Blacks were significantly more likely to have sales and possession charges, significantly more likely to prefer marijuana, a less addictive drug, and significantly less likely to report having severe drug problems. For both races, drug treatment was the most common service accessed through supervision.
Full Answer
Does drug of choice differ by race among drug offenders?
Note: Bolded p-values indicate p < .05 Because addressing drug abuse is a key component of rehabilitative initiatives for offenders, yet drugs vary widely in addictiveness and effect, it is important to understand drug of choice among drug offenders. In our sample, drug of choice differed significantly by race (p <.0001) (see Table 4).
Should our compassion for drug users be determined by race?
Mauer M. Race to incarcerate. The New Press; 2006. [Google Scholar] Mauer M. Our compassion for drug users should not be determined by race. The Guardian.
Is there a racial disparities in addiction treatment?
These differences in access to treatment, and health outcomes, vary among racial and ethnic groups. Disparities in health and access to quality healthcare—including addiction treatment—across racial lines can show up in several ways. Examples of racial disparities in addiction treatment include differences in:
Does race play a role in substance abuse?
Ethnic-minority groups may be likely to commit crimes as a result of drug abuse and are more likely than Caucasians to be mandated to substance abuse treatment in consequence, Psychiatric Services publishes. Discrimination and social pressures may play a role in substance abuse within the black community.
What race is most likely to exhibit a substance use disorder?
Conclusions. Substance use is widespread among Native-American, multiple-race, white, and Hispanic adolescents. These groups also are disproportionately affected by alcohol and drug use disorders.
Which group has the lowest rates of polydrug use?
Regarding subsample characteristics, Blacks were more likely to live in urban areas, have lower incomes, and be unemployed compared to Whites and Hispanics and had the lowest rates of polydrug use disorder. Hispanics tended to be younger than Blacks and Whites.
What are demographic risk factors for substance abuse?
Age, marital status, employment, and education are the most common and well know demographic risk factors or predictors for substance use and misuse.
Who is most likely to drugs?
More than 90% of people who have an addiction started to drink alcohol or use drugs before they were 18 years old. Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 are most likely to use addictive drugs.
Are more likely to use any illicit drug than non drinkers?
Heavy users of alcohol are more likely to use any illicit drug than non-drinkers - this also shouldn't come as a suprise because people who are heavy drinkers also have a clouded judgement which in effects causes them to make worse decisions for themselves as they would do otherwise.
What is cross tolerance in pharmacology?
Cross-tolerance is a phenomenon that occurs when tolerance to the effects of a certain drug produces tolerance to another drug. It often happens between two drugs with similar functions or effects—for example, acting on the same cell receptor or affecting the transmission of certain neurotransmitters.
What population is most affected by addiction?
Men vs. WomenIn 2017, about 9.4% of men and 5.2% of women age 12 and older had a substance use disorder. ... Men may be more likely to abuse illicit drugs than women, but women may be just as prone to addiction as men when they do abuse them.
What are the 5 factors influencing substance use and abuse?
Risk factorsFamily history of addiction. Drug addiction is more common in some families and likely involves genetic predisposition. ... Mental health disorder. ... Peer pressure. ... Lack of family involvement. ... Early use. ... Taking a highly addictive drug.
What are demographic risks?
In coming years, corporations will face two categories of demographic risk: risks having to do with retiring employees and risks having to do with aging employees. Both require creative forethought and active management.
How does gender influence drug effectiveness?
Pharmacodynamic differences in women include greater sensitivity to and enhanced effectiveness of beta blockers, opioids, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and typical antipsychotics. Additionally, women are 50 to 75 percent more likely than men to experience an adverse drug reaction.
What are the factors that increase one's susceptibility and vulnerability to drugs?
Your genetics, environment, medical history, and age all play a role. Certain types of drugs, and methods of using them, are also more addictive than others.
Are there more male or female alcoholics?
Society has also had the long held belief that alcoholism and alcohol-related problems are predominantly a male phenomenon, because rates of alcohol dependence are greater in men than in women. However, alcohol dependence does affect an estimated 5% of women in the United States with rather serious consequences.
What is racial health disparities?
