Journal of Drug Issues

Terrill, Doug R.; Staton, Michele; Webster, J. Matthew; Webster, Marguerite; Tillson, Martha

doi: 10.1177/00220426251394665pmid: N/A

Women who are involved with the criminal legal system face unique and well-documented barriers to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Less is known regarding how these barriers translate to differences in SUD treatment utilization within this population. This study aimed to identify barriers to treatment among incarcerated women with opioid use disorder and characterize women who reported these barriers and demonstrate which barriers were significantly associated with a reduction in odds of receiving SUD treatment. Women who reported barriers had worse mental and physical health and had less access to other resources. Accessibility and affordability were the most commonly endorsed, as well as a lack of motivation for treatment. These barriers were also significantly associated with lower odds of having received treatment. Recommendations include providing transportation, increasing insurance coverage for substance use treatment, incorporating peer support and other motivational strategies, and increasing linkage to treatment for individuals upon release from incarceration.

Takgbajouah, Mary; Krutsik, Tetyana; Betkowski, Elise; Fischer, Liam; Loiacono, Bernardo; Miller, Steven A.; Tran, Susan; Neff Greenley, Rachel; Dennhardt, Ashley A.; Yurasek, Allison; Buscemi, Joanna

doi: 10.1177/00220426251389783

Melamed, Osnat C.; Walsh, Sophie D.; Shulman, Shmuel

doi: 10.1177/00220426251384849pmid: N/A

International travel by emerging adults is increasingly recognized as a context for experimentation with illicit drugs. This longitudinal study examined predictors of drug use trajectories among 249 young adults traveling to South America or Southeast Asia. Participants completed assessments before departure and after their return. Latent profile analysis identified three use trajectories: Stable Low (48.4%), Experimental Increasing (28.4%), and Consistently High (23.2%). Use of illicit substances such as cocaine and LSD increased markedly during travel in the Consistently High group. Higher novelty seeking and lower commitment to developmental goals predicted membership in this group, while elevated depressive symptoms predicted membership in the Experimental Increasing group, which showed a temporary escalation. These findings highlight the role of personality, motivation, and emotional vulnerability in shaping responses to permissive environments. This study contributes to international drug research by identifying at-risk youth and informing targeted prevention strategies in youth health, and public drug policy.

Newell, Anna

doi: 10.1177/00220426251356928pmid: N/A

The opioid crisis is a pressing issue with implications for the treatment of chronic pain, addiction, and criminal justice responses to substance use. This paper examines associations between prescription opioid dispensing rates and drug-related arrest rates using data from the Centers for Disease Control and the Uniform Crime Reporting System for the years 2009–2020. Fixed effects Poisson regression models are estimated to assess arrest-related outcomes. Findings suggest a positive association between opioid dispensing rates and arrest rates for possession and sale of synthetic narcotics, but a negative association with arrest rates for possession of heroin and cocaine. Future research should continue to assess measures of crime with consideration of opioid prescribing practices and policies. Policy implications include evaluation of criminal justice responses to substance use, and how diversion might be used in place of sanctions to offer treatment to those struggling with substance use disorders.

Acharya, Shubhasmita; Rout, Lulu

doi: 10.1177/00220426251359223pmid: N/A

As social media becomes an effective awareness tool, this study examines how YouTube acts as a source of information for drug-addicted patients through the publishing of numerous videos on drug addiction. Raw data from YouTube was collected using the program “Webometric Analyst,” along with a search term and an already-created YouTube API Key. On 10 May 2023, 546 videos and 25,196 comments were collected for analysis. R-studio was used, with the “syuzhet” package installed in order to analyze the sentiment of the viewers comments. Drug addiction videos mostly cover concepts and cases, with few coverings therapy, prevention, and causes. YouTube channels that uploaded drug addiction videos favored 1–20-min lengths. The majority of responses were positive, indicating that viewers are delighted with drug addiction-related videos. YouTube has some basic drug addiction information, however patients looking for treatment or prevention information may be disappointed because YouTube has few such videos.

