Aspects Of Drug Use Research Articles

Sleep patterns in adolescents and associations with substance use

ObjectivesGood sleep during adolescence is crucial for maintaining physical and psychological health; however, sleep disturbance during this period may contribute to health risks, such as substance use. This study aimed to identify the latent sleep patterns across male and female adolescents, and their association with drug use. MethodA cross-sectional study was conducted involving 1391 high school students (aged 15-17; 56.4% female). Participants completed the brief Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index alongside other sleep measures, and the Timeline Follow-Back and Drug Use History Questionnaire to measure substance use. A multiple-group latent class analysis was used to identify sleep patterns across sexes, and pairwise Logistic Regression models to compare their association with substance use. ResultsFour sleep patterns were identified with varying degrees of sleep difficulties: "Good Sleep" (43.3%), "Night Awakenings" (31.8%), "Poor Efficiency and Sleep Onset" (9.4%), and "Poor Sleep" (15.5%). Female adolescents were more likely to belong to Poor Sleep and Poor Efficiency and Sleep Onset patterns, and male adolescents to Good Sleep. Likewise, binge drinking and using alcohol for a longer period were associated with experiencing Poor Efficiency and Sleep Onset (OR=1.03 and 2.3, respectively); smoking tobacco within the past month was linked to Night Awakenings (OR=2.2); and using cannabis or illegal drugs to the Poor Sleep pattern (OR=2.4 and 2.6, respectively). ConclusionsVaried sleep difficulties exist among adolescents that significantly correlate with different aspects of drug use. Targeted interventions that address both sleep and drug prevention are recommended.

Immunological Mechanisms in Cutaneous Adverse Drug Reactions.

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are an inherent aspect of drug use. While approximately 80% of ADRs are predictable, immune system-mediated ADRs, often unpredictable, are a noteworthy subset. Skin-related ADRs, in particular, are frequently unpredictable. However, the wide spectrum of skin manifestations poses a formidable diagnostic challenge. Comprehending the pathomechanisms underlying ADRs is essential for accurate diagnosis and effective management. The skin, being an active immune organ, plays a pivotal role in ADRs, although the precise cutaneous immunological mechanisms remain elusive. Fortunately, clinical manifestations of skin-related ADRs, irrespective of their severity, are frequently rooted in immunological processes. A comprehensive grasp of ADR morphology can aid in diagnosis. With the continuous development of new pharmaceuticals, it is noteworthy that certain drugs including immune checkpoint inhibitors have gained notoriety for their association with ADRs. This paper offers an overview of immunological mechanisms involved in cutaneous ADRs with a focus on clinical features and frequently implicated drugs.

The role of sex and drug use during adolescence in determining the risk for adverse consequences of amphetamines.

Use of amphetamines during adolescence, a critical period of brain development and reorganization, may lead to particularly adverse outcomes that are long-lasting. Similarly, female users may be uniquely vulnerable to certain aspects of drug use. A recognition of the role of use during adolescence and sex on outcomes of amphetamine and methamphetamine exposure are of critical importance in understanding and treating substance use disorders. This chapter highlights what human research, which has been largely epidemiological, suggests about sex and age differences in drug use patterns and outcomes. We also discuss work in laboratory animals that has typically utilized rats or mice exposed to drugs in a non-contingent manner (i.e., involuntarily) or through volitional self-administration. Lastly, we draw attention to the fact that advancing our understanding of the effects of amphetamine and methamphetamine use, the development of problematic drug taking, and the mechanisms that contribute to relapse will require an emphasis on inclusion of age and sex as moderating factors in future studies.

Gambaran Pelayanan Informasi Obat Terhadap Pasien Rawat Jalan Di Instalasi Farmasi Rumah Sakit Umum Imelda Pekerja Indonesia Medan

Drug information services were activities that carried out by pharmacists to provide information about drugs that is impartial, critically evaluated, and with the best evidence in all aspects of drug use to other health professionals, patients, or the public. Providing drug information has an important role in improving the quality of life of patients and providing quality services for them. The purpose of this study was to determine drug information services for outpatients in the pharmaceutical installation of Imelda Pekerja Indonesia Public Hospital. This study used qualitative research methods with a sample of pharmaceutical officers who provided drug information services to outpatients, as many as 100 patients. Data collection was carried out by interview, direct observation, and using a check list sheet of drug information components. The results showed that the percentage of components conveyed when delivering drug information, including the name of the drug, drug dosage, type of preparation, rules of use, how to use, time of use, amount of drug, and efficacy or indications, had a percentage of 100%. While the drug information component that is rarely conveyed is how to store the drug with a percentage of 8%, the drug information component that is not conveyed is the side effects of the drug. The results of this study indicate that drug information services to outpatients carried out by pharmaceutical officers in the pharmaceutical installation of the Imelda Pekerja Indonesia Medan Public Hospital have been well implemented, with a percentage of 80.80%. The results also concluded that the drug information services carried out by the pharmacist of Imelda Pekerja Indonesia Public Hospital, Medan, were in accordance with hospital procedures and Regulation of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia Number 72 of 2016 concerning Pharmaceutical Service Standards in Hospitals.

