Characteristics of injection drug users who participate in drug dealing: implications for drug policy

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
Thomas KerrEvan Wood

Abstract

So-called "balanced" drug policy couples enforcement initiatives targeting drug dealers with health-focused interventions serving addicted individuals. There are few evaluations of this approach, and little is known about how these two populations may overlap. We evaluated factors associated with drug dealing among injection drug users (IDUs) in Vancouver, Canada, and examined self-reported drug-dealing roles and reasons for dealing. Among 412 IDUs seen from March through December 2005, 68 (17%) had dealt drugs during the previous six months. Variables independently associated with drug dealing included: recent incarceration (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.9; 95%CI: 1.4-6.0); frequent heroin injection (AOR = 2.5; 95%CI: 1.4-4.6); frequent cocaine injection (AOR = 2.0; 95%CI: 1.1-3.8); and recent overdose (AOR = 2.7; 95%CI: 1.0-7.3). The most common drug-dealing roles were direct selling (82%), middling (35%), and steering (19%), while the most common reasons for dealing included obtaining drugs (49%) and money (36%). Drug dealing among IDUs was predicted by several markers of higher intensity addiction, and drug-dealing IDUs tended to occupy the most dangerous positions in the drug-dealing hierarchy. These findings suggest that ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jan 26, 2010·AIDS and Behavior·Karin E TobinCarl A Latkin
May 3, 2011·Journal of Urban Health : Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine·Kora DebeckThomas Kerr
Jan 2, 2014·The International Journal on Drug Policy·Cathy LongThomas Kerr
Jun 21, 2011·The International Journal on Drug Policy·Kora DebeckThomas Kerr
Mar 20, 2016·Drug and Alcohol Dependence·Alexander CaudarellaKanna Hayashi
Oct 18, 2011·The American Journal on Addictions·Shirley J SempleThomas L Patterson
Mar 19, 2014·Drug and Alcohol Review·Stephanie LakeThomas Kerr
Jan 11, 2014·The International Journal on Drug Policy·John D OmuraKora DeBeck
Mar 16, 2013·Drug and Alcohol Dependence·Kanna HayashiThomas Kerr
May 20, 2015·The International Journal on Drug Policy·Jade BoydThomas Kerr
Jun 15, 2011·Drug and Alcohol Dependence·Dan WerbEvan Wood
May 5, 2016·The American Journal on Addictions·Mary Clare KennedyKanna Hayashi
Jun 18, 2016·The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse·Kirk HepburnKora DeBeck
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Jul 2, 2021·Drug and Alcohol Dependence·Kaitlyn JaffeLindsey Richardson
Aug 20, 2021·The International Journal on Drug Policy·Liu Liu, Xuemeng Li
Oct 1, 2021·Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health : CBMH·Annalu Moreira AguiarDanilo Antonio Baltieri

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