participating in the study showed a high level of knowledge concerning basic AIDS facts, and many had responded to the threat of AIDS by initiating changes in their needle-sharing behavior and to a lesser extent, in their sexual behavior. However, inconsistencies between risk recognition and risk reduction were observed; a substantial number of clients continued to engage in behaviors that increased their likelihood of infection. Findings suggest Canadian injection drug users are similar to their European and U.S. counterparts in terms of risky drug practices and sexual activities, illustrating the potential for the rapid spread of infection within this group.
Alcohol Content Labeling and Advertising: The Adolph Coors Company Lawsuit
Authors: Martin Christopher S. , Oade K. Preston , Nirenberg Ted D.
Published: November 2015

Federal law prohibits brewers from disclosing information about the alcohol content of malt beverages on product labels or in advertising. In 1987, the Adolph Coors Company filed suit against the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, arguing that this law is an invalid suppression of speech violating the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Coors won the case in U.S. District Court and the defendants have appealed to the United States Court of Appeals. A hearing and decision on the appeal is pending. This article summarizes the current federal law, describes the Coors case challenging the law, and discusses legal and practical issues concerning alcohol content labeling and advertising for malt beverages.
Sexual Behaviors and Cocaine Preference among Injection Drug Users in Los Angeles
Authors: Longshore Douglas , Anglin M. Douglas , Hsieh Shih-Chao , Annon Kiku
Published: November 2015

Based on a 1988–91 sample of 826 drug-using arrestees in Los Angeles, this study compares the sexual behaviors of users whose preferred injection drug is cocaine and users with a preference for heroin or no preference between the two drugs. Sex with multiple partners is more common among users whose preferred injection drug is cocaine after variables such as age, gender, and crack use are controlled. Condom use and frequency of sex while high are not related to injection cocaine preference in this sample. These results suggest that preventive outreach to injection drug users in Los Angeles might be more effective if tailored to sexual behavior patterns that vary by injection drug.
Social Status Group Differences in Motivations for Drug Use
Authors: Buchanan David R.
Published: November 2015

The results of an exploratory study of the reasons and motivations young adolescents from different social backgrounds become involved with drugs are presented. The results are based on interviews with ninety-five eighth-grade students, roughly equally divided between white, middle-class students and black, low-income students. The analysis identifies three themes upon which students from these different backgrounds may be differentiated with respect to their decision-making processes about illegal drug use: different motivations; different experiences and feelings about various institutions in our society; and different attitudes regarding the efficacy of social norms. The implications of these findings for future drug prevention program efforts are discussed.
Drugs in the Workplace: Setting Harris Straight
Authors: Hartman Sandra J. , Crow Stephen M.
Published: November 2015

Harris purports to set the record straight about drugs in the workplace. Instead, he perpetuates old myths and cynicism about the American workforce and gives us no reason to change our original thesis. That is, generally speaking, the American workforce is sober and its productivity is not affected to any great extent by alcohol and drugs. In our original article we made two points. First, we stated that no one has determined with any degree of certainty the magnitude of the so-called drug problem in the workplace. Even if accurate data were available, it would be difficult to determine whether a given level of use constitutes a significant problem. Second, we pointed out that even if drug use does, in fact, constitute a problem, there is little evidence to suggest that drug testing represents an effective solution. Harris offers no compelling evidence to reject those points.
Continuity and Discontinuity in Illicit Drug Use: Patterns and Antecedents
Authors: Esbensen Finn-Aage , Elliott Delbert S.
Published: November 2015

Drug research has tended to focus on initiation and progressions of use. In this article we employ event history analysis to test a social learning model to identify factors associated with both the onset and discontinuity of drug use. Eight waves of the National Youth Survey (NYS), a panel study of a national probability sample of youth in the United States, provide fourteen years (1976–1989) of drug use information for 1,172 respondents aged eleven through thirty. Results include the following: once initiation has occurred, drug use is maintained for an extended time; demographic characteristics have very little effect on either initiation or desistance of drug use; variables representing social learning theory are more important in accounting for initiation than discontinuity of drug use; and life events such as marriage and becoming a parent increase the odds of discontinuing drug use.
Crack Abusers and Noncrack Abusers: Profiles of Drug Use, Drug Sales and Nondrug Criminality
Authors: Johnson Bruce D. , Natarajan Mangai , Dunlap Eloise , Elmoghazy Elsayed
Published: November 2015

