Abstract
ObjectivePrescription drug diversion, the transfer of prescription drugs from lawful to unlawful channels for distribution or use, is a problem in the United States. Despite the pervasiveness of diversion, there are gaps in the literature regarding characteristics of individuals who participate in the illicit trade of prescription drugs. This study examines a range of predictors (e.g., demographics, prescription insurance coverage, perceived risk associated with prescription drug diversion) of membership in three distinct diverter groups: individuals who illicitly acquire prescription drugs, those who redistribute them, and those who engage in both behaviors.MethodsData were drawn from a cross-sectional Internet study (N = 846) of prescription drug use and diversion patterns in New York City, South Florida, and Washington, D.C.. Participants were classified into diversion categories based on their self-reported involvement in the trade of prescription drugs. Group differences in background characteristics of diverter groups were assessed by Chi-Square tests and followed up with multivariate logistic regressions.ResultsWhile individuals in all diversion groups were more likely to be younger and have a licit prescription for any of the assessed drugs in the past year than those who did not divert, individuals who both acquire and redistribute are more likely to live in New York City, not have prescription insurance coverage, and perceive fewer legal risks of prescription drug diversion.ConclusionFindings suggest that predictive characteristics vary according to diverter group.
Highlights
The nonmedical use of prescription drugs, use not intended by a prescribing physician [1], has been well documented in the United States [2,3,4,5,6]
A higher percentage of participants in the illicit acquirer/redistributor group compared to the other groups were White, currently a student, had an income above $70,000 per year, did not have prescription drug insurance coverage but had a licit prescription for any class of drugs assessed in this study in the past year
This group was younger than any other group with a mean age of 28.38 years. Those in the illicit acquirer/redistributor group reported the lowest perceived legal risk associated with both prescription drug and illegal drug diversion
Summary
The nonmedical use of prescription drugs, use not intended by a prescribing physician [1], has been well documented in the United States [2,3,4,5,6]. Recent research shows an increase in prescription drug diversion in the United States [5,10,35] This is associated with a variety of issues, such as increased emergency room visits [5,36], overdose and overdose-related deaths [9,37,38,39], crime [10] [40], healthcare treatment and costs [5,19,41], and drug prevention and interception expenses [42]. The present study addresses this gap in the extant literature by offering insights into correlates of illicit acquisition and redistribution Both acquisition and redistribution are part of the prescription drug trade, these behaviors serve different functions and may be associated with different predictors that have not been previously examined in the prescription drug diversion literature. We present data from a cross-sectional Internet study of prescription drug use and diversion patterns in three metropolitan areas with high prevalence rates of prescription drug diversion [5,22,29] in the eastern United States: New York City, South Florida, and Washington, D.C
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