Differences in self-reported discrimination by primary type of drug used among New York City drug users.

BACKGROUND

Illicit drug users experience various forms of discrimination which may vary by type of drug used, as there are different levels of stigma associated with different types of drugs.

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated self-report of perceived discrimination by primary type of drug used.

METHODS

This analysis used data from "Social Ties Associated with Risk of Transition into Injection Drug Use" (START), a cross-sectional study of recently initiated injection drug users (IDUs) and prospective study of heroin/crack/cocaine-using non-IDUs (n = 652). Using log binomial regression, the relationship between primary drug used (i.e., single drug used most often) with discrimination due to drug use was examined.

RESULTS

Heroin users were significantly more likely (Prevalence ratio (PR): 1.52 (95% Confidence interval (CI): 1.15-2.07)) to report discrimination due to drug use compared to cocaine users.

CONCLUSION AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: More research is needed to understand the mechanism through which discrimination affects heroin users, and its potential relation with other discrimination-related outcomes, namely depression and drug treatment.