Economic, Socio-Cultural and Environmental Influences on Relapse of Drug Abuse at the Pelita Jiwa Insani Padang Foundation

One way to recover from drug abuse is by facilitating free rehabilitation. However, even though they have undergone rehabilitation to get rid of drug addiction, quite a few of them have a tendency to use drugs again. This research was conducted at the Pelita Jiwa Insani Foundation, Padang. This research was conducted in November 2023. This research uses a quantitative and qualitative approach with a descriptive design in the form of a case study. Data were collected using questionnaires and research checklists as well as observation guides. The research results showed that 100% of all informants stated that they had been using drugs for a long time. Their habit of using drugs stems from a process of curiosity and continuing to try drugs. Furthermore, the economic influence shows that of the 10 respondents studied, 6 respondents had high economic status and were working and experienced a relapse and 4 respondents had low status and did not work and experienced a relapse. The socio-cultural influence on the curiosity aspect of using drugs has a percentage of 70%. In the prestige aspect, the percentage is 20%. In the aspect of drug use to increase stamina, the percentage is 80%. Meanwhile, the aspect of eliminating boredom received a percentage score of 70%. Family, community and peer environment factors can cause relapse

Knowledge Level of DAGUSIBU in Pharmacy Department Students at Health Polytechnic of Tanjung Karang

There are many health problems due to lack of knowledge and understanding of how to use, store and dispose of drugs. The Indonesian Pharmacist Association (IAI) to design a program called DAGUSIBU (Get-Use-Save-Dispose). Information about DAGUSIBU is important to avoid giving wrong information from occupational pharmacy to patients. This study aims to determine Knowledge Level Profile of DAGUSIBU in Pharmacy Department Students in Health Polytechnic of Tanjung Karang 2022. This research was observational research design with a cross-sectional approach which was carried out from October to November 2022 involving 226 pharmacy students class of 2020 to 2022 in Health Polytechnic of Tanjung Karang. Data obtained by using an online questionnaire that had been tested for validity and reliability. In the aspect of getting medicine, the knowledge level pharmacy students 15.5% good, 38.9% sufficient, and 45.4% lacking. In the aspect of drug use, having a greater knowledge level of 11.1% is good; 44.7% sufficient; and 44.2% less. In the aspect of saving medicine, having a knowledge level of 9.3% is good; 40.3% sufficient; and 34.0% less. Bivariate analysis using ANOVA to find out differences of knowledge level among classes. The results of the ANOVA test showed a p-value of 0.112 so that it can be concluded that there is no significant difference in the level of DAGUSIBU knowledge between batches in Pharmacy students at Health Polytechnic of Tanjung Karang in 2022.

An Evaluation of Drug Information Services at the "IAF" Pharmacy in Makassar City

Drug information services are activities carried out by pharmacists in providing impartial drug information, evaluated critically and with the best evidence in all aspects of drug use to other health professionals, patients or the public. Information about drugs including prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs and herbs. The aim of the research is to find out drug information services at the "IAF" pharmacy in Makassar city. The research method used is a descriptive survey. Sampling in this study by purposive sampling technique. The population in the study were all "IAF" pharmacy staff in May-June 2021. The results showed that the evaluation of drug information services at the "IAF" pharmacy in Makassar city in implementing PERMENKES No.73 of 2016 in drug information services such as answering oral and written questions, providing information and education to patients, providing knowledge and skills to students who are practice, conducting research on drug use and conducting quality assurance programs have been carried out in accordance with PERMENKES No. 73 of 2016 concerning drug information service standards in pharmacies, while making bulletins/brochures/leaflets and writing or presenting papers in scientific forums has not been fully implemented.

Medication use during pregnancy and birth defects in Hunan province, China, during 2016-2019: A cross-sectional study.