Based on more than one thousand interviews with drug abusers in 1988 and 1989, the drug use patterns, selling behavior, and other crimes (robbery, burglary theft, etc.) of crack abusers are compared with those of heroin injectors, cocaine snorters, marijuana-only users, and nondrug users. Several striking differences in the frequency of crack use and dealing emerge among the various drug user types. Crack abusers were found to be using drugs at high rates and were receiving high incomes from drug sales and nondrug criminality. Among crack abusers, crack use greatly exceeded the cost and frequency of use of other specific drugs, which they were also consuming. For all user subgroups, crack selling was the most frequent crime and generated the largest cash income. Important patterns of polydrug use were found among most drug user groups. These findings have important implications for policies directed toward drug abusers.
Italian Referendum Deletes Criminal Sanctions for Drug Users
Authors: Arnao Giancarlo
Published: November 2015

A referendum about drug policy was held in Italy on 18 April 1993. In order to understand the terms of the drug policy, we will summarize the history of the Italian drug law (162/90) through the last five years.
Drug Addiction and Juvenile Justice
Authors: Scardaccione Gilda
Published: November 2015

Drug abuse in juveniles is a complex juridical matter. There is neither specific legislation enacted nor special therapeutic programs for deviant populations of this age. Statistics are limited to drug addicts who have been involved with state agencies, such as administrative, judicial or police departments. In recent years some reforms have been enacted, especially for procedural aspects of the trial. Legislation now in force offers opportunities for alternative dispositions for juvenile drug addicts, including educational programs under the supervision of social service agencies. This situation can be improved further by better coordination between drug abuse legislation and juridical norms concerning the procedural phase of the trial. The problem of juveniles and drug abuse, especially when organized crime is involved, has distinctive characteristics which require different control strategies. Peer group influences seem to be the primary psychological dynamic motivating adolescent drug abuse.
Practical Strategies for Developing Stable Models to Predict Cocaine Use among College Students
Authors: Edmundson Elizabeth W. , Clifford Patrick , Koch William R. , Serrins Debra S.
Published: November 2015

The purpose of the study was to identify a stable model of psychosocial variables related to cocaine use among college students. Development and validation of this model could contribute to a useful cocaine abuse risk profile for college students. Of the 683 students who participated in the study, 179 reported using cocaine at least once in their life on an anonymous survey. The relationship between an index of cocaine use (coef. alpha = .79) and eight psychosocial variables was examined using a multiple regression procedure. The results indicated that two variables, perceived academic ability and interest in school, were significantly associated with scores on the cocaine index. Cross-validation procedures, including Tukey's Jackknife method, were conducted to ascertain the stability of the multiple regression model based on changes in the R-Squared value. The implications for future research and prevention programming efforts are discussed.
A Referral System That Matches Drug Users to Treatment Programs: Existing Research and Relevant Issues
Authors: Hser Yih-Ing
Published: November 2015

Matching clients to treatment has been a topic of great interest to clinicians and researchers in the field of alcohol and drug abuse. Currently, several nationwide efforts are attempting to establish central intakes in communities using computerized systems. This article includes a brief literature review to provide an assessment of the current knowledge about matching that can be used to support a matching system guided by expert knowledge. A conceptual framework for the development of an expert-guided system to be used in a central intake or referral agency is then described. A drug treatment referral system that matches drug users to appropriate treatment programs requires several interlinked components: (1) an accurate list of available programs with comprehensive descriptors characterizing the programs, including the nature and kinds of services provided; (2) an assessment instrument that can be easily and routinely administered is needed for determining clients' characteristics and needs; and (3) results of that assessment instrument are used to match clients with the most appropriate available programs according to a set of decisional guidelines, which is the most critical component of the referral system. Component-specific issues that need to be addressed in developing an expert-guided referral system are discussed. The paper concludes that an expert-guided system using profile matching, although constrained by the resources available in a community, is likely to improve client outcomes and program efficiency over the current haphazard utilization practices of unstructured referral. Development of a matching index that can predict client outcome is necessary to provide empirical directions for future research and improved practice.
The Relationship between Work-Specific and Generalized Stress and Alcohol and Marijuana Use among Recent Entrants to the Labor Force
Authors: Johnson Valerie , White Helene Raskin
Published: November 2015

