LATER HEROIN USE BY MARIJUANA USING, HEROIN-USING, AND NON-DRUG-USING ADOLESCENT OFFENDERS IN NEW YORK CITY

• NCJ Number: 8820
• Author(s): D GLASER; J A INCIARDI
• Date Published: 1969
• Length: 11 pages
• Corporate Author: New York State
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: NACC REPRINTS, V 3, N4 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THE ADDICTIONS (JUNE 1969)

Annotation

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MARIJUANA AND HEROIN USE AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH ADOLESCENT HEROIN USE AND NON-DRUG DELINQUENCY AFFECT HEROIN ADDICTION IN ADULTHOOD.

Abstract

A FIVE AND TEN-YEAR FOLLOW-UP OF NEW YORK CITY ADOLESCENTS REFERRED TO AN AGENCY FOR YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS CONSIDERED NOT TO WARRANT ADJUDICATION BY THE COURTS, REVEALED SUBSEQUENT HEROIN RECORDS FOR APPROXIMATELY 50 PERCENT OF THOSE REFERRED FOR HEROIN USAGE AS ADOLESCENTS, 40 PERCENT OF THOSE REFERRED FOR MARIJUANA USAGE, AND 15 PERCENT OF THOSE REFERRED FOR DELINQUENCY NOT INVOLVING ANY DRUG USE. EVEN HIGHER RATES OF SUBSEQUENT HEROIN USAGE WERE FOUND FOR THOSE NON-DRUGINVOLVED ADOLESCENT OFFENDERS WHO WERE NEGRO OR PUERTO RICAN, WHO HAD TWO OR MORE CO-DEFENDANTS, WHO HAD PRIOR REFERRALS TO COURT, OR WHO HAD DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL. THESE CHARACTERISTICS DID NOT MARKEDLY AFFECT THE SUBSEQUENT HEROIN RATE FOR ADOLESCENT HEROIN OR MARIJUANA USERS. THERE WAS A SLIGHT INVERSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AGE AT ADOLESCENT RECORD AND SUBSEQUENT HEROIN USE FOR ALL SAMPLES. THE FACT THAT THESE RATES OF LATER HEROIN USE ARE HIGHER THAN THOSE FOUND IN THE FEW SOMEWHAT COMPARABLE STUDIES ELSEWHERE IS ASCRIBED TO THE EXTREMELY HIGH CONCENTRATION OF HEROIN USAGE IN NEW YORK CITY. (AUTHOR MODIFIED) BIBLIOGRAPHY