Through both scientific evaluation (1), and the wisdom of experience (2), Western nations have learned that illicit drug markets are notoriously difficult to control from the supply side. A recent World Customs Organization report found that even post-September 11 security measures have had a ‘‘negligible’’ impact on the influx of illicit drugs into the United States (3). In Canada, we recently...

This cross-sectional multi-centre study explored how family members and friends of illicit drug users perceived protective and risk factors, treatment facilities and policies and laws regarding illicit drug use. Family members and friends of illicit drug users were recruited in 10 urban health care outpatient units in 7 Latin American countries (Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala,...

AIMS We investigate the extent of and factors associated with denial of previously reported cannabis and other illicit drug use, and assess the potential of hair testing for measuring substance use in general population samples. DESIGN Birth cohort study. SETTING United Kingdom, 1991-present. PARTICIPANTS A total of 3643 participants who provided hair and self-report measures of cannabis ...

background: motor vehicle traffic injuries are indeed one of the most important worldwide health problems. opioids can induce a depressant effect on the central nervous system which may increase the risk of traffic accidents. this cross-sectional case-control study was conducted in marvdasht, iran to investigate the presence of drugs in hospitalized non-fatally injured drivers of motor vehicles...

BACKGROUND Despite growing concern about illicit methadone use in the US and other countries, there is little data about the prevalence and correlates of methadone use in large urban areas. We assessed the prevalence and examined correlates of lifetime and recent illicit methadone use in New York City (NYC). METHODS 1,415 heroin, crack, and cocaine users aged 15-40 years were recruited in NYC...

Notwithstanding a century of prohibition, marijuana is the most widely used illicit substance in Canada. Due to the growing public acceptance of recreational marijuana use and ineffectiveness of the existing control system in Canada, the issue surrounding legalizing this illicit drug has received considerable public and political attentions in recent years. Consequently, the newly elected Liber...

This study examined the relationship between alcohol/illicit drug use, the Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality traits, aggressiveness (Agg), and hyperactivity (Hyp), and platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity in a population-derived representative sample of preadolescents and adolescents (n=1172). Alcohol and illicit drug use was self-reported. The FFM personality inventories were filled in ...

Illicit drug use is widespread across most industrialised countries. The prevalence of illicit use is probably measured best in the United States: at least 14 million people, or 6% of the population, use illicit drugs every month (Office of National Drug Control Policy [ONDCP], 1999). Nor is this pattern of use confined to the U.S. In Britain, for example, around 2 million people use illicit dr...

Traditionally, the prevalence of illicit and problematic drug use in the elderly was thought to be very low (Abrams and Alexopoulos, 1988; Rosenberg, 1995; Crome and Day, 1999; Simoni-Wastila and Yang, 2006). Indeed, in the most recent British Crime Survey respondents over the age of 59 years were not asked about illicit drug use because previous surveys indicated that less than 1% of those age...

Persons who use illicit drugs are stigmatized in the United States. The conferral of a deviant social status on illicit drug users may serve to discourage use. However, stigmatization may also adversely affect the health of those who use illicit drugs, through exposure to chronic stress such as discrimination and as a barrier to accessing care. We hypothesized that aspects of stigma and discrim...