Contextual and cultural influences on substance use among Latinos in the US: The social, health and services consequences of using opiates

Abstract

This paper presents qualitative interview data from three National Institutes of Health National Institute on Drug Abuse funded studies with three populations of Mexican Americans: aging male injection drug users, young adults that transitioned from non-injecting heroin use and young adult males who were formerly adolescent gang members. Participants were identified and recruited using street-based field intensive methodology. Findings reveal the importance of contextual factors such as historical influences, contemporary economic factors, and structural determinants in the etiology of these heroin use patterns.