The Kaiser Family Foundation defines racial health disparities as the “higher burden of illness, injury, disability, or mortality experienced by one (politically and socially constructed) population group relative to another.”.
How many black people have substance abuse?
According to 2018 survey data: about 2.2 million Black Americans over the age of 18 had a substance use disorder (SUD) 1 in 7 Black American adults with substance abuse issues struggled with both alcohol and illicit drug use. about 1.1 million Black American adults had a mental illness in addition to substance abuse.
How long does it take to recover from substance abuse?
Many people who struggle with substance abuse and addiction require weeks, months, or even years of professional support to achieve full recovery. Helping patients of color achieve addiction recovery may also require addressing barriers that can extend beyond a 30- to 90-day treatment program.
What is the SAMHSA?
Each year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) collects national data on substance abuse and addiction in the U.S through the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).
What percentage of Asians have substance abuse?
On a population level, Asian Americans have lower rates of drug and alcohol abuse compared to other racial and ethnic groups. About 5.3 percent of Asians, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders reported having a substance use disorder in 2018. This is lower than the national average.
How are health disparities affected?
Health disparities may often be affected by factors such as geographic location, the safety and public health infrastructure of communities, and to a lesser extent, family medical history. Many health conditions, including drug and alcohol abuse, run in families.
Is it important to have access to a continuum of care for substance abuse?
Having access to a full continuum of care, including outpatient support, can be very important for supporting people on their recovery journeys.
Why is it important to consider the demographic, drug use, and service need differences between Black and White drug offenders?
To ensure that policies do not reflect racial bias and continue to perpetuate race-biased outcomes , it is important to consider the demographic, drug use, and service need differences between Black and White drug offenders.
Is drug treatment necessary for criminal justice?
Certainly, drug treatment for criminal justice involved populations is a necessary rehabilitation service, and it is vital for drug offenders to be able to access drug treatment services through the criminal justice system. However, treatment needs of Blacks and Whites may differ by drug type and severity of problem.
Why is racial categorization important?
It is important to accept that racial categorization acts as only a surrogate marker for genetic or other factors responsible for individual responses to drug therapy and that any identified differences will not apply to all members of each stratified group.
Why are ACE inhibitors less effective?
ACE inhibitors seem to be less effective in the treatment of black patients with heart failure compared with white patients. This may be due to low pre-existing activity of the renin-angiotensin system in blacks.
Is CHF worse in black or white patients?
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a common disease with high associated morbidity and mortality, and the outcome appears to be worse in black compared with white patients. There is currently no clear consensus for basing the pharmacological treatment of CHF on racial differences. Most studies that have investigated the potential effects ...
Equitable access to substance use disorder treatment in the US requires meaningful policy changes as well as a shift in clinical practice. Here, experts discuss the progress being made to address the role of systemic racism and trauma as contributors to treatment disparities
Equitable access to substance use disorder treatment in the US requires meaningful policy changes as well as a shift in clinical practice. Here, experts discuss the progress being made to address the role of systemic racism and trauma as contributors to treatment disparities.
Drug and Alcohol Use Prevalence by Race
While opioid overdose deaths have disproportionately impacted white Americans, there has been a significant rise in opioid-related overdoses among Black Americans in the past 5 years (43% Black compared to 22% white).
Addiction Treatment: Factors that Block Access and Hinder Outcomes for BIPOC Individuals
Drug and alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment disparities and barriers stem from multilayered internal (eg, familial and cultural stigma) and external (eg, racism and socioeconomic challenges) factors.
Addiction Treatment and Racial Equity
Recent discussions and media attention have heightened awareness about access and equity gaps among communities of color, which are slowly helping to lower some barriers (infrastructure, funding, provider, and community needs).
Clinical Tools and Resources
Editor’s Note on terminology: The term “underrepresented” is used in place of minorities except for direct quotes or research citations.
Why do doctors not give black patients the meds they need?
Some doctors believe black people have an ability to be strong and tough out painful conditions , and therefore do not give them the meds they need. Reports noted doctors not trusting black patients to take the meds properly.
What percentage of white patients are covered by Medicaid?
Surveys showed the majority of white patients paid cash or used insurance; only 25% of visits were covered by Medicaid or Medicare. The lack of options for people from a lower socio-economic status means that they can find trouble getting the meds they need.
