scholarly journals Drugged Driving among Sexual Minority Older Adults in the United States, 2015-2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 753-753
Author(s):  
Jie Yang ◽  
Andrew Yockey
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
The United States ◽  
Emergency Department Visits ◽  
Driving Under The Influence ◽  
Pooled Data ◽  
Drugged Driving ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract Introduction Drugged driving, the act of operating vehicles under the influence of one or more illicit substances is responsible for numerous emergency department visits, deaths, and increased medical costs. Despite higher instances of drug use, older sexual minority (LGB) adults are often neglected in prevention efforts. This study assessed inequities between sexual minority older adults and their heterosexual counterparts in drugged driving across three difference substances (alcohol, marijuana, other drugs). Methods Pooled data from individuals 50 years or older (n = 43,238; 1,115 sexual minority adults) in the 2015–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health were analyzed. Past-year driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, and illicit drugs were outcome variables, and survey-weighted frequencies with 95% confidence limits and crude ORs with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated. Results In the past year, 4.82% of older adults drove under the influence of alcohol, 1.33% drove under the influence of marijuana, and 1.48% drove under the influence of illicit drugs. Sexual minority adults consistently showed higher odds of drugged driving than their heterosexual counterparts, with individuals who identify as bisexual being most at risk for driving under the influence of illicit drugs (aOR:4.49, 95%CI: 2.84, 7.08) and marijuana (aOR:3.95, 95%CI: 2.39, 6.51). Discussion There are differences drugged driving by sexual orientation across the three substances we assessed. These rates of substance use among older sexual minority adults warrant ongoing concern, and it is critical to consider differences across the life course in designing and evaluating interventions to address inequities.

Substance Use Disorders in the Elderly

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Burgard ◽  
Robert Kohn
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorder ◽  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The United States ◽  
Driving Under The Influence

Substance use disorders in older adults remains lower than in younger adults; however, the prevalence is rising in the elderly population. In the United States, the lifetime prevalence of an alcohol use disorder among persons age 65 and older is 16.1%. Studies of Veteran’s Administration nursing home residents have found that 29% to 49% of those admitted have a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol use disorder. A sizable proportion of the elderly acknowledge driving under the influence. In 2013, 1.5% of the elderly had used illicit drugs. The number requiring treatment for substance abuse is expected to double by 2020. The populations with the fastest increase in opiate mortality are those age 55 and older, including those 65 and older. This chapter presents the epidemiology of substance use among older adults and discusses issues related to elders’ substance use, including use in nursing homes, impaired driving and arrests, use of non-prescription medications, screening for substance use, and treatment.

scholarly journals Shifting from Village-Based Networks to Locally Generated Networks: Undocumented Mexican Agricultural Workers Who Use/Used Hard Drugs

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Keith V. Bletzer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
The United States ◽  
Border Crossing ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Agricultural Workers ◽  
Economic Success ◽  
Childhood Difficulties ◽  
Hard Drugs

Hardships that face transmigrants working in agriculture include the potential for drug use. Reliant on village-based networks that facilitate border crossing and developing a plan for a destination within this country, transmigrants who try new drugs/alcohol and/or continue on accustomed drugs/alcohol are facilitated in these endeavors through locally generated networks as alternative forms of access and support. Seven cases of undocumented men from Mexico are reviewed to show how use of illicit drugs is minimally affected by economic success and time in the United States, or village-based networks that first facilitated entry into this country. Prior conditions, especially childhood difficulties and search for socioeconomic autonomy, precipitate new and/or continuing drug use within the United States on this side of the border, where both forms of drug use are facilitated by locally generated networks.

scholarly journals Sexualised drug use among sexual minority young adults in the United States: The P18 cohort study

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
pp. 207-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Ristuccia ◽  
Caleb LoSchiavo ◽  
Perry N. Halkitis ◽  
Farzana Kapadia
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
The United States

The Stimulus of Prohibition: A Critical History of the Global Narcotics Trade

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred W. McCoy
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
Control Program ◽  
The United States ◽  
Drug Control ◽  
White House ◽  
National Drug ◽  
The U.S

