Among drug researchers who participated in a recent online survey, the vast majority (86 percent) reported having used drugs themselves in the past, and nearly half (47 percent) said they\u2019d done so during the past three months.<\/p>\n
Of those who reported using drugs, about 6 in 10 (59 percent) said they\u2019d disclosed their use to colleagues inside or outside their institution, while just 11 percent said they disclosed use in their research or scholarship itself.<\/p>\n
Overall, 17.8 percent of drug researchers who responded to the survey \u201cconsidered themselves to be \u2018out\u2019 as a\u201d person who uses drugs (PWUD), the report says. Just over a third (34.1 percent), meanwhile, \u201cidentified as an occasional PWUD,\u201d while more than half of researchers (55.4 percent) said they identified as a person who does not use drugs (PNUD).<\/p>\n
The new study, titled, \u201c\u2018He\u2019s used drugs \u2013 he\u2019s biased! He\u2019s not a drug user \u2013 what would he know!<\/em>\u2018: A Cross-sectional, Online Study of Drug Researchers\u2019 Experiential Knowledge of Drug Use and Disclosure,\u201d was published in September\u2019s issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. It\u2019s authored by a six-author team of researchers from New York University, Arizona State University, Columbia University the University of Washington and the nonprofit advocacy group Drug Policy Alliance.<\/p>\n Findings of the study suggest that while researchers\u2019 own drug-use experiences may help inform and strengthen research, stigma nevertheless prevents many from sharing their experiences more openly. Some said they feared that disclosing use would lead to their research not being seen as objective.<\/p>\n \u201cRespondents connected their concerns about disclosure in research with issues of social identity, professional risk, and the role of stigma related to lived experience,\u201d the report says. \u201cSome respondents felt that such concerns reinforce a vacuum, noting that the inability to disclose drug use limits research questions and the knowledge base overall.\u201d<\/p>\n Past literature, researchers noted, has observed a general silence about researchers\u2019 drug use that results in a \u201cdon\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell\u201d context that can perpetuate misinformation and biases.<\/p>\n \u201cIn fields such as public health and medicine, where the idea of scientific objectivity is persistent, it can be especially difficult to address lived experience,\u201d they wrote, adding that, as such, \u201cour understanding of drug use by drug researchers is often limited to those with the power, privilege, and\/or bravery to discuss those experiences, in addition to certain drugs which have drug exceptionalism.\u201d<\/p>\n Authors said they believe their study to be \u201cone of the first to gather empirical data about drug researchers\u2019 lived experience with substance use.\u201d<\/p>\n Respondents to the survey were 669 adults from 43 different countries who identified as drug researchers \u201cat any level,\u201d the report says. They were recruited via emails, \u201csocial media posts, referrals, and advertisements with organizations that focus on drug use.\u201d Many were identified through a literature review of drug-related research published from January 2018 to June 2021.<\/p>\n In terms of demographics, the \u201cmean age was 41.8 years (SD=12.0) and most reported cisgender (52.2% women; 42.8% men) and heterosexual (73.3%) identities,\u201d according to the study. \u201cMost (87.5%) had postgraduate education. Race was only collected from U.S. residents, among whom the majority identified as White (77.8%).\u201d<\/p>\n In terms of lifetime use, the drugs most frequently tried by researchers were marijuana (81.8 percent of respondents), hallucinogens (50.2 percent), cocaine (45.7 percent) and MDMA, or ecstasy (42.3 percent).<\/p>\n The most commonly used drugs among researchers within the past three months differed slightly. Marijuana still led the list, at 34.8 percent, followed by CBD specifically (10.6 percent), hallucinogens (9.7 percent) and cocaine (6.4 percent).<\/p>\n \u201cAmong marijuana users, 74.6% of lifetime users and 78.1% of recent users lived in a state or country where it was legalized for medical, adult recreational use or decriminalized,\u201d the