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Home | Publications | Pulse Check: Trends in Drug Abuse, November 2002 | APPENDIX 5: DISCUSSION AREAS BY SOURCE TYPE*


APPENDIX 5: DISCUSSION AREAS BY SOURCE TYPE*

Topic L E M N
SPECIAL SECTION: A LOOK AT LOCAL DRUG MARKETS
How difficult is it for users/undercover police to buy specific drugs?** Check Check    
During this reporting period, has there been a time when users could not buy specific drugs? If yes, when and why? Check Check    
Is there any particular day, week, or month that local drug markets seem more active? If yes, when? To what do you attribute this phenomenon? Check Check    
Where do users buy their drugs most of the time? Check Check    
Which specific neighborhood(s) in your city has the greatest concentration of drug sales? Check Check    
What else, besides cash, do users trade or exchange for drugs? Check      
What else, besides cash, do dealers accept in exchange for drugs?   Check    
What has, in the past, deterred street buys of any particular drug? In your opinion, what would, in the future, deter such buys? Check Check    
List and describe any recent targeted law enforcement or legislative policy directives or initiatives. How did it impact on your community’s overall drug abuse problem, either for better or worse? Check Check    
What gaps or challenges, if any, do you perceive in your community’s current law enforcement efforts?   Check    
What are any recent developments or trends in your State, in areas beyond your city, that could eventually affect your city’s drug abuse problem—either for better or worse—in the future? Check Check    
How do street-level drug dealers communicate with their fellow street dealers? With their suppliers? With their buyers? Check      
How do dealers transport drugs to their selling locations? Check      
To the best of your knowledge, what happens to the cash collected by street-level dealers? Check      
Do you have any suggestions for ways to disrupt local drug market activity? Check      
THE SNAPSHOT
How serious is the current illegal drug problem in your community? Check Check Check Check
How has the illegal drug problem changed in your community? Check Check Check Check
THE PERCEPTION
During the current and last reporting periods, what was the most widely abused drug in your community?
Second most widely abused drug? What drug was related to the most serious consequences?
Second most serious consequences? Is any new problem drug appearing in your community?		 Check Check Check Check
THE DRUG**
How available is the drug in your community (for each drug, asks about various forms)? Check Check    
How has availability changed? Check Check    
What are the most common and second most common units of sale and corresponding standard units of the drug? Check Check    
What is the purity range for the drug during the current reporting period? During the last reporting period? Check Check    
What is the price range during the current reporting period? During the last reporting period? Check Check    
Are there any adulterants? If yes, please list and indicate if any are new this reporting period. Check Check Check Check
Why have price, purity, or adulterants changed or why have they remained stable? Check Check    
What is the source for your price, purity, and adulterant information? Check Check    
What are the street names, and are any of these new this reporting period? Check Check Check Check
What types of packaging are used, and are any of these new this reporting period? Check Check    
Are labels or brand names used? If yes, please list and indicate if any are new this reporting period. Check Check    
Have street names, packaging, or label/brand names changed since the last reporting period? Check Check    
How is the drug locally manufactured, processed, or grown? Check Check    
Have there been any changes in the local manufacturing process since the last reporting period?If yes, please describe. Check Check    
THE SALE**
What is the predominant affiliation of local, street-level sellers? Check Check    
What is the predominant age range of local, street-level sellers? Check Check    
How likely are sellers to use their own drugs? Check Check    
In what types of other crimes are sellers involved? Check Check    
Have there been any changes in seller characteristics since the last reporting period? If yes, please describe. Check Check    
Are there any new sellers groups this reporting period? If yes, please describe. Check Check    
What is the geographical area where most street-level sales of the drug occur? Check Check    
Is the drug sold mostly indoors, outdoors, or evenly split between both? Check Check    
In what settings is the drug sold? Check Check    
How is the drug sold? Check Check    
Are other drugs sold by this type of dealer? If yes, please list the drugs. Check Check    
Have any of the drugs sold with this drug changed since the last reporting period? If yes, please describe. Check Check    
Have any of the drug scene characteristics changed since the last reporting period? If yes, please describe. Check Check    
THE USERS: Predominant characteristics**
How did the number of users chnage since the last reporting period? Check      
What is total numbe of primary users (of each drug) in your program? Total number of users (primary+secondary+ tertiary) of each drug? How did these numbers change since the last reporting peroid?     Check Check
What is the predominant age range of the drug users, and has it changed since the last reporting period?   Check Check Check
What is the predominant gender, and has it changed since the last reporting period?   Check Check Check
What is the predominant racial/ethnic group, and has it changed since the last reporting period? Is this group underrepresented, overrepresented, or about equal compared with the general population in your area?   Check Check Check
What is the predominant socioeconomic position, and has it changed since the last reporting period?   Check Check Check
What is the most common geographical residence, and has it changed since the last reporting period?   Check Check Check
What is the predominant route of administration, and has it changed since the last reporting period?   Check Check Check
What are the drugs commonly taken with this drug? Are they taken sequentially, in combination with, or as a substitute for for the drug? What are the street names for this combination or practice?   Check Check Check
Is the drug used mostly in public or in private?   Check Check Check
Is the drug used mostly alone or in groups/among friends?   Check Check Check
What are the common settings for the use of this drug?   Check Check Check
What is the most common referral source, and has it changed since the last reporting period?     Check Check
What is the predominant education level, and has it changed since the last reporting period?     Check Check
What is the most common frequency of use, and has it changed since the last reporting period?     Check Check
What is the predominant employment status, and has it changed since the last reporting period?     Check Check
What are the adverse consequences of marijuana abuse, and have they changed since the last reporting period?   Check Check Check
THE USERS: New/emerging users**
How did the number of new or emerging users change since the last reporting period? If increased, repeat the first 10 questions under “the users: predominant characteristics” for the new/emerging user group.   Check    
Among all clients in your program, and among first-time admissions, what is the total number of primary users (of each drug)? Total number of users (primary+secondary+tertiary) of each drug? How did these numbers change since the last reporting period? For the first-time admission group, if increased, repeat all questions under “the users: predominant characteristics.”     Check Check
METHADONE DIVERSION/TREATMENT
What is the availability of methadone treatment in your community?   Check    
How has treatment availability changed since the last reporting period?   Check    
What is the capacity of public methadone treatment? Private methadone treatment?   Check    
How has the capacity of public methadone treatment changed since the last reporting period? Private methadone treatment?   Check    
COMMUNITY CONTEXTS
Have drug-related consequences (HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, liver cirrhosis, drug-related automobile accidents, high-risk pregnancy, drug overdoses, alcohol DTs, tuberculosis, other) increased, decreased, or remained stable since the last reporting period? If changed, explain.     Check Check
Have any psychatric commorbidity diagnoses increased or decreased as a concern among your clients since the last reporting period?     Check Check
Do any potential barriers (limited slot capacity, lack of trained staff to treat comorbid clients, violent behavior among presenting clients, age restrictions, other) prevent your program from serving all individuals who seek treatment? If yes, explain.     Check Check
TREATMENT BACKGROUND
What is your program’s maximum capacity?     Check Check
What is your current enrollment?     Check Check
Does your program’s clientele reflect the population of your local community? If no, please describe.     Check Check

LLaw enforcement
EEpidemiologic/ethnographic
MMethadone treatment
NNon-methadone treatment
*Please note that for the methadone and non-methadone treatment interviews, “community” was replaced with “program.”
**Respondents were asked about heroin, crack, powder cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, ecstasy, OxyContin®, and any other drugs (specify) for each of the discussion areas.



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