Correlates of Benzodiazepine Use Among a Sample of Arrestees Surveyed Through the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program

Abstract

While marijuana and cocaine are the two most prevalent drugs used among arrestee populations, benzodiazepine use has surpassed that of opiates in several jurisdictions across the United States. Despite this proliferation, few scholarly works have focused on benzodiazepine use among individuals under criminal justice supervision. In the present study, chi-square statistics and logistic regression are utilized to identify significant associations between recent benzodiazepine use (as measured by urinalysis), demographic characteristics, and alcohol and other drug (AOD) use among a sample of 862 adult Philadelphia arrestees interviewed in 1997 through the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program. Compared to nonusers, benzodiazepine-positive respondents were more likely to be White, to have used alcohol and barbiturates in the three days preceding the interview, and to have tested positive by urinalysis for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, and phencyclidine (PCP). Moreover, logistic regression identified that if an arrestee reported three-day barbiturate use, the odds ratio (OR) of recent benzodiazepine use was more than nine times higher than an arrestee who reported no three-day barbiturate use. Implications for drug surveillance are assessed in light of the current findings.

• Benzodiazepine use
• Drug surveillance systems.

Résumé

Alors que la marihuana et la cocaine sont les drogues les plus repandues parmi les populations arrestées, l’usage de benzodiazepine a depassé celui-ci d’opiates en plusieurs juridictions aux Etats-Unis. Malgré cette proliferation, un peu d’oeuvres scolaires s’est concentré sur l’usage de benzodiazepine parmi les individuels sous la supervision de justice criminelle. Dans l’etude actuelle, les statistiques chi-square et la regression logistique sont utilisées pour identifier des associations importantes entre l’usage récente de benzodiazepine (comme mesuré par urinalysis), les caractéristiques démographiques, l’alcool, et les autres usages de drogue (AOD) parmi un échantillon de 862 personnes arrestées de Philadelphie interviewées en 1997 dans l’ Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program. Comparé avec des non-utilisateurs, les répondants qui sont benzodiazepine -positif sont plus probables á être blancs, avoir utilisés de l’alcool et des barbituriques dans les trois jours qui précédés l’entrevue, et avoir analysés positifs par urinalysis pour la marihuana, la cocaine, les opiates, et la phencyclidine (PCP). De plus, la regression logistique a identifié que si une personne arrestée a signalé de l’usage de barbiturique de trois jours, le rapport de chances (OR) de l’usage récente de benzodiazepine était plus que neuf fois plus haut qu’une personne arrestee qui n’a pas signalé de l’usage de barbiturique de trois jours. Des implications pour la surveillance de drogue sont evaluées pour cause des conclusions actuelles.

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George S. Yacoubian

George S. Yacoubian Jr. has a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice Management and is the Director of Research at The McFarland Institute and a lecturer in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland. His research interests include drug testing technology, the validity of self-reported drug use, and genocide. He has been published in Alternate Routes, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Contemporary Drug Problems, Crime, Law and Social Change, Federal Probation, Genocide Prevention Journal, International Criminal Justice Review, the International Journal of Comparative Criminology, Journal of Addictions and Offender Counseling, the Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, the Journal of Criminal Justice, the Journal of Drug Education, the Journal of Drug Issues, the Journal of Gang Research, the Journal of Offender Monitoring, the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Journal for the Study of Peace and Conflict, the Offender Substance Abuse Report, Western Criminology Review, World Affairs, and World Bulletin