Vainionpää, Raija; Kokkola, Outi; Laitala, Marja-Liisa; Anttonen, Vuokko; Tiisanoja, Antti

doi: 10.1177/00220426251326048pmid: N/A

The aim of the study was to provide evidence on the oral health of Northern Finnish people with experience of illicit drug use, referenced against the age-matched general population, Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (NFBC1986). In total, 118/1551 subjects, average age 33/34 years, and 66%/40% males participated in the studies for the people with experience of drug use and NFBC1986, respectively. Most of the people who use drugs were single, unemployed, or retired, and had a low level of education, whereas the opposite was true for NFBC1986. A majority of the people with experience of drug use were active smokers whereas 17% in NFBC1986 reported smoking. The people who use drugs had fewer teeth, more caries lesions, more severe consequences of caries and plaque, and more frequently reduced salivary flow, than the general population. The people who use drugs had poorer oral health compared to the age-matched general population.

Jacobson, Anita; Ologunowa, Abiodun John; Pacheco, Michaela; Rossmeisl, Eric D.

doi: 10.1177/00220426251353368pmid: N/A

Police officers (n = 828) in Rhode Island completed pre- and post-training surveys related to a web-based overdose response training focused on naloxone administration and post-overdose support. Responses were analyzed to assess changes in confidence and satisfaction with the training, with comparisons by officer experience, jurisdiction type, and overdose rate. Statistically significant improvements in confidence were observed across key domains including naloxone administration, monitoring, and referral to harm reduction or treatment services. Confidence was notably lower among officers with no prior naloxone administration experience and in higher-overdose jurisdictions. Satisfaction with the training was high overall, with state-level officers reporting the greatest satisfaction. These findings suggest that web-based overdose training is effective and acceptable across diverse police settings.

Ohayon, Sarel; Ronel, Natti

doi: 10.1177/00220426251370601pmid: N/A

Moral psychology research has often overlooked the perspectives of individuals grappling with addiction due to social and methodological biases. To address this, we developed a research tool exploring their moral reasoning across different stages of use and recovery. Phase 1 involved exploratory interviews with three men, shaping our study protocol, including the Population Adapted Moral Dilemma Interview and a semi-structured interview. Phase 2 included 31 men with diverse educational backgrounds and addiction types, spanning active use to 44 years of abstinence. Findings reveal maladaptive moral reasoning frameworks, shaped by deterministic, rigid deontological, and termed “Candidian” tendencies during active addiction. In long-term recovery, participants employ various adaptive strategies to foster autonomous moral decision-making. The study suggests that an unalienating, tailored, and holistic methodological approach is productive in pursuing recovery-oriented knowledge on marginalized populations. Along with recovery, the authoritative and obligative approach is neglected, while moral development is achieved through self-compassionate practicality.

Park, Hojin; An, Janghyeok; Kim, Daehwan

doi: 10.1177/00220426251384854pmid: N/A

While a substantial body of literature has focused on the correlational evidence between smoking and drinking, few studies have examined the causal effects between them. We estimated the causal effects of smoking cessation on drinking, further analyzing the effects by gender. Using data from the Lung Health Study (LHS), we employed the random assignment of participants to intervention groups as an instrumental variable (IV) and implemented a two-stage least squares (2SLS) model for causal inference. The empirical findings revealed that smoking cessation led to a significant decrease in the likelihood of alcohol use among women by 22.3 percentage points in the long-run (p < .05). By contrast, the effect of smoking cessation on alcohol use was non-significant among men. This underscores the unique and interdependent relationship between smoking and drinking behaviors, especially in women. Our study suggests that policies promoting smoking cessation may contribute to alcohol abstinence in women.

Day, George J.; Collica-Cox, Kimberly

doi: 10.1177/00220426251387300pmid: N/A

While studies have found medication assisted treatment (MAT) to produce beneficial outcomes, few scholars have explored the immediate impact of jail-based MAT on mental well-being. Improved mental well-being arising from MAT participation in jail may increase the likelihood of continued participation in MAT post-release. To understand the impact of jail-based MAT on psychological well-being, pre- and post-test surveys with residents from a county jail in the northeastern U.S. were conducted to measure changes in stress, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem. The study also explored possible differences between jail residents participating in MAT alone and those who combined MAT with other available treatment programs. Results revealed significant differences in anxiety and stress among those participating in MAT. Bivariate and multivariate analyses also indicate that MAT combined with a jail-based drug treatment community, produces better outcomes than MAT alone.