Why do Caucasians go to hospitals?
For example, if a person of color does not have insurance and cannot financially pay for meds out of pocket , it will be challenging to attend hospitals for treatment. Surveys showed the majority of white patients paid cash or used insurance; only 25% of visits were covered by Medicaid or Medicare. The lack of options for people from a lower socio-economic status means that they can find trouble getting the meds they need.
What is the combination of buprenorphine and naloxone?
It was here doctors and nurses prescribed Suboxone, a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, which reduces carvings for heroin, fentanyl and other opioids. When records were examined, there was no indication that African-Americans struggling with opioid abuse and withdrawal received an increase of prescription meds.
Is there a racial disparity in the United States?
Racial disparities in outcomes are still commonplace in the United States, and one way this is apparent is the differences in how African-Americans receive medication for opioid addiction treatment. In recent years, the opioid crisis has impacted the lives of millions of Americans.
What is the outcome variable of substance use treatment?
The main outcome variable of substance use treatment completion was coded as 1 for treatment completed and 0 for treatment voluntarily terminated. Other reasons for discharge included “terminated by facility,” “transferred to another facility,” “incarcerated,” “death,” and “other” but were excluded because these other options do not reflect a necessarily voluntary termination of substance use treatment by the individual. The purpose of this study is to determine racial differences in individuals who are completing the program or voluntarily terminating so these other options were not included as they could skew the causal mechanism of treatment completion as noted in a similar study by Mennis and Stahler (2016). It is important to note that “voluntary” termination of treatment may also reflect a number of external factors such as a need to return to employment, a family emergency, or financial/insurance reasons.
What does zero (0) mean in a comparison?
All variables used for the study were coded as one (1) to represent the presence of a characteristic and zero (0) to represent the absence of the characteristic. The code zero (0) represents the reference category and any number above zero are comparison categories.
Do Hispanics have higher treatment completion rates than Whites?
Although Hispanics had a higher treatment completion rate than Whites, this is likely a reflection of familismo, where decisions about health treatments is a group process and a steady network of family members are available to provide advice and encouragement. The significant disparity observed between Black and White older adults suggest a need to consider cultural, historical, and systemic factors that affect voluntary termination of substance use treatment among Black older adults.
Is substance use an issue among older adults?
Substance use as an issue among older adults is slowly gaining momentum in the substance use literature. With studies showing significant racial disparities in substance use treatment completion rates in the general population ( Chhatre & Jayadevappa, 2018; Gurnack & Johnson, 2002; Mennis & Stahler, 2016; Vasilenko et al., 2017 ), the increasing trend of older adults reporting to a substance use treatment program warranted an assessment of these disparities across the life span ( Chhatre et al., 2017; Gfroerer et al., 2003; Mattson et al., 2017 ).
What Are Racial Health Disparities?
Causes of Racial Health Disparities
- The existence of racial health disparities in the U.S. cannot be linked to a single cause. The reality of how these disparities came to be and why they still exist in a country with the largest economy in the world is complex. Health disparities may often be affected by factors such as geographic location, the safety and public health infrastructure of communities, and to a lesser extent, famil…
Substance Abuse and Addiction Rates Among People of Color
- Drug and alcohol abuse affects millions of people in the United States each year, according to data compiled by U.S. federal health agencies. Both substance abuse and acute withdrawal from drugs and alcohol can have life-threatening consequences for people without access to quality treatment and a social safety net. People of all racial and ethnic backgrounds may share comm…
Racial Disparities in Substance Abuse and Addiction Treatment
- Creating a healing environment for patients of color in substance abuse and addiction treatment programs requires recognition of the unique barriers and challenges faced by racially marginalized communities. In addition to substance abuse, communities of color may also experience higher rates of other mental health disorders, such as eating disorde...
Addressing Racial Disparities in Addiction Treatment Settings
- Recognizing how racial health disparities can show up in addiction treatment spaces is only the first step towards creating a stronger support system for people of color seeking addiction recovery. Addiction treatment centers must also take concrete steps to create treatment environments that are inclusive, culturally competent, and accessible to communities of color w…