Safety of drug use during pregnancy attracts attentions from clinicians, pregnant woman, and even the total society. However, the studies about medication use during pregnancy and the followed birth defects (BDs) are rare in Chinese. To study condition about medication use during pregnancy and the followed BDs in Hunan province of China, here a cross-sectional study was carried out. All women using medication during pregnancy and delivering fetuses with BDs in Hunan province, China, during 2016 to 2019 were employed in this study. The descriptive analysis was carried out with Excel 2010, and the data analyses were performed by using Chi-Squared test in SPSS 16.0. After filtering, a total of 752 cases were included. In these fetuses, the males are more than females (P < .05). The severe BDs, leading to death or uncorrectable lifelong deformity, were observed for 346 times, and the other (minor) BDs were observed for 593 times. The most used drugs, categorized into pregnancy C, D, or X degrees by food and drug administration (FDA) or pharmaceutical manufacturers, mainly included anti-hyperthyroidism drugs, anti-epilepsy drugs, preventing miscarriage drugs, etc. This population-based data highlight the potential high risks for BDs from the aspect of drug use during pregnancy in Hunan province of China, and drugs with more safety, less kinds, and lower doses should be the better choice for pregnant women.

Chemsex, Identity and Sexual Health among Gay and Bisexual Men.

This article focuses on some of the social, cultural and psychological aspects of drug use in sexualized settings in gay and bisexual men (referred to as “chemsex”). Using a narrative review approach, the article examines previous empirical research in this area and presents a novel theoretical approach for understanding and predicting chemsex behavior. Tenets of identity process theory from social psychology are drawn upon to offer an integrative theoretical framework within which the social, cultural and psychological underpinnings of chemsex can be collectively examined. Existing empirical research suggests that gay and bisexual men may experience sexuality-related stressors that can undermine feelings of self-esteem, self-efficacy, continuity and positive distinctiveness. Identity process theory examines how individuals react to threats to identity brought about by these stressors. In response to identity threat, gay and bisexual men may engage in chemsex as a coping response that encompasses and facilitates various, largely maladaptive, coping strategies and tactics. The more chemsex is perceived as enhancing identity processes and as averting identity threat, the more central it is likely to be to the identities of participants. The centrality of chemsex to one’s identity may preclude self-withdrawal from the practice. Several directions for future research are presented based on existing work on chemsex viewed through the lens of identity process theory. These should form the basis of future empirical research in the sphere of sexual health among gay and bisexual men and the outcomes of this research should inform policy and practice in this area.

Self-Control as Conceptual Framework to Understand and Support People Who Use Drugs During Sex.

Few theory-informed interventions to support people who use drugs during sex have been conceptualized and developed. We conceptualize sexualized drug use, also referred to as chemsex or pharmacosex, as a self-control challenge, and draw on extant theory and research to propose intervention approaches that can be tailored to meet the differing needs of people who engage in sexualized drug use. We draw on a continuum perspective of sexualized drug use, in particular chemsex, and discuss the role of reasoned and automatic processes in behavioral decisions, as well as critical components of effective self-control of behavior. A self-control approach can empower people to tackle their sexualized drug use, and classify their experienced sex-related drug use as problematic. Self-control encompasses clarifying one's goals and identifying strategies to mitigate behaviors to achieve these goals, despite competing pharmacosex desires. Our approach to self-control sexualized drug use contains three critical components: goal setting, goal enactment, and goal progress appraisal and goal adjustment. Goals should be formulated specific, ambitious yet realistic, and tailored to the individual's needs and wishes. Goals may target aspects of drug use, protecting sexual health and mitigating negative impacts. Implementing goal enactment implies translating goals into concrete (short-term) actions to move toward the higher-order goal via goal intentions and action/coping plans. During the goal progress appraisal and adjustment stage, people compare their actual with their planned behavior. This reflection may result in goal adjustment through feedback loops to adjust their goals and action/coping plans. We propose that our self-control approach can guide the development of interventions to effectively support people to prevent or limit pharmacosex, and helps to effectively mitigate or reduce negative impacts via self-help, peer support or professional support, offered via personal counseling or digital tools.

The Experience of Safety, Harassment and Social Exclusion Among Male Clients of Sydney’s Medically Supervised Injecting Centre

Research on drug harm reduction services has found these operate as a safe haven from health harm. Less is known about the wider sense of security experienced by clients of such services as a counterbalance to social marginality in their daily lives. As part of a larger study of the experience of violence among Australian men, the authors completed 20 qualitative semi-structured interviews with male clients of Sydney’s Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) in 2016–2020. These were conducted anonymously in a private clinical room inside the MSIC and focused on aspects of drug use and general life experiences of violence, law enforcement, safety and security. Interviews were analysed by thematic content through a combination of preliminary and second close readings. Our analysis found that the MSIC consistently acted as a reprieve from harassment and violence from police and members of the public, conflict in drug deals, and general social exclusion.

