Illicit Drugs Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

The production of coca and poppy as well as the processing and production of cocaine and heroin involve significant environmental impacts. Both coca and poppy are grown intensively in a process that involves the clearing of land in remote... more

The production of coca and poppy as well as the processing and production of cocaine and heroin involve significant environmental impacts. Both coca and poppy are grown intensively in a process that involves the clearing of land in remote areas, the planting of the crop, and protection against pests such as weeds, insects, and pathogens. The aerial spray program to control coca and poppy production in Colombia with the herbicide glyphosate is conducted with modern state-of-the-art aircraft and spray equipment. As a result of the use of best available spray and navigation technology, the likelihood of accidental off-target spraying is small and is estimated to be less than 1% of the total area sprayed. Estimated exposures in humans resulting from direct overspray, contact with treated foliage after reentry to fields, inhalation, diet, and drinking water were small and infrequent. Analyses of surface waters in five watersheds showed that, on most occasions, glyphosate was not present ...

The importance of conducting substance abuse research among ethnic minorities is underscored by findings that members of many ethnic minorities in the United States report higher rates of heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems than... more

The importance of conducting substance abuse research among ethnic minorities is underscored by findings that members of many ethnic minorities in the United States report higher rates of heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems than do Whites and have increased rates of illicit drug use, abuse, and dependence. It is important to better understand ethnic-specific substance use from a public health perspective. Recent data suggest that the prevalence of past month alcohol use and heavy alcohol use among Hispanics is lower than and the prevalence of binge drinking and alcohol abuse or dependence is comparable to that of non-Hispanic Whites. These estimates vary among Hispanic subgroups and across gender and age groups. The prevalence of past month illicit drug use is also lower among Hispanics than that of several other groups, including non-Hispanic Whites. These trends are consistent among both men and women, although the prevalence for men is nearly twice that of women in nearly all subgroups. Conversely, the prevalence of illicit drug abuse or dependence among Hispanics is slightly higher than that of non-Hispanic Whites. This article describes national level epidemiological data on the prevalence of alcohol and illicit drug use, abuse, and dependence among Latinos/Hispanics in the United States in comparison to other race and ethnic groups. Previous findings in the literature will be reviewed and new analyses using the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health will be presented. Given the heterogeneity of Hispanics in the United States, data for Hispanics will be broken down by national groups whenever possible.

Introduction. Cannabis use is strongly associated with the use and abuse/dependence of other illicit drugs. Gateway and common liabilities models have been employed to explain this relationship. We sought to examine this association using... more

Introduction. Cannabis use is strongly associated with the use and abuse/dependence of other illicit drugs. Gateway and common liabilities models have been employed to explain this relationship. We sought to examine this association using a combination of the discordant twin design and modeling methods.Method. We assess the relationship between early cannabis use and the subsequent use and abuse/dependence of other illicit drugs in a population-based sample of male and female twin pairs using four analyses: (i) analysis of the association between early cannabis use and other illicit drug use and abuse/dependence in the entire sample of twins, (ii) assessment of the influence of early cannabis use in twin 1 on twin 2's use or abuse/dependence of other illicit drugs, (iii) use of twin pairs discordant for early cannabis use in a discordant twin design and (iv) a model-fitting procedure.Results. We found: (i) a strong association between early cannabis use and use and abuse/depende...

Prescription drugs have become a major category of abused substances, and there is evidence that the prevalence of prescription drug abuse may soon overtake that of illicit drugs. Study of prescription drugs has been hampered by vague... more

Prescription drugs have become a major category of abused substances, and there is evidence that the prevalence of prescription drug abuse may soon overtake that of illicit drugs. Study of prescription drugs has been hampered by vague terminology, since prescription drugs are only separated from other drugs of abuse by social and legal constructs. Reviewed herein is published literature on the abuse of four major categories of abused prescription drugs: sedative-hypnotics, stimulants, anabolic steroids, and anticholinergics. The review emphasizes evidence regarding the effects of these drugs on neural systems. Other abused prescription drugs that fall outside of the major categories are also briefly addressed.

