NCJ Number
163934
Journal
Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 25 Issue: 4 Dated: (Fall 1995) Pages: 683- 701
Date Published
1995
Length
19 pages
Annotation
The usefulness of hair analysis for determining cocaine use in a high-risk population was studied by means of personal interviews and analysis of scalp hair specimens from 121 male youths who had been in jail in New York City and were followed up in the community after their release.
Abstract
Results revealed that, using the standard cutoff measure, 51 percent of the hair specimens were positive for cocaine at an average concentration of 87.6 nanograms per 10 milligrams of hair. Using the test's detection limit, 67 percent were positive for cocaine. In contrast, only 23 percent of the youths reported any use of cocaine or crack during the previous 3 months, and only 36 percent reported any lifetime use. These findings indicated a substantial rate of underreporting. The analysis also revealed associations between cocaine in hair and several behavioral variables, including the number of prior arrests, rearrest after release from jail, not continuing education, and a lack of legal employment. The findings indicated that hair analysis is a promising new epidemiological tool for obtaining more valid measures of illicit drug use in populations that are difficulty to study. Tables and 49 references (Author abstract modified)