The current war on drugs being waged by the United States and United Nations rests upon a fundamental misunderstanding of the global nar­cotics traffic. In 1998, for example, the White House issued a National Drug Con­trol Strategy, proclaiming a 10-year program “to reduce illegal drug use and avail­ability 50 percent by the year 2007,” thereby achieving “the lowest recorded drug-use rate in American history.” To this end, the U.S. program plans to reduce foreign drug cultivation, shipments from source countries like Colombia, and smuggling in key transit zones. Although this strategy promises a balanced attack on both supply and demand, its ultimate success hinges upon the complete eradi­cation of the international supply of illicit drugs. “Eliminating the cultivation of il­licit coca and opium,” the document says in a revealing passage, “is the best ap­proach to combating cocaine and heroin availability in the U.S.” (U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy 1998: 1, 23, 28). Similarly, in 1997 the new head of the United Nations Drug Control Program, Dr. Pino Arlacchi, announced a 10-year program to eradicate all illicit opium and coca cultivation, starting in Afghanistan. Three years later, in the United Nation’s World Drug Report 2000, he defended prohibition’s feasibility by citing China as a case where “comprehensive narcotics control strategies . . . succeeded in eradicat­ing opium between 1949 and 1954”— ignoring the communist coercion that al­lowed such success. Arlacchi also called for an “end to the psychology of despair” that questions drug prohibition, and insisted that this policy can indeed produce “the eradication of coca and opium poppy production.” Turning the page, however, the reader will find a chart showing a sharp rise in world opium production from 500 tons in 1981 to 6,000 tons in 2000— a juxtaposition that seems to challenge Ar-lacchi’s faith in prohibition (Bonner 1997; Wren 1998a, 1998b; United Nations 2000d, 1–2, 24). Examined closely, the United States and United Nations are pur­suing a drug control strategy whose success requires not just the reduction but also the total eradication of illicit narcotics cultivation from the face of the globe. Like the White House, the United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP) re­mains deeply, almost theologically committed to the untested proposition that the prohibition of cultivation is an effective response to the problem of illicit drugs.

scholarly journals In-Hospital Illicit Drug Use and Patient-Directed Discharge: Barriers to Care for Patients With Injection-Related Infections

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen F Eaton ◽  
Andrew O Westfall ◽  
Brandi McClesky ◽  
Cayce S Paddock ◽  
Peter S Lane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
Illicit Drug ◽  
Illicit Drug Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Models Of Care ◽  
Medical Advice ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Against Medical Advice ◽  
Persons Who Inject Drugs

Abstract Background Hospitalized persons who inject drugs are at a greater risk of adverse hospital outcomes including discharge against medical advice, inpatient illicit drug use, overdose, and death. However, there are limited data on the frequency and outcomes of these events in the United States. Methods This retrospective analysis included patients with injection-related infections receiving a protocol for injection drug use (IDU) at University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital from 2016 to 2017. In-hospital IDU was suspected or reported drug usage plus confirmatory drug screen, and documented discharges “against medical advice” were deemed patient-directed discharges (PDD). We analyzed the frequency of and associations between in-hospital IDU, PDD, 30-day readmission, and deaths (between 2016 and 2019) using McNemar’s tests. Logistic regression models evaluated the association between PDD, in-hospital IDU, readmission, and death. Results Overall, 83 patients met inclusion criteria: 28 (34%) with in-hospital IDU, 12 (14%) PDD, 9 (11%) died, and 12 (14%) 30-day readmission. In-hospital IDU was significantly associated with PDD (P = .003), 30-day readmission (P = .005), and death (P = .0003). Patient-directed discharges and 30-day readmission were not significantly associated with death nor with each other. Conclusions In a cohort of patients receiving inpatient care for injection-related infections, illicit drug use, PDD, 30-day readmissions, and death were common. Furthermore, patients who use illicit drugs while hospitalized are significantly more likely to leave early, be readmitted, and/or die. We must design models of care that prevent adverse outcomes, including drug use and PDD, to reduce barriers to evidence-based treatment of infections.

Relationship between marijuana and other illicit drug use and depression/suicidal thoughts among late middle-aged and older adults

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 577-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Namkee G. Choi ◽  
Diana M. DiNitto ◽  
C. Nathan Marti ◽  
Bryan Y. Choi
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
Illicit Drug ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Illicit Drug Use ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Suicidal Thoughts ◽  
The Usa

ABSTRACTBackground:Despite growing numbers of older-adult illicit drug users, research on this topic is rare. This study examined the relationship between marijuana and/or other illicit drug use and major depressive episode (MDE) and serious suicidal thoughts among those aged 50+ years in the USA.Methods:The public use files of the 2008 to 2012 US National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) provided data on 29,634 individuals aged 50+ years. Logistic regression analysis was used to test hypothesized associations between past-year marijuana and/or other illicit drug use and MDE and serious suicidal thoughts.Results:Nearly 6% of the 50+ years age group reported past-year marijuana and/or other illicit drug use. Compared to non-users of any illicit drug, the odds of past-year MDE among those who used marijuana only, other illicit drugs only, and marijuana and other illicit drugs were 1.54 (95% CI = 1.17–2.03), 2.75 (95% CI = 1.75–4.33), and 2.12 (95% CI = 1.45–3.09), respectively. Those who used marijuana and other drugs also had higher odds (2.44, 95% CI = 1.58–3.77) of suicidal thoughts than non-users of any illicit drug. However, among users of any illicit drug, no difference was found among users of marijuana only, marijuana and other illicit drugs, and other illicit drugs only. Among marijuana users, marijuana use frequency was a significant correlate of suicidal thoughts only among those with MDE.Conclusions:Health and mental health (MH) service providers should pay close attention to the potential reciprocal effects of marijuana and other illicit drug use and MDE and suicidal thoughts among late middle-aged and older adults.

