COMPARING IV AND NON-IV COCAINE USERS - CHARACTERISTICS OF A SAMPLE OF COCAINE USERS SEEKING TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH

The authors examined differences between current intravenous (IV), pas t IV and no IV cocaine use among a sample of cocaine users on measures of drug use, medical history, psychiatric history, and criminal histo ry Past IV cocaine users were older than non-IV cocaine users The curr ent IV cocaine-using group included more white participants, and the n on-IV group included! more African Americans. Those with past or curre nt IV use had more extensive drug use histories than non-IV users. Als o, more current and past IV cocaine-using groups reported having been tested for HIV and reported testing positive for hepatitis Former IV c ocaine users reported more emergency room visits for complications ste mming from cocaine use. They also reported more treatment for substanc e abuse and were convicted of more crimes. These results suggest that the route of administration is important in studying the characteristi cs of drug users.