Analyses of polymorphisms of intron 2 of OPRK1 (kappa-opioid receptor gene) in association with opioid and cocaine dependence diagnoses in an African-American population

RationaleThe dynorphin/kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) system (encoded by PDYN and OPRK1 genes respectively) is highly regulated by repeated exposure to drugs of abuse, including mu-opioid agonists and cocaine. These changes in the dynorphin/KOR system can then influence the rewarding effects of these drugs of abuse. Activation of the dynorphin/KOR system is also thought to have a role in the pro-addictive effects of stress. Recent in vitro assays showed that the OPRK1 intron 2 may function as a genomic enhancer in the regulation KOR expression, and contains a glucocorticiod-responsive sequence site. We hypothesize that SNPs in intron 2 of OPRK1 are associated with categorical opioid or cocaine dependence diagnoses, as well as with dimensional aspects of drug use (i.e., magnitude of drug exposure). MethodsThis study includes 577 subjects ≥ 18 years old, with African ancestry (AA) from the USA. They were divided into three groups: 152 control subjects, 142 persons with lifetime opioid dependence diagnosis (OD), and 283 subjects with lifetime cocaine dependence diagnosis (CD). Five SNPs (rs16918909, rs7016778, rs997917, rs6473797, rs10111937) that span 10 Kb nucleotides in intron 2 of OPRK1 were used for the association analyses. Genotyping was performed with the Smokescreen® array or sequencing of PCR-amplified DNA fragments. Association analyses for OD and CD diagnoses and the OPRK1 intron 2 alleles were carried out with Fisher’s exact test. The Kreek-McHugh-Schluger-Kellogg (KMSK) scales were used for dimensional measure of maximum exposure to specific drugs, using Mann-Whitney tests. ResultsTwo SNPs, rs997917 and rs10111937 showed point-wise significant allelic association (p < 0.05) with CD diagnosis, and rs10111937 showed a point-wise significance in association with OD. None of these single SNP associations with categorical diagnoses were significant after correction for multiple testing (pcorr > 0.05). However, significant associations of several genotype patterns (diplotypes) were found with cocaine dependence, but none for opioid dependence. The most significant genotype pattern with cocaine dependence diagnosis occurred for rs6473797 and rs10111937 (pcorr = 0.036, odds ratio = 1.92, FDR < 0.05), and survived correction for multiple testing. Dimensional analyses with KMSK scores show that persons with either rs997917 or rs10111937 variants had greater exposure to cocaine, compared to those with prototype allele (Mann-Whitney tests, point-wise). ConclusionsThis study provides additional support of potential importance of regulatory regions of intron 2 of the OPRK1 gene in development of cocaine and opioid dependence diagnoses, in a population with African-American ancestry.

Appreciating contributions more than celebrating resilience: Reflections on the disclosure of substance use in Appalachia.

Disclosure of personal substance use often places people who use drugs (PWUD) at risk, both personally and professionally. Yet disclosure can positively influence governmental and organizational policies as well as improve programs meant to serve PWUD. Through numerous autobiographical conversations, six researchers and professionals in their thirties and forties who live in the Appalachian region of the United States examined what it meant for us to discuss our illicit substance use publicly. We examined the limitations of the term "lived experience" and detailed our non-problematic use. Most of us have, at times, experienced negative consequences of substance use, but these consequences are as tied to society's negative responses to substance use as to use itself. When disclosing use, we have often found that others are keen to portray PWUD as resilient, but are less willing to highlight the contributions of PWUD while they are using. We agree that making disclosure more acceptable as well as acknowledging the positive aspects of drug use would alter societal responses to use to be more effective at preventing harm. We conclude by highlighting societal and institutional policy changes that will increase the ability of PWUD to openly disclose use.

