Characteristics of a non-treatment sample of heavy cocaine users volunteering for studies involving cocaine administration in Baltimore (USA)

Demographic data and drug-use histories were collected from 191 non-treatment seeking applicants, obtained via chain referral, to research projects involving cocaine administration. The typical applicant was an unemployed, single, African-American male, 34 years of age with 11 years of education and a history of incarceration. Applicants reported using i.v. and smoked cocaine alone, and in combination with heroin (72%), marijuana (47%), alcohol (58%) and tobacco cigarettes (86%). Most applicants (79%) preferred i.v. cocaine, with 15% preferring smoked cocaine. Applicants reported spending $327/wk on cocaine and $184/wk on heroin. Seventy-seven percent of applicants reported having been arrested, with those who went to jail reporting an average jail-time of 29 months. Eighty-five percent of applicants were unemployed and 32% gave no address. Although most applicants (75%) received medical care, mostly in emergency rooms, in the past year, the majority (75%) had never received any treatment for their drug abuse. Analyzing data of applicants to a drug-abuse research program provides an under-utilized methodology for obtaining information from the difficult to contact population of non-treatment seeking, homeless drug abusers.