scholarly journals Decline, and Regional Disparities, in Medical Cocaine Usage in the United State

Author(s):  
Youngeun C Armbuster ◽  
Brian N Banas ◽  
Kristen D Feickert ◽  
Stephanie E England ◽  
Erik J Moyer ◽  
...  

Purpose: Cocaine is a stimulant with a complex history that is used in otorhinolaryngological surgeries as a local anesthetic and vasodilator. There is extensive regulation in the United States for the storage and disposal of this Schedule II drug, potentially incentivizing health care professionals to avoid use. This descriptive study characterized medical cocaine use in the United States. Methods: Retail drug distribution from 2002-2017 in units of grams of weight was extracted for each state from the Drug Enforcement Administrations Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System database, which reports on medical, research, and analytical-chemistry use. The percent of buyers (hospitals, pharmacies, providers) was obtained. Use per state, corrected for population, was determined. Available data on cocaine use, as reported by the Medicare and Medicaid programs for 2013 to 2017, also were examined. Results: Medical cocaine use in the US, measured on the basis of mass, decreased 62.5% from 2002 to 2017. Hospitals accounted for 84.9% and practitioners for 9.9% of cocaine distribution in 2017. The number of pharmacies nationwide carrying cocaine dropped by 69.4% to 206. The percent of all US hospitals, practitioners, and pharmacies that carried cocaine in 2017 was 38.4%, 2.3%, and 0.3%, respectively. There was a seven-fold difference in distribution per state in 2002 (South Dakota = 76.1 mg/100 persons, Delaware = 10.1 mg/100 persons). Similarly, there was a ten-fold regional disparity observed for 2017. Relative to the average state, those reporting the highest values (Montana = 20.1 and North Dakota = 24.1 mg/100 persons), were significantly elevated. Cocaine use within the Medicare and Medicaid programs was negligible. Conclusion: Medical cocaine use across the United States exhibited a pronounced decline over a fifteen-year period. If this pattern continues, licit cocaine will soon become an obscure pharmacological relic of interest only to analytical chemists and medical historians.

2021 ◽  
pp. 875512252110355
Author(s):  
Youngeun C. Armbuster ◽  
Brian N. Banas ◽  
Kristen D. Feickert ◽  
Stephanie E. England ◽  
Erik J. Moyer ◽  
...  

Background: Cocaine is a stimulant and Schedule II drug used as a local anesthetic and vasoconstrictor. Objective: This descriptive study characterized medical cocaine use in the United States. Methods: Retail drug distribution data from 2002 to 2017 were extracted for each state from the Drug Enforcement Administration, which reports on medical, research, and analytical chemistry use. The percentage of buyers (pharmacies, hospitals, and providers) was obtained. Use per state, corrected for population, was determined. Available cross-sectional data on cocaine use as reported by the Medicare and Medicaid programs for 2013-2017 and electronic medical records were examined. Results: Medical cocaine use decreased by −62.5% from 2002 to 2017. Hospitals accounted for 84.9% and practitioners for 9.9% of cocaine distribution in 2017. The number of pharmacies carrying cocaine dropped by −69.4%. The percentages of hospitals, practitioners, and pharmacies that carried cocaine in 2017 were 38.4%, 2.3%, and 0.3%, respectively. There was a 7-fold difference in 2002 (South Dakota, 76.1 mg/100 persons; Delaware, 10.1 mg/100 persons). Relative to the average state in 2017, those reporting the highest values (Montana, 20.1; North Dakota, 24.1 mg/100 persons) were significantly elevated. Cocaine use within the Medicare and Medicaid programs was negligible. Cocaine use within the Geisinger system was rare from 2002 to 2007 (<4 orders/100 000 patients per year) but increased to 48.7 in 2018. Conclusion and Relevance: If these pharmacoepidemiological patterns continue, licit cocaine may soon become a historical relic. The pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics education of health care providers may need to be adjusted accordingly.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Furst ◽  
Nicholas J. Mynarski ◽  
Kenneth L. McCall ◽  
Brian J. Piper