Drug utilization pattern and appropriateness of prescription in IPD geriatric patients in a tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: Drug utilization research provides insights into different aspects of drug use and drug prescribing such as pattern, quality, determinants and outcomes of drug use. Polypharmacy is considered to be hazardous for the elderly, because of their greater vulnerability to drugs and multiple drug use. Prescription of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) has been found to be a common cause of morbidity and mortality among the geriatric population and has necessitated the creation of criteria for the safe use of medicines among them. Objectives of the study were to assess the drug utilization pattern in geriatric patients and analyse their prescriptions as per the World Health Organization (WHO) core prescribing indicators and STOPP and START criteria.Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2019 to August 2019 in inpatient department of general medicine of VIMSAR, Burla. Prescriptions of ≥65 year patients were collected and documented by active surveillance from the medicine ward.Results: Majority of the patients were in age group of 65-75. Stroke is the more common comorbidities among geriatric population. Average number of medication per prescription is 5.42. About 78.74% of drugs are injectable. The percentage of antibiotics prescribed to patient is 27.75%. Based on STOPP criteria potentially inappropriate medications PIM is 7% and START criteria PIM is 29%.Conclusions: Our study suggests that prevalence of polypharmacy was high which is usually unavoidable in geriatric patients and less PIM is suggestive of adherence to WHO core prescribing indicators, and prescription of drugs as per STOPP and START guidelines are indicative of scope for improvement.

Positive drug stories: possibilities for agency and positive subjectivity for harm reduction

People who use drugs understand drugs and drug use in ways that are often different to the way knowledge of drug use is constructed within the dominant medico-legal discourse. Their experiences are, more often than not, represented in negative ways within dominant discourse, a disconnect that can create adverse consequences for people who use drugs, through the production of stigma and shame leading to poor health and social outcomes. A key difference in how drugs are understood by people who use drugs is the capacity of the former to recognize positive aspects of drug use and create more agentic subjectivities for themselves concerning the use of drugs. Using a thematic analysis of the online forum Australian Drug Discussion, hosted by Bluelight.org, we identify positive drug stories and the contexts of their emergence, as subversions or modifications of dominant understandings. We argue that positive understandings of drug use, as well as recognition of the way their expression serves to generate agency for people who use drugs within or against the confines of dominant discourse, may provide opportunities to limit further the harms flowing from stigmatization and negativity.

Dorsolateral striatum dopamine-dependent cocaine seeking is resistant to pavlovian cue extinction in male and female rats

Cue exposure therapy (CET) reduces craving induced by drug-associated cues in individuals with substance use disorders. A preclinical model of CET, cue extinction, similarly reduces cue-induced cocaine seeking in rodent self-administration models; however, those models may not capture the habitual or compulsive aspects of drug use. Thus, the effectiveness of cue extinction was tested in male and female rats trained to self-administer cocaine using second-order (SO) or fixed-ratio (FR) schedules of reinforcement to facilitate dorsolateral striatum (DLS) dopamine-dependent or -independent response strategies, respectively. Cue extinction significantly reduced drug seeking in FR-trained rats, replicating prior results, but was ineffective in SO-trained rats. SO-trained rats also showed increased indices of glutamate signaling in the DLS relative to FR-trained rats, despite comparable levels of cocaine intake. Furthermore, in SO-trained rats, antagonism of AMPA receptors in the DLS rescued the efficacy of cue extinction to reduce drug seeking. Finally, the effectiveness of cue extinction was also revealed in SO-trained rats when they were taught to perform a new, non-habitual response for cocaine cue presentation. Overall, our findings indicate that habit-like drug seeking leads to plasticity in the DLS and behavior that is resistant to cue extinction, but that the effects of cue extinction are restored when DLS glutamatergic signaling is blocked. These results have implications for the effectiveness of clinical cue exposure therapy.

Intermittent but not continuous access to cocaine produces individual variability in addiction susceptibility in rats.

Drug addiction is a chronic disease defined by a complex set of characteristics, including loss of control over drug intake and persistent drug craving, which primarily affects a small percentage of people who try drugs. Although many models have been developed to study individual aspects of drug use, there is great translational value in having an animal model that encompasses multiple aspects of the human disease, including the variation in severity observed in humans. Here, we describe an intermittent access model of cocaine self-administration that produces a subset of rats that display many of the core features of addiction, including escalation of drug intake, a binge-like pattern of drug use, robust locomotor sensitization, and high levels of drug-seeking during cue-induced reinstatement. This group is compared with rats that have the same drug history but do not develop this pattern of drug-taking and drug-seeking, as well as rats that undergo a traditional continuous access paradigm. Finally, we observe that high levels of cocaine consumption produce long-term changes in intracellular calcium signaling in the dorsomedial striatum.

