Faculty Bibliography

Background: Little is known about how COVID-19-related social distancing has affected illegal drug use. We surveyed electronic dance music (EDM) partygoers-a population known for high levels of drug use-to determine whether their drug use patterns had changed during state-mandated social distancing in New York. Methods: Individuals were recruited online and screened for eligibility throughout April and May 2020. We surveyed 128 eligible adults and queried, retrospectively, whether their drug use behavior had changed during COVID-19-related social distancing. Results: Most participants reporting past-three-month use reported decreased frequency of use during COVID-19-related social distancing. Specifically, 78.6% reduced frequency of use of cocaine, 71.1% reduced frequency of use of ecstasy/MDMA/Molly, and 68.0% reduced frequency of use of LSD. Although some participants reported increased frequency of use of cocaine (7.1%), ecstasy (7.9%), or LSD (12.0%), 35.0% reported increased frequency of cannabis use. Most (66.7%) of those reporting cocaine use reduced the amount used. The majority of those reporting use of cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, and/or LSD reported that drug cost (80.0-84.0%) and drug quality (84.2-92.0%) did not change during social distancing. Having a college degree was associated with higher odds for decreasing frequency of cannabis use. Older participants (ages ≥23) were at lower odds for decreasing frequency of cocaine use, as were those earning >$500 per week, and participants who attended EDM events biweekly or more often were at higher odds for decreasing frequency of LSD use. Conclusions: Participants in this sample tended to reduce party drug use during COVID-19-related social distancing.

BACKGROUND:A variety of substance use-related topics are discussed in the public discourse; however, it is unknown how public discussion of published substance-related findings relates to manuscript downloads and citations. This manuscript examines how traditional and social media coverage of published findings about substance use affects downloads and scientific citations. METHODS:percentile of downloads and citations. RESULTS:73.3 % of articles were shared on Twitter, 23.6 % were shared on Facebook, and 13.9 % were covered in news sources (with 4.0 % receiving major media coverage). Epidemiology papers were among the most covered in the news, and e-cigarette review papers were among the most downloaded. News and social media coverage were positively associated with number of downloads and citations in bivariable models and with achieving the top 10 % of downloads and citations in multivariable models (ps < .001). Publishing a press release was associated with higher likelihood of receiving additional news coverage (aPR = 7.85, 95 % CI: 5.15-11.97). CONCLUSIONS:Traditional and social media coverage of manuscripts focusing on substance use are associated with more downloads and citations. Researchers should consider sharing findings not only to increase downloads and citations but also to educate the general public.

BACKGROUND:The popularity of virtual raves and happy hours has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. While nightlife settings are often associated with drug use, it is unknown whether virtual events are associated with use. METHODS:Electronic dance music (EDM) partygoers who live in New York and reported recent drug use were recruited online and screened for eligibility throughout April and May 2020. Eligible adults (n = 128) were asked about virtual rave and happy hour attendance during the COVID-19 crisis. We examined prevalence and correlates of drug use during such events. RESULTS:55.5% of participants attended virtual raves and 69.5% attended virtual happy hours. 40.9% used illegal drugs during virtual raves and the most frequently used drugs were cannabis (29.6%), ecstasy/MDMA/Molly (8.5%), LSD (7.0%), and cocaine (4.2%). 33.7% used illegal drugs during virtual happy hours and the most frequently used drugs were cannabis (29.2%), cocaine (3.4%), and ketamine (3.4%). Older participants were more likely to use illegal drugs during virtual raves, and those reporting past-year use of more drugs were more likely to use drugs during virtual raves and/or happy hours (ps<0.05). CONCLUSIONS:EDM partygoers are at risk for using drugs during virtual events. Results can inform prevention and harm reduction efforts.

BACKGROUND:Older lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults are an underserved and understudied population that experience specific health disparities. The intersection of aging and chronic medical disease with a higher risk for substance use and mental illness may place older LGB adults at risk for co-occurring conditions and resulting comorbidity. Understanding multimorbidity among older LGB adults may help inform interventions to reduce disparities in health outcomes. METHODS:Data come from the 2015 to 2017 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (n = 25,880). We first determined whether sexual orientation was associated with reporting: past-year drug use, mental illness, and/or 2 or more chronic medical diseases. We then determined whether sexual orientation was associated with reporting co-occurrence of these conditions. This was done using multivariable logistic regression. Analyses were stratified by gender. RESULTS:Compared to heterosexual men, gay men were at increased odds for reporting 2 or more chronic medical diseases (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.48, 3.21), and gay (aOR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.09, 2.93) and bisexual men (aOR = 3.53, 95% CI = 2.03, 6.14) were at increased odds for reporting mental illness. Gay men (aOR = 2.95, 95CI = 1.60, 5.49) and bisexual men (aOR = 2.84, 95% CI = 1.58, 5.08) were at increased odds of reporting co-occurring conditions. Compared to heterosexual women, bisexual women were at increased odds for past-year drug use (aOR = 4.20, 95% CI = 2.55, 6.93), reporting mental illness (aOR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.03, 3.67), and reporting co-occurring conditions (aOR = 3.25, 95% = 1.60, 6.62). CONCLUSIONS:Middle-aged and older LGB adults in the United States are at high risk for experiencing co-occurring drug use, mental illness, and/or medical multimorbidity. Interventions for older sexual minority populations are needed to reduce disparities.

BACKGROUND:Results provide insight regarding diffusion and initiation of ecstasy in the EDM scene. Findings can inform prevention and harm reduction efforts.

We sought to estimate the prevalence as well as demographic and drug use-related correlates of poppers use among adults in the United States. Data were analyzed from adult participants (ages 18-64) in the 2015-2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (N = 115,744), a nationally representative survey of non-institutionalized adults in the US. An estimated 3.3% of adults have ever used poppers. Over a third (35.1%) of gay men are estimated as having ever used poppers. Estimates were lower for heterosexual (3.7%) and bisexual males (11.3%), and for heterosexual (1.8%), bisexual (4.8%), and lesbian women (6.3%). In the multivariable model, compared to male heterosexuals, gay men were at increased odds for reporting lifetime popper use (aOR = 24.64, p<.001), and bisexual men (aOR = 3.55, p <.001), lesbian women (aOR = 1.86, p =.010), and bisexual women (aOR = 1.33, p =.049) were at increased odds for lifetime use. Having a college degree was associated with increased odds for use, and lifetime use of marijuana, ecstasy/MDMA/Molly, cocaine, LSD, methamphetamine, tranquilizers, and/or opioids were associated with higher odds for use. Gay men in particular are at high risk for use. Results can help inform prevention efforts, particularly in sexual minority populations.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:Electronic dance music (EDM) party attendees are at high risk for drug use. However, little is known regarding the extent of underreporting of drug use in this population, in part, because use of synthetic drugs is often associated with unknown exposure to adulterant drugs. We estimated the extent of underreported drug use in this population by comparing self-reported use to hair toxicology results. METHODS:Time-space sampling was used to survey adults entering EDM events at nightclubs and dance festivals in New York City from January through August of 2019. Seven hundred ninety-four adults were surveyed and 141 provided analyzable hair samples. We queried past-year use of >90 drugs and tested hair samples using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. We compared hair test results to past-year self-reported use and adjusted prevalence estimates by defining use as reporting use or testing positive. Correlates of discordant reporting, defined as testing positive after not reporting use, were estimated. RESULTS:Prevalence of drug use increased when considering positive hair tests in estimates, with 43.8% of participants testing positive for at least one drug after not reporting use. For example, based on self-report, cocaine use prevalence was 51.1%, and increased by a factor of 1.6 to a prevalence of 80.0% when adding hair test results to self-report. Younger adults (ages 18-25), black and other/mixed race participants, those reporting "other" sexuality, and those with a college degree were at significantly higher risk for testing positive for drugs not reportedly used. Those who self-reported using more types of drugs were less likely to test positive after not reporting use (adjusted prevalence ratio = 0.53, 95% confidence interval = 0.41-0.68). CONCLUSIONS:We detected underreporting of drug use, particularly cocaine and ketamine. More research is needed to determine whether this is driven by intentional underreporting or unknown exposure through adulterants.