The paper is devoted to reviewing the existing means of detecting the transportation of dangerous materials and illicit objects. We analyse the currently available systems, the physical background of the corresponding techniques, and... more

The paper is devoted to reviewing the existing means of detecting the transportation of dangerous materials and illicit objects. We analyse the currently available systems, the physical background of the corresponding techniques, and their advantages and limitations. Our purpose is to provide a broad overview of the possibilities in this field and to present our vision of what is the most appropriate response to the challenges of the modern world with respect to the increasing threat of terrorist attacks and illicit transportation of explosives, weapons, Special Nuclear Materials, and illicit narcotic drugs. To meet this objective, we compare various techniques, discuss how they correspond to the current needs, and propose a possible solution to the existing serious problems.

Shadow economy is a concept encompassing various illegal activities, logistical support system and money laundering jurisdictions and institutions that help processing proceeds from illegal activities and re-entering them into regular... more

Shadow economy is a concept encompassing various illegal activities, logistical support system and money laundering jurisdictions and institutions that help processing proceeds from illegal activities and re-entering them into regular lawful economical circulation.
The big five shadow industries are illegal weapons trade, illicit drug trade, human trafficking and prostitution, naval piracy and trafficking of endangered species. In addition, illicit money revenues come from corruption.
Further and indispensable tools of this process are tax havens and various money laundering schemes that allow the proceeds from illegal activities to be legalized to re-enter our legit financial markets. North Korea is a good example where these schemes are being used by a whole nation’s economy.
All these illegal activities take a major toll the quality of life and security of many communities all around the world.

Sydney’s Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Kings Cross has been a major national and global example of successful harm reduction in relation to illicit drug use ever since it opened its doors 18 years ago. However, since then... more

Sydney’s Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Kings Cross has been a major national and global example of successful harm reduction in relation to illicit drug use ever since it opened its doors 18 years ago. However, since then Sydney has undergone significant transformations as a city, including gentrification of the inner Sydney suburbs where the injecting centre operates and expansions to its Western and South Western suburbs where many of its injecting drug-using population reside. Furthermore, Australia is seeing growing public health concerns about steady increases in opioid overdose deaths worth comparing to the opioid crisis in the United States. Using data from the National Coronial Information System, we explore the distribution of overdose deaths across Sydney and in doing so make the case for the establishment of a second medically supervised injecting centre in Sydney’s outer suburbs.

Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal drug in the world today. Some 146 million people, or 3.7% of the population 15–64 years of age, consumed Cannabis in 2001–2003 (1). In the United States, 95 million Americans over the age of... more

Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal drug in the world today. Some 146 million people, or 3.7% of the population 15–64 years of age, consumed Cannabis in 2001–2003 (1). In the United States, 95 million Americans over the age of 12 have tried marijuana at least once. In 2002, an estimated 15 million Americans had used the drug in the month before a survey (2), representing 6.2% of the population age 12 years and older. Marijuana was used either alone or in combination with other drugs by 75% of the current illicit drug users. Approximately 2-3 million new users of marijuana are added each year, with about 1.1% becoming clinically dependent on it (3). In the case of young people, according to a recent survey of high school students known as Monitoring the Future, supported by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and conducted yearly, at least 19% of 8th graders had tried marijuana at least once and 18% of 10th graders were “current” drug users (i.e., had used the drug within the past month before the survey). Among 12th graders, nearly 48% had tried marijuana at least once, and approx 21% were “current”marijuana users (4). Marijuana use by young people has increased or decreased at various times during the last decade, possibly as a result of its potency, which has been on the rise, although nonsignificantly from a 3% concentration of Δ9-tetrahyrocannabinol (THC; marijuana’s active chemical constituent) in 1991 to 4.4% in 1997—possibly because of changes in the perceptions of youths about marijuana’s dangers or other unknown factors. Research suggests that marijuana use usually peaks in the late teens to early 20s, and then declines in later years (5).