Roberto A. Trevino

Attitudes towards drug legalization among drug users

Research shows that support for legalization of drugs varies significantly among different sociodemographic and political groups. Yet there is little research examining the degree of support for legalization of drugs among drug users. This paper examines how frequency and type of drug use affect the support for legalization of drugs after adjusting for the effects of political affiliation and sociodemographic characteristics. A sample of 188 drug users and non-drug users were asked whether they would support the legalization of marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. Respondents reported their use of marijuana, crack, cocaine, heroin, speedball, and/or methamphetamines during the previous 30 days. Support for legalization of drugs was analyzed by estimating three separate logistic regressions. The results showed that the support for the legalization of drugs depended on the definition of “drug user” and the type of drug. In general, however, the results showed that marijuana users were more likely to support legalizing marijuana, but they were less likely to support the legalization of cocaine and heroin. On the other hand, users of crack, cocaine, heroin, speedball, and/or methamphetamines were more likely to support legalizing all drugs including cocaine and heroin.

Labor Force Participation in a Sample of Substance Users

This paper reviews the microeconomic theory underlying the work/leisure tradeoff and how this tradeoff may be manifested among substance users. The effects of drug use, demographic factors, and income factors on the probability of labor force participation are analyzed in a sample of 687 male and 327 female drug users. The decision not to seek employment appears to be associated primarily with non-job-related sources of income (including illegal sources).

Economics as a Factor in Models of Behavioral Motivation and Change

This note first presents a summary of four main behavioral models that are used to explain behavioral motivation and change. Three models are based on psychosocial theory. They are: 1) the Theory of Reasoned Action, 2) the Theory of Planned Behavior, and 3) the Theory of Stages-of-Change. The fourth model is based on economic theory and is known as the Rational Addiction Model. Each model is analyzed for its strengths and weaknesses. The note concludes by arguing for the usefulness of integrating the economic and the psychosocial models to study drug use. Specific examples and suggestions are presented.

Negative Reflected Appraisal, Negative Self-Perception, and Drug Use Intentions in a Sample of Suburban High School Students

Drawing on theories of symbolic interaction, some researchers have suggested that negative reflected appraisal imposes a “delinquent” identity on adolescents whom adults and peers perceive as delinquent, creating ego identity discomfort that these adolescents seek to mitigate through association with drug-using peers for whom the delinquent label is evaluated more positively. On the other hand, research on reflected appraisal and delinquency has suggested that negative reflected appraisal is more salient for adolescents who are or desire to be part of high-status peer groups than for adolescents who are uninterested in such peer groups. This article reports results of a secondary analysis of evaluation data from a federally sponsored school-based substance abuse prevention project testing whether reflected appraisal is associated with subsequent intention to use marijuana, whether this association is mediated by negative self-concept, and whether it is moderated by ethnicity and gender. Results indicate that reflected appraisal is associated with marijuana use intentions and that negative self-concept mediates this association. It also indicates that the association between negative reflected appraisal and negative self-concept is weaker for African Americans and males, and that the association between negative reflected appraisal and marijuana use intentions is less salient for Hispanics.