The new heroin users among Manhattan arrestees: variations by race/ethnicity and mode of consumption

The incidence of heroin use among Manhattan arrestees interviewed by the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program remained around 20% from 1987 through 2001. However, the authors had expected a decline because the heroin injection epidemic peaked back in the 1960s and early 1970s. A detailed analysis found differences across race/ethnicity. Black arrestees born since 1955 (who came of age since the heroin injection epidemic) were much less likely to use heroin than those born between 1945 and 1954 (who came of age during the epidemic). Hispanic arrestees born since 1970 (but not those born between 1955 and 1969) were also less likely to use heroin, suggesting that the decline in heroin use started among Blacks before Hispanics. During the 1990s, sniffing replaced injecting as the predominant mode of heroin consumption for Black and Hispanic arrestees, even among older arrestees. In strong contrast, the prevalence of heroin use among White arrestees did not decline in the 1990s and injection was still their most popular method of consumption. The discussion highlights implications for further research and drug treatment.