AbstractObjectiveMethadone is an evidence based treatment for opioid use disorder and is also employed for acute pain. The primary objective of this study was to explore methadone distribution patterns between the years 2017 and 2019 across the United States (US). This study builds upon previous literature that has analyzed prior years of US distribution patterns, and further outlines regional and state specific methadone trends.MethodsThe Drug Enforcement Administration’s Automated Reports and Consolidated Ordering System (ARCOS) was used to acquire the number of narcotic treatment programs (NTPs) per state and methadone distribution weight in grams. Methadone distribution by weight, corrected for state populations, and number of NTPs were compared from 2017 to 2019 between states, within regions, and nationally.ResultsBetween 2017 and 2019, the national distribution of methadone increased 12.30% for NTPs but decreased 34.57% for pain, for a total increase of 2.66%. While all states saw a decrease in distribution for pain, when compared regionally, the Northeast showed a significantly smaller decrease than all other regions. Additionally, the majority of states experienced an increase in distribution for NTPs and most states demonstrated a relatively stable or increasing number of NTPs, with an 11.49% increase in NTPs nationally. The number of NTPs per 100K in 2019 ranged from 2.08 in Rhode Island to 0.00 in Wyoming.ConclusionAlthough methadone distribution for OUD was increasing in the US, there were pronounced regional disparities.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Azar R. Pashmineh ◽  
Alexandra Cruz-Mullane ◽  
Jaclyn C. Podd ◽  
Warren S. Lam ◽  
Suhail H. Kaleem ◽  
...  

AbstractAimsBuprenorphine is an opioid partial-agonist used to treat Opioid Use Disorders (OUD). While several state and federal policy changes have attempted to increase buprenorphine availability, access remains well below optimal levels. This study characterized how buprenorphine utilization in the United States has changed over time and whether there are regional disparities in distribution.MeasurementsBuprenorphine weights distributed from 2007 to 2017 were obtained from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Data was expressed as the percent change and as the mg per person in each state. Separately, the formulations for prescriptions covered by Medicaid (2008 to 2018) were examined.FindingsBuprenorphine distributed to pharmacies increased about seven-fold (476.8 to 3,179.9 kg) while the quantities distributed to hospitals grew five-fold (18.6 to 97.6 kg) nationally from 2007 to 2017. Buprenorphine distribution per person was almost 20-fold higher in Vermont (40.4 mg/person) relative to South Dakota (2.1 mg/person). There was a strong association between the number of waivered physicians per 100K population and distribution per state (r(49) = +0.76, p < .0005). The buprenorphine/naloxone sublingual film (Suboxone) was the predominant formulation (92.6% of 0.31 million Medicaid prescriptions) in 2008 but this accounted for less than three-fifths (57.3% of 6.56 million prescriptions) in 2018.ConclusionsAlthough buprenorphine availability has substantially increased over the last decade, distribution was very non-homogenous across the US.


Author(s):  
Steven Hurst

The United States, Iran and the Bomb provides the first comprehensive analysis of the US-Iranian nuclear relationship from its origins through to the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015. Starting with the Nixon administration in the 1970s, it analyses the policies of successive US administrations toward the Iranian nuclear programme. Emphasizing the centrality of domestic politics to decision-making on both sides, it offers both an explanation of the evolution of the relationship and a critique of successive US administrations' efforts to halt the Iranian nuclear programme, with neither coercive measures nor inducements effectively applied. The book further argues that factional politics inside Iran played a crucial role in Iranian nuclear decision-making and that American policy tended to reinforce the position of Iranian hardliners and undermine that of those who were prepared to compromise on the nuclear issue. In the final chapter it demonstrates how President Obama's alterations to American strategy, accompanied by shifts in Iranian domestic politics, finally brought about the signing of the JCPOA in 2015.


2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Euan Hague ◽  
Alan Mackie

The United States media have given rather little attention to the question of the Scottish referendum despite important economic, political and military links between the US and the UK/Scotland. For some in the US a ‘no’ vote would be greeted with relief given these ties: for others, a ‘yes’ vote would be acclaimed as an underdog escaping England's imperium, a narrative clearly echoing America's own founding story. This article explores commentary in the US press and media as well as reporting evidence from on-going interviews with the Scottish diaspora in the US. It concludes that there is as complex a picture of the 2014 referendum in the United States as there is in Scotland.


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-134

This section, updated regularly on the blog Palestine Square, covers popular conversations related to the Palestinians and the Arab-Israeli conflict during the quarter 16 November 2017 to 15 February 2018: #JerusalemIstheCapitalofPalestine went viral after U.S. president Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced his intention to move the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv. The arrest of Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi for slapping an Israeli soldier also prompted a viral campaign under the hashtag #FreeAhed. A smaller campaign protested the exclusion of Palestinian human rights from the agenda of the annual Creating Change conference organized by the US-based National LGBTQ Task Force in Washington. And, UNRWA publicized its emergency funding appeal, following the decision of the United States to slash funding to the organization, with the hashtag #DignityIsPriceless.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-170
Author(s):  
Gerardo Gurza-Lavalle