scholarly journals A Descriptive Analysis of Location of Older Adult Falls That Resulted in Emergency Department Visits in the United States, 2015

2020 ◽  
pp. 155982762094218
Author(s):  
Briana L. Moreland ◽  
Ramakrishna Kakara ◽  
Yara K. Haddad ◽  
Iju Shakya ◽  
Gwen Bergen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
The United States ◽  
Emergency Department Visits ◽  
Targeted Prevention ◽  
Injury Surveillance System ◽  
Injurious Falls ◽  
Ed Visits ◽  
At Home

Introduction. Falls among older adults (age ≥65) are a common and costly health issue. Knowing where falls occur and whether this location differs by sex and age can inform prevention strategies. Objective. To determine where injurious falls that result in emergency department (ED) visits commonly occur among older adults in the United States, and whether these locations differ by sex and age. Methods. Using 2015 National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program data we reviewed narratives for ED patients aged ≥65 who had an unintentional fall as the primary cause of injury. Results. More fall-related ED visits (71.6%) resulted from falls that occurred indoors. A higher percentage of men’s falls occurred outside (38.3%) compared to women’s (28.4%). More fall-related ED visits were due to falls at home (79.2%) compared to falls not at home (20.8%). The most common locations for a fall at home were the bedroom, bathroom, and stairs. Conclusion. The majority of falls resulting in ED visits among older adults occurred indoors and varied by sex and age. Knowing common locations of injurious falls can help older adults and caregivers prioritize home modifications. Understanding sex and age differences related to fall location can be used to develop targeted prevention messages.

Older Adults Driving Under the Influence: Associations With Marijuana Use, Marijuana Use Disorder, and Risk Perceptions

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 1687-1707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Namkee G. Choi ◽  
Diana M. DiNitto ◽  
C. Nathan Marti
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Marijuana Use ◽  
Driving Under The Influence ◽  
Safe Driving ◽  
Marijuana Abuse ◽  
Appropriate Treatment ◽  
Other Substances ◽  
Age Appropriate

Despite increasing marijuana use among the 50+ age group, little research has been done on marijuana’s impact on older adults’ driving under the influence (DUI). Using the 2013 to 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data, this study examined the association of older adults’ self-reported DUI with marijuana use, marijuana abuse/dependence, and marijuana risk perception. The findings show that one third of past-year marijuana users aged 50+ reported past-year DUI, two thirds of which involved drugs. Those with marijuana abuse/dependence were 2.6 times more likely than those without the disorder to report DUI, controlling for alcohol abuse/dependence, other illicit drug use, and sociodemographic and health/mental health statuses. As safe driving is key to prolonging independence in late life, clinicians need to educate older adults about the risk of marijuana use, alone and with other substances, on their driving capacity and provide age-appropriate treatment for marijuana use disorder.

scholarly journals Illicit and Prescription Drug Misuse among Sexual Minority Women in the United States: A Protocol for a Scoping Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Kelly Gagnon ◽  
Jessica Frankeberger ◽  
Stephanie Corey ◽  
Barbara L. Folb ◽  
Christina Mair ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Prescription Drug ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
The United States ◽  
Minority Women ◽  
Drug Misuse ◽  
Sexual Minority Women ◽  
Prescription Drug Misuse

  Background: The United States Institute of Medicine (IOM) published reports in 1999 and 2011 identifying drug use as a priority area for sexual minority health research, specifically focused on mechanisms contributing to drug use disparities and the development of tailored interventions. Limited research has prioritized sexual minority women (SMW) with the majority of substance use research among sexual minorities focused on adolescents and men who have sex with men. This scoping review will characterize the research literature related to illicit drug use and prescription drug misuse among SMW and sub-groups within the SMW population. Through this, we will identify: (1) specific substances used; (2) patterns of substance use; (3) risk and protective factors; (4) prevention interventions; and (5) drug treatment programs specific to SMW. Methods/Design: This review will include studies with empirical data of illicit or prescription drug misuse among sexual minority women. Peer-reviewed quantitative research conducted in the United States and published in English from 2011-Present will be included. We will search Medline, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases for relevant articles. Two independent reviewers will screen abstracts and relevant full-text studies for eligibility. Data will be extracted from eligible articles and results will be presented in narrative and tabular form as appropriate. Discussion: This work will identify gaps of knowledge in the research pertaining to illicit or prescription drug misuse among sexual minority women since the 2011 US IOM report. As a result of this work, we will propose directions for future research to address identified gaps.

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