Irving F. Lukoff

Initiation into Adolescent Marijuana Use

In this longitudinal study, the relationship of three domains (personality/attitudinal orientations, peer relationships, and family socialization factors) with initiation into adolescent marijuana use was examined. One hundred and eighty-three adolescent boys and girls and their mothers were interviewed when the adolescents were 13-17 years old and again three years later. The results indicate that the domains of personality and family (with control on the other two domains and demographic variables) each appear to be related to subsequent involvement with marijuana. In contrast, the peer domain is not significantly associated with initiation into marijuana use once personality, family, and demographic clusters are controlled. However, the interaction of maternal demographic clusters are controlled. However, the interaction of maternal conventionality and peer marijuana use was related to initiation into marijuana use.

The Magic Fix: A Critical Analysis of Methadone Maintenance Treatment.

Methadone maintenance is a modality which has been widely hailed and extensively funded as a treatment for heroin addiction. Study of a large New York City program found that three-fifths of the patients who entered treatment had terminated before the end of the second year. Among those in treatment, failure to pick up methadone was common. When patients were divided into cohorts based on eventual length of retention, there was found to be an increase in failure to pick up medication among those retained longest. Crime declined less than had been expected, and decrease in crime was most evident in drug-related crimes rather than in the category of crimes with victims. Re-analysis of evaluations which had reported higher rates of success revealed that many such findings were based on unreliable research methods.

The Black Female Addict's Career Options: A Typology and Theory

Female addicts are typically treated as one group with similar needs and experiences. This is particularly true for Black female addicts. This study of Black men and women entering an inner-city methadone maintenance treatment program attempts to delineate (1) how Black women differ from Black men in their heroin-using careers and (2) differences among Black women in their integration of drug use and lifestyle. Findings show men and women do develop different patterns of criminal activity, drug use, family ties, and labor force participation. Further analysis using multiple discriminant techniques indicates that Black female addicts are not one homogeneous group. Conclusions based on these findings suggest that sex role expectations may structure heroin use. Other social locators such as age may also delimit available career paths, lending further support to the theoretical framework employed here.

Differentials in the treatment of black female heroin addicts

The National Institute on Drug Abuse has placed special emphasis on meeting the unique requirements of female and minority addicts. Yet, few attempts have been made to delineate the needs of Black female heroin addicts. Differentiation among Black female addicts on the basis of treatment needs remains even more limited. This study of Black men and women entering an inner-city methadone maintenance program attempts to fill that gap. Multiple discriminant analysis indicates that these women may not be one homogeneous group. The typology developed for female respondents is quite similar to that developed for male respondents. Conclusions suggest that each type of Black female addict has different treatment needs. Furthermore, the convergence in male and female typologies suggests that treatment might be based on needs stemming from lifestyle rather than gender.