This work analyses the diplomatic conflicts that slavery and the problem of runaway slaves provoked in relations between Mexico and the United States from 1821 to 1857. Slavery became a source of conflict after the colonization of Texas. Later, after the US-Mexico War, slaves ran away into Mexican territory, and therefore slaveholders and politicians in Texas wanted a treaty of extradition that included a stipulation for the return of fugitives. This article contests recent historiography that considers the South (as a region) and southern politicians as strongly influential in the design of foreign policy, putting into question the actual power not only of the South but also of the United States as a whole. The problem of slavery divided the United States and rendered the pursuit of a proslavery foreign policy increasingly difficult. In addition, the South never acted as a unified bloc; there were considerable differences between the upper South and the lower South. These differences are noticeable in the fact that southerners in Congress never sought with enough energy a treaty of extradition with Mexico. The article also argues that Mexico found the necessary leeway to defend its own interests, even with the stark differential of wealth and resources existing between the two countries. El presente trabajo analiza los conflictos diplomáticos entre México y Estados Unidos que fueron provocados por la esclavitud y el problema de los esclavos fugitivos entre 1821 y 1857. La esclavitud se convirtió en fuente de conflicto tras la colonización de Texas. Más tarde, después de la guerra Mexico-Estados Unidos, algunos esclavos se fugaron al territorio mexicano y por lo tanto dueños y políticos solicitaron un tratado de extradición que incluyera una estipulación para el retorno de los fugitivos. Este artículo disputa la idea de la historiografía reciente que considera al Sur (en cuanto región), así como a los políticos sureños, como grandes influencias en el diseño de la política exterior, y pone en tela de juicio el verdadero poder no sólo del Sur sino de Estados Unidos en su conjunto. El problema de la esclavitud dividió a Estados Unidos y dificultó cada vez más el impulso de una política exterior que favoreciera la esclavitud. Además, el Sur jamás operó como unidad: había diferencias marcadas entre el Alto Sur y el Bajo Sur. Estas diferencias se observan en el hecho de que los sureños en el Congreso jamás se esforzaron en buscar con suficiente energía un tratado de extradición con México. El artículo también sostiene que México halló el margen de maniobra necesario para defender sus propios intereses, pese a los fuertes contrastes de riqueza y recursos entre los dos países.


Author(s):  
Ana Elizabeth Rosas

In the 1940s, curbing undocumented Mexican immigrant entry into the United States became a US government priority because of an alleged immigration surge, which was blamed for the unemployment of an estimated 252,000 US domestic agricultural laborers. Publicly committed to asserting its control of undocumented Mexican immigrant entry, the US government used Operation Wetback, a binational INS border-enforcement operation, to strike a delicate balance between satisfying US growers’ unending demands for surplus Mexican immigrant labor and responding to the jobs lost by US domestic agricultural laborers. Yet Operation Wetback would also unintentionally and unexpectedly fuel a distinctly transnational pathway to legalization, marriage, and extended family formation for some Mexican immigrants.On July 12, 1951, US president Harry S. Truman’s signing of Public Law 78 initiated such a pathway for an estimated 125,000 undocumented Mexican immigrant laborers throughout the United States. This law was an extension the Bracero Program, a labor agreement between the Mexican and US governments that authorized the temporary contracting of braceros (male Mexican contract laborers) for labor in agricultural production and railroad maintenance. It was formative to undocumented Mexican immigrant laborers’ transnational pursuit of decisively personal goals in both Mexico and the United States.Section 501 of this law, which allowed employers to sponsor certain undocumented laborers, became a transnational pathway toward formalizing extended family relationships between braceros and Mexican American women. This article seeks to begin a discussion on how Operation Wetback unwittingly inspired a distinctly transnational approach to personal extended family relationships in Mexico and the United States among individuals of Mexican descent and varying legal statuses, a social matrix that remains relatively unexplored.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gremil Alessandro Naz

<p>This paper examines the changes in Filipino immigrants’ perceptions about themselves and of Americans before and after coming to the United States. Filipinos have a general perception of themselves as an ethnic group. They also have perceptions about Americans whose media products regularly reach the Philippines. Eleven Filipinos who have permanently migrated to the US were interviewed about their perceptions of Filipinos and Americans. Before coming to the US, they saw themselves as hardworking, family-oriented, poor, shy, corrupt, proud, adaptable, fatalistic, humble, adventurous, persevering, gossipmonger, and happy. They described Americans as rich, arrogant, educated, workaholic, proud, powerful, spoiled, helpful, boastful, materialistic, individualistic, talented, domineering, friendly, accommodating, helpful, clean, and kind. Most of the respondents changed their perceptions of Filipinos and of Americans after coming to the US. They now view Filipinos as having acquired American values or “Americanized.” On the other hand, they stopped perceiving Americans as a homogenous group possessing the same values after they got into direct contact with them. The findings validate social perception and appraisal theory, and symbolic interaction theory.</p>


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