RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Many Americans rely on opioids at varying dosages to help ameliorate their suffering. However, empirical evidence is mounting that opioids are ineffective at controlling non-cancer related chronic pain, and many argue the strategies meant to relieve patient suffering are contributing to the growing opioid epidemic. Concurrently, several states now allow the use of medical cannabis to treat a variety of medical conditions, including chronic pain. Needing more exploration is the impact of cannabis laws on general opioid reliance and whether chronic pain sufferers are opting to use cannabis medicinally instead of opioids. METHODS: This study investigates the effect of Medical Marijuana Laws (MML)s on opioid use and misuse controlling for a number of relevant factors using data from several years of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and multivariate logistic regression and longitudinal analysis strategies. RESULTS: Results provide evidence that MMLs may be effective at reducing opioid reliance as survey respondents living in states with medical cannabis legislation are much less apt to report using opioid analgesics than people living in states without such laws, net other factors. Results further indicate that the presence of medicinal cannabis legislation appears to have no influence over opioid misuse. CONCLUSION: MMLs may ultimately serve to attenuate the consequences of opioid overreliance.
Asunto(s)
Analgésicos Opioides/administración & dosificación , Dolor Crónico/tratamiento farmacológico , Legislación de Medicamentos , Marihuana Medicinal/administración & dosificación , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Femenino , Encuestas Epidemiológicas , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Trastornos Relacionados con Opioides/epidemiología , Estados Unidos , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
The overlap between victimization and offending is well documented. Yet, there have been fewer investigations of the reasons underlying this relationship. One possible, but understudied, explanation lies with Gottfredson and Hirschi's arguments regarding self-control. The current study adds to this line of inquiry by assessing whether low self-control accounts for the victim-offender overlap in a sample of young adults and whether self-control accounts for the observed overlap similarly across gender. Results from a series of bivariate probit regression models indicate that low self-control is positively related to both victimization and offending. However, only among males does low self-control account for a substantive portion of the victim-offender overlap. Limitations of the study and implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Asunto(s)
Víctimas de Crimen/psicología , Criminales/psicología , Autocontrol , Adulto , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Factores Sexuales , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Research in the area of bystander intervention in the prevention of alcohol-impaired driving (AID) has mostly focused on the influence of existing factors (such as status or relationships) on the likelihood of intervening and has relied mostly on samples of college-age students. It remains unknown whether exposure to external stimuli, such as that of mass media marketing, has the ability to influence bystander intervention and whether differential tendencies to intervene hold true for the larger population. This study sought to explore the influence of external stimuli, in the form of mass media AID prevention messaging, on tendencies of bystander intervention and to determine other factors predictive of bystander intervention. METHOD: The study relied on national, nonprobability survey data of mostly non-college-age respondents collected to assess anti-AID media campaigns. Analyses entailed a series of ordinary least squares and binary logistic regression models. RESULTS: Exposure to an AID media prevention campaign was not significantly related to individual concern over AID in the community or whether a bystander intervened to prevent an incident of AID. Seventy-six percent of respondents reported exposure to AID media prevention campaigns, whereas slightly more than 40% reported actually intervening to prevent an AID incident. Intervening bystanders had greater odds of being female and non-White and of perceiving the legal consequences of AID as being certain and severe. These factors, however, were mediated by respondent concern regarding the seriousness of the AID problem in their community. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that AID media-based prevention messaging works best among those in the population who view AID as a serious problem in their community.
Asunto(s)
Intoxicación Alcohólica/prevención & control , Conducción de Automóvil , Conducta de Ayuda , Medios de Comunicación de Masas , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Consumo de Bebidas Alcohólicas/prevención & control , Recolección de Datos , Femenino , Humanos , Análisis de los Mínimos Cuadrados , Modelos Logísticos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
This study assessed the correlates of self-control and police contact in a sample of Chicago public high school students. The investigation examined the effects of parental attachment/identification, family structure, and peer association on self-control and the effects of parental attachment/identification, family structure, peer association, and self-control on police contact. Differences between African American and Latino youth on the predictors of the two dependent measures were tested in separate regression models. Weak parental attachment/identification and gang affiliation (peer association) predicted low self-control among all students. Among African American youth, only weak maternal attachment/identification predicted low self-control; both weak maternal attachment/identification and gang affiliation predicted low self-control among Latino youth. Gang affiliation predicted police stops (delinquency) among African Americans but not among Latinos. However, both African American and Latino students with lower self-control were more likely to be stopped by the police than those with higher self-control.