Drug selling among drug misusers before intake to treatment and at 1-year follow-up: results from the National Treatment Outcome Research Study (NTORS)

Drug misusers recruited to the National Treatment Outcome Research Study we re interviewed at intake to treatment programmes throughout England (n = 10 75), and after 1 year (n = 753), Data were collected on self-reported invol vement in and frequency of drug-selling activities and other crimes during the 90-day periods prior to each interview, A huge number of drug-selling o ffences (39 153) was reported prior to intake, Fewer than one-third of the clients (29%) reported selling drugs during the 90 days prior to intake, an d among those clients who had sold drugs, drug selling was an infrequent an d occasional activity. Most clients reported not selling drugs, A small min ority (7%) committed the majority (89%) of drug-selling offences, These hig h-rate drug sellers reported different patterns of substance misuse to othe r drug sellers, including more frequent use of heroin but less severe depen dence upon heroin, and less frequent drinking, The involvement of these hig h-rate drug sellers mar reflect a more 'professional' approach to dealing, Reductions in dealing were found for clients from both residential and meth adone programmes, Overall, the number of dealing offences at 1 rear was red uced to a less than one-fifth of intake levels and the rate of involvement in crime was also reduced to less than two-thirds of intake levels, Reducti ons in drug selling were associated with reductions in regular heroin use.