The findings reveal that crack abusers use more drugs and at greater expense than those whose drug use is limited to one type of drug (heroin, cocaine, or marijuana); furthermore, crack use among crack abusers exceeds other drug use in frequency and expense. Crack abusers are more heavily involved in drug selling and criminality than other groups. In addition, crack abusers have higher incomes and frequency from nondrug criminality than cocaine powder users, but there is a similar pattern between heroin injectors and crack abusers. By 1988, crack had become the most frequently sold drug on the street market; crack sales generate more income than sales of other drugs or the commission of other crimes. Heroin addicts often use crack sales to finance their purchases of heroin. Public policy should be directed at making treatment available to crack abusers and to controlling and limiting the selling activities related to crack. Future research should examine the career paths in drug sales and nondrug criminality and changes in drug abuse patterns among people who became crack abusers in the late 1980's. 12 tables, 22 notes, 39 references, and 2 appendixes
Crack Abusers and Noncrack Drug Abusers: A Comparison of Drug Use, Drug Sales, and Nondrug Criminality
NCJ Number
126720
Date Published
1990
Length
73 pages
Annotation
A sample of over 1000 persons were interviewed for this study which compares the drug use patterns, drug selling behavior, and other crimes of crack abusers and heroin injectors, cocaine snorters, marijuana-only users, and nondrug users. The subjects were selected from social settings and categories exhibiting large numbers of crack and noncrack drug abusers and includes neighborhoods in Manhattan, arrested persons, jail, prison, probationers and parolees, and drug treatment clinics.
Abstract
Date Published: January 1, 1990