This study examined changes in alcohol and marijuana use and problem in relation to the transition into full-time work, and the effects of work-related and generalized stress among a group of recent entrants to the labor force. Data were obtained from a sample of males and females who were originally interviewed when they were eighteen years old and followed up twice more at three year intervals. We hypothesized that those who transit into and maintain a full-time job will not increase their level of consumption if they find the job to be the “right fit.” The data indicated that when age, gender, and marital status were controlled, there were few significant effects of the transition to full-time work on use measures. Data from this study provided evidence of a stronger role for generalized stress over that of work-specific stress in predicting changes in drug use in young adulthood.
Drug User Networks, Coping Strategies, and HIV Prevention in the Community
Authors: Power Robert , Jones Steve , Kearns Gerry , Ward Jenni , Perera Jan
Published: November 2015

Qualitative data from England illustrate the way coping strategies form an integral part of the everyday lifestyles of injectors of illicit drugs. Ethnographic investigation of social networks and the rules which underpin them is crucial in devising appropriate community-based interventions. Such networks are characterized by functional and reciprocal relations. Peer education and health advocacy takes place on an informal basis. Key figures who adopt these roles should be encouraged to act as Indigenous Advocates as part of interventions which place drug users and their everyday lives at the core. Rules and social etiquettes of networks are not always positive for the public health agenda, as illustrated by the sharing of injecting paraphernalia and the injecting taboo among the Afro-Caribbean community. Ethnographic study can pinpoint foci for intervention. Harm minimization needs to be promoted using all the resources available, including the informal protective strategies of drug users and outreach interventions aimed at specific issues and targeted toward particular groups.
Cognitive Inductions into Treatment among Drug Users on Probation
Authors: Farabee David , Simpson D. Dwayne , Dansereau Donald , Knight Kevin
Published: November 2015

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of a cognitive tool designed to enhance drug treatment motivation among a sample of drug users on probation in a residential treatment facility (N = 33). The task involved listing the negative consequences of drug use as well as the positive consequences of abstinence as they relate to seven “divisions of the self” (e.g., social, mental, behavioral, physical, emotional, motivational, and spiritual/philosophical). Although performing this cognitive induction task within the first 10 days of treatment (immediate induction) did not appear to enhance motivational readiness for treatment, a comparison group receiving the induction strategy 1 month after entering treatment (delayed induction) scored significantly higher on motivational indices than did those in the immediate induction group. It is suggested that involuntary treatment recipients require a brief acclimation period before shifting their focus from external pressures (e.g., reacting against authority and newly imposed structure) to internal events (e.g., personal evaluation of the consequences of drug use).
Self-Reported Reasons for Needle Sharing and Not Carrying Bleach among Injection Drug Users in Baltimore, Maryland
Authors: Latkin Carl A. , Mandell Wallace , Vlahov David , Knowlton Amy R. , Oziemkowska Maria , Celentano David D.
Published: November 2015

Stated reasons for sharing needles and not intending to carry bleach for 413 injection drug users in the Stop AIDS for Everyone (SAFE) study in Baltimore, Maryland, were analyzed. Over two-thirds (69%) reported they knew individuals who had “gotten in trouble” by police for carrying needles. Of the injection drug users, 38% stated the main reason they shared needles without cleaning them first with bleach was a sense of time urgency, and 30% reported that clean needles were not available. The most common reason given by 24% of the participants for not intending to carry bleach was that they inject at home where bleach is available. Another frequently mentioned reason for not intending to carry bleach was wanting to stop using drugs. These results have implications for HIV prevention and suggest the importance of preventive interventions that emphasize drug users' planning where and when they will inject drugs. The findings also suggest that needle sharing may be in part an unintended consequence of Maryland's current drug paraphernalia laws.
The Parental and Peer Contexts of Adolescent Deviance: An Algebra of Interpersonal Influences
Authors: Kandel Denise B.
Published: November 2015

Estimates of the relative influence of peers and parents on adolescents' drug use and other forms of deviance have inflated the importance of peers and underestimated the influence of parents. Following a brief review of major findings in research on parental-peer linkages, sources of distortion and overestimation in peer effects are identified: reliance on cross-sectional designs, which confound selection and socialization effects; reliance on perceptual reports of friends' behaviors, which reflect projection and attribution; failure to take into account parental contributions to children's peer selection; and failure to consider genetic contributions to observed parental effects. Selected empirical studies that have estimated peer and parental effects on drug use and delinquency from relational and longitudinal designs are utilized to develop correction factors. These are incorporated in equations designed to estimate biases in peer estimates and the effects of parental contributions to peer selection. Within the limitations of the available data, I conclude that peer effects based on cross-sectional data and perceptions of peer behavior are overestimated at least by a factor of five.