Building Community Response to Emergent Drug Use
PI - Merrill Singer
Hispanic Health Council
This study seeks to integrate ethnographic and epidemiological methods to implement a community-based system for tracking street drug use patterns, assessing their potential HIV and other health risks, and implementing and evaluating local public health responses. This 3-year study has: 1) implemented an ongoing and systematic ethnographic monitoring of emergent street drug use behaviors and social contexts using direct field observation and key informant interviewing with both active drug users and frontline care/service providers; 2) launched the first of three waves of focused survey data collection to assess the distribution and sociodemographic and behavioral correlates of ethnographically identified emergent drug-related risks; and 3) developed a community response team of health and mental health care, drug treatment, community education, and HIV prevention/care providers, as well as public health officials and researchers, to review ethnographic and epidemiological findings and to develop and implement needed public health responses to emergent risk patterns (e.g., education campaigns, modified treatment patterns, new outreach strategies, specific intervention models); and 4) launched a process and outcome evaluation of the project. In its first round of surveys, the Drug Monitoring study examined the extent, ingredients and social context for an emergent drug involving a component embalming fluid and known variously on the street as "dust," "wet," or "illy." In-depth interviews revealed "wet/dust" to be a widespread and popular drug with African-American and Puerto Rican young people age 18-32. Urine and toxicological testing of residue in discarded drug bags revealed that PCP was a frequent ingredient of "dust," which is believed on the street to be comprised of marijuana or mint leaves soaked in embalming fluid, cooked until the substance resembles a black powder. Epidemiological interviews also found frequent use of ecstasy by street drug users, and identified a positive statistical association between prescription drug abuse and ever having a drug overdose. The second round of surveys will continue to broadly monitor emergent drug patterns across the demographically disparate urban areas, especially among younger adults and women, and through focused data collection and ethnographic interviews specifically examine the depth of diffusion, user perceptions, and health risks associated with ecstasy and prescription drug abuse.
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Page last modified: September 28, 2006
Content source: Office of the Chief Science Officer (OCSO)
