Shakti Nagarajan, MBBS¹, Thomas Nicholson, PhD¹, David Duncan, DrPH², John B. White, PhD¹, Lisa L. Lindley, DrPH³, and Fred Stickle, PhD¹. (1) Public Health, Western Kentucky University, Western Kentucky University, One Big Red Way, Bowling Green, KY 42101-3576, 270/745-5855, thomas.nicholson@wku.edu, (2) Brown University, 1347 Kentucky St. # 2, Bowling Green, KY 42101, (3) Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health, Western Kentucky University, 1 Big Red Way, Bowling Green, KY 42101

Data from the DRUGNET study, an Internet based survey of adult recreational drug users, was used to assess the presence of clinical signs of dependence. A total of 541 respondents completed the survey from December 1997 to June 1998. The survey was completed in three parts: demographics, drug use history, and legal issues along with the General Well Being Schedule (GWBS). The sample was predominately Caucasian (n = 479, 88.5%) male (n = 411, 76%), employed full-time (n = 373, 68.9%) and had a mean age of 30.84 years. Using questions based on the DSM III-R criteria, 148 (27.4%) users reported three or more signs of dependence during their lifetime use with 119 (22%) reporting no signs of dependence. A principal components analysis of the clinical indicators suggested a two component solution which explained 43.3% of the total variance. Surprisingly, the medical indicators of suffering withdrawal and having difficulty stopping use did not load on the same factor as having undergone treatment. Rather, treatment loaded on the same factor as having had problems with the legal system. This strongly suggests that encounters with law enforcement were driving treatment among this non-abusive subset of the drug using population. If this is the case, and other evidence suggests that it is, then scarce treatment resources are being wasted on the wrong population. On the other hand, while non-abusive users may not need treatment for dependence they may be engaging in risky behaviors that could be addressed through harm reduction interventions.

Learning Objectives: "At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• define the difference between drug abuse and drug use.
• identify inconsistencies between drug use behavior patterns and drug policies
• discuss how the 'War on Drugs' is driving treatment decisions
• articulate harm reduction approaches for adult occasional users of illicit drugs

Keywords: Drug Use Variation, Drug Addiction

Related Web page: www.illicit-drugs.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Handout (.ppt format, 208.0 kb)