A cross-sectional study of epidemiological factors associated with drug use among secondary school students

ABSTRACT Objective: Few data are available about drug use among Iraqi society, especially among people within the most vulnerable period, adolescence and secondary education. Hence, this study was designed to determine the prevalence and to examine the epidemiological factors associated with drug use among secondary school students. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional school-based study was designed and students were selected using a multistage sampling method during the period from March through April 2018 in Al-Hilla city – Babil – Iraq. In the first stage, 15 secondary schools were selected using cluster sampling. Students at each secondary school, one study hall classroom per grade level were randomly selected to participate in the second stage of this study. Chi-square was used to determine if certain factors are associated significantly (pvalue ≤0.05) with drug use. Results: The overall prevalence of drug use was (9.5%) (most of them were male). Other important aspects of drug use (e.g., source of acquiring drug) among the target population were reported. A significant association between drug use and some important factors was found. Conclusion: High prevalence of drug use was shown among the students and some factors appear to play a crucial role in drug use initiation, which necessitates preventive measures.

Impact of defelonizing drug possession on recidivism

Research SummaryCalifornia's Proposition 47 (Prop 47), passed in November 2014, sought to scale back punishment for selected drug and property offenses, making them misdemeanors rather than felonies. Although others have examined the impacts of Proposition 47 on crime rates, here we examine the impacts on a range of recidivism outcomes specifically for individuals convicted for drug possession offenses. We focus on the defelonization of drug possession because nationally evidence suggests that public and policy maker sympathy for reducing incarceration use is greatest for nonviolent drug offenders. Thus, the greatest relevance of Proposition 47 to the nation lies in its strategy of defelonizing drug possession. We draw on an ongoing data collection effort on criminal justice populations in 12 California counties and link these data to rearrest and reconviction data from county and state‐level sources. We find people who received drug possession convictions after Prop 47 had lower overall rearrest and reconviction rates than people with comparable convictions and criminal histories released prior to the proposition. Overall reductions in recidivism rates for Prop 47 drug offenders were driven by reductions in rearrest and reconviction for drug possession offenses. These findings are robust to a variety of specifications and sensitivity analyses. When we complicate the narrative of declines in nonviolent recidivism, however, we find evidence of a 2.8‐percentage‐point increase in rearrest for crimes against persons, mainly assaults and domestic violence. Reconviction rates for crimes against persons for drug possession offenders also increased by 1.1 percentage points.Policy ImplicationsThese findings add to the growing body of evidence that a targeted reform like Prop 47 does not result in increases in most measures of reoffending for people convicted of drug possession. Although we cannot rule out that the declines we observe in rearrest and reconviction are the result of behavioral change among offenders, it seems likely that those declines are partly, perhaps mostly, the result of changing decision‐making among law enforcement and prosecutors. Converting drug possession to be chargeable only as a misdemeanor has significantly reduced the likelihood individuals convicted of drug possession will return to jail or prison once they have been released and therefore stemmed some of the flow of people with such offenses through the system. Evidence from California, however, shows that there can be small increases in crimes against persons, which provides a cautionary note and points to the need to consider interventions that do not involve criminal justice responses in response to the negative aspects of drug use. Our conclusion discusses considerations in applying our findings to other states that have defelonized drug possession.

Using ethnographic approach and cultural models framework in research on recreational drug use

Substance abuse is one of the pressing issues that loom large in socio-epidemiological and health research in many countries nowadays. The empirical research on drug use is abundant, as are the perspectives on studying the risks associated with different aspects of drug use. In our article we give an overview of both prevalent and novel approaches to understanding the antecedents of drug use, focusing on the methodological means to create the ethnographically informed accounts of the reasons why individuals may start using drugs and how they themselves see this practice and their lives. The goal of the present publication is to outline the methodological benefits of the strategic use of the principles of ethnographic approach to various forms of data collection, and specifically looking into the intellectual framework of cultural models in applied research on recreational drug use. Ethnographic research on cultural models offers ample opportunities for methodological innovation, involving combined use of different techniques and integration of multimodal research options, and is particularly valuable for applied contexts due to the richness of the produced narrative. Using the methodological means supplied by the fieldwork-oriented research in drug use studies would offer new insights for scholars and policy makers. We present the methodological argument regarding the strategic use of the principles of ethnographic approach to increase the informativeness, accuracy and validity of the results in applied research on recreational drug use. Besides the methodological innovations the fieldwork-oriented research offers, using the methodological means supplied by the ethnographic research on cultural models would enable the social researchers to address the problem of drug use more efficiently.