Drug research methodology: Volume IV. Epidemiology in drugs and highway safety: The study of drug use among drivers and its role in traffic crashes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the persistent negative reputation of two particular types of drug users, the so-called heroin junkie and the meth head. The visual portrayal of both kinds of users in the media has been consistent in the last decades. Inspired by films and anti-drug campaigns, stereotypical ideas about heroin and meth users dominate the visual portrayals. Existing research has already shown that this standardised picture is not applicable uniformly. Nevertheless, the important role of the visual element for constituting beliefs about drug use and users is lacking in the current drug research. Therefore, this work focusses on the visual element of the drug discourse. Design/methodology/approach On the basis of the British movie Trainspotting, and the two American campaigns Faces of Meth and Montana Meth Project the visual representation of heroin and meth users is discussed. With the help of a visual discourse analysis this research discloses the particularities of every image. Findings The current visual portrayal of heroin and meth users stigmatises them as deviant and unhealthy. This single-sided perspective labels all users, without acknowledging different patterns of use. Counterexamples obtained through existing research do not support this uniformly applied stereotypical representation. The persistent negative reputation mediates inaccurate knowledge about drug use, with harmful consequences for the users, and harm-reduction work. Originality/value Drug research has not been focussing enough on the visual element of the drug discourse. This research intends to close the existing gap and emphasise the possible harmful consequences produced by such visuality.

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Tendencies and trajectories: The production of subjectivity in an event of drug consumption

Environment and Planning D Society and Space ◽

10.1177/0263775817705660 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 35 (5) ◽

pp. 951-967 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Ella Dilkes-Frayne ◽

Cameron Duff

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Empirical Research ◽

Drug Research ◽

Human Geography ◽

Ethnographic Study ◽

Drug Consumption ◽

Recreational Drug ◽

Recreational Drug Use

Posthumanist ontologies have been employed in theoretical and empirical research in human geography to explore the production of subjectivity in processes, events and relations. Similar approaches have been adopted in critical drug research to emphasise the production of subjectivity in events of drug consumption. Within each body of work questions remain regarding the durations and becomings of subjectivity. Responding to these questions, we introduce the notions of tendencies and trajectories as a way of theorising the emergent and enduring aspects of subjectivity. We ground this discussion in a select review of posthumanist geographies, geographies of habit and post-phenomenological approaches, along with vignettes drawn from an ethnographic study of young people’s recreational drug use conducted in Melbourne, Australia. We use these sources to indicate how the notions of tendencies and trajectories may help to account for the emergent and enduring aspects of processes of subjectivation in events of drug consumption.

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Safety of Freeway Service Patrol Operations: Case Study of Florida Road Rangers

Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board ◽

10.1177/0361198118789952 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2672 (33) ◽

pp. 31-41 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Grady Carrick ◽

Sivaramakrishnan Srinivasan ◽

Khajonsak Jermprapai

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Incident Management ◽

Work Zones ◽

Traffic Crashes ◽

Traffic Incidents ◽

Traffic Crash ◽

Crash Data ◽

Time Period ◽

Suitable Case

Safety service patrols are a proven strategy to mitigate the effects of traffic incidents through quick clearance, incident management, and assistance to other incident responders like police, fire, emergency medical services, and towing. As encountered by other responders, working on or near roadways presents unique hazards for safety service patrol vehicles and operators. Road Rangers are Florida’s branded safety service patrols and, as a mature program with over 100 beats, a suitable case study for safety. This research combined an analysis of Road Ranger traffic crash data for 3 years with a comprehensive safety survey of more than 200 operators to determine safety characteristics related to service patrols. Comparing 200 Road Ranger traffic crashes from 2014 through 2016 with all Florida freeway crashes for the same time period revealed that Road Ranger crashes are five times more likely to involve a parked vehicle, and involve two or more vehicles 95% of the time. Pedestrian involvement, nighttime, shoulder locations, and work zones have higher representation for Road Ranger crashes, but weather is not a factor. Alcohol is three times more likely, drug use five times more likely, and distraction slightly higher when Road Ranger vehicles are struck. A survey of 217 Road Ranger drivers revealed that they are keenly aware of important safety topics like high-visibility safety apparel, non-traffic side vehicle approaches, and the dangers of working where there is limited lateral buffer space. Drivers overwhelmingly believe that they have the training and equipment necessary to do their jobs safely.

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Assessing ADAM's Domain: Past Problems and Future Prospects

Contemporary Drug Problems ◽

10.1177/009145090002700105 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 121-135 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

George S. Yacoubian

Keyword(s):

Drug Abuse ◽

Drug Use ◽

Reporting System ◽

Drug Research ◽

Future Prospects ◽

Methodological Issues ◽

The Past ◽

National Institute Of Justice ◽

Future Drug

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) established the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program—formerly the Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) Program—in 1987. Within the past two years the ADAM Program has changed considerably, and as a result its potential contributions to drug research have increased. Despite this progress, however, a number of methodological issues may limit the scope of the ADAM domain. This essay examines the six program goals to identify the most appropriate uses of the ADAM reporting system. The findings are then discussed in light of ADAM's potential contributions to future drug scholarship.

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