NCJ Number
135860
Date Published
1991
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Data collected on a sample of 254 Miami youths was used to examine the drug-taking and drug-seeking behaviors of street youth who were heavily involved in both drug use and criminal activity; the study focused primarily on the use and effects of crack cocaine.
Abstract
Several major conclusions emerged from the study. Although the media did not begin focusing on crack cocaine until late 1985, the drug had actually arrived in Miami as early as 1981. A few of the youths in the sample had heard of it by 1982, and more than half had used crack by 1984. At the time of this study, over 96 percent of this sample had tried crack, 84 percent reported regular use, and 55 percent reported daily use of the drug. Even though a significant proportion of the youth interviewed had experienced some type of adverse reaction to crack, it remained the drug of choice among the juvenile street population. The most important implication of this analysis is the clear relationship between the use of crack and involvement in the crack business; when grouping crack users in terms of their association with the crack trade in Miami, the higher the association the greater the crack consumption. 5 tables, 2 notes, and 10 references