Drug Abuse on the Mexico–U.S. Border: Implications for HIV/AIDS Transmission
An analysis of admissions data from substance abuse treatment programs shows increased abuse of methamphetamine and crack cocaine along the U.S.–Mexico border. Abuse of these drugs is a risk factor for HIV/AIDS, either from druginfluenced risky sexual behavior or from sharing injection equipment. Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin analyzed trends in drug treatment admissions collected from national data sets along both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border as well as from a NIDA-funded survey along the Texas border.
According to the data, methamphetamine treatment admissions have increased in both countries and methamphetamine abuse is a major problem in the western states on both sides of the border, with a notable increase in smoking Ice. Though researchers found little change in cocaine admissions, the type of cocaine abused did change—abuse of powder cocaine decreased, and smoking crack increased. Additionally, heroin was identified as the primary drug for clients admitted to treatment on the Mexican side of the border, with 94 percent of all heroin admissions practicing injection drug use. Overall, methamphetamine was the most dominant drug on the Pacific end of the border. Heroin admissions dominated the center portion of the border, and cocaine admissions were high on the eastern end of the border, nearest to the Gulf of Mexico.
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WHAT IT MEANS: This study is the first to examine drug treatment data on the U.S.–Mexico border. In addition to demonstrating increased methamphetamine and crack-cocaine abuse, these findings suggest that drug abusers living near the U.S.–Mexico border may be at increased risk for HIV/AIDS. Additional research is needed to better understand drug abuse and HIV/AIDS risk factors in populations near the border.
Dr. Jane Carlisle Maxwell and colleagues published these findings.
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