title: The opiate pain reliever epidemic among U.S. arrestees 2000-2010: regional and demographic variations.
abstract: The increasing rate of opiate pain reliever (OPR) use is a pressing concern in the United States. This article uses a drug epidemics framework to examine OPR use among arrestees surveyed by the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring program. Results demonstrate regional and demographic variation in use across nine focal cities. High rates of OPR use on the West Coast illustrate the expansion of use from its initial epicenter. By 2010, OPR use had plateaued in all focal cities. Findings suggest directions for ongoing research into pathways to use and vectors of diffusion and for regionally specific interventions sensitive to age and ethnic diversity.
authors.affiliation: National Development and Research Institutes, Institute for Special Populations Research, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Golub
authors.forename: Luther
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.forename: Henry H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Brownstein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D057237:Criminals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult