Differences in Self-Reported Discrimination by Primary Type of Drug Used among New York City Drug Users

Abstract

Background: Illicit drug users experience various forms of discrimination which may vary by type of drug used, as there are different levels of stigma associated with different types of drugs. Objectives: This study investigated self-report of perceived discrimination by primary type of drug used. Methods: This analysis used data from “Social Ties Associated with Risk of Transition into Injection Drug Use” (START), a cross-sectional study of recently initiated injection drug users (IDUs) and prospective study of heroin/crack/cocaine-using non-IDUs (n = 652). Using log binomial regression, the relationship between primary drug used (i.e., single drug used most often) with discrimination due to drug use was examined. Results: Heroin users were significantly more likely (Prevalence ratio (PR): 1.52 (95% Confidence interval (CI): 1.15−2.07)) to report discrimination due to drug use compared to cocaine users. Conclusion and Scientific Significance: More research is needed to understand the mechanism through which discrimination affects heroin users, and its potential relation with other discrimination-related outcomes, namely depression and drug treatment.

• illicit drug use
• crack use
• heroin use
• discrimination

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was supported by National Institutes of Drug Abuse (DA 019964-01). The authors thank the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars program for its financial support. Finally, the authors acknowledge the START staff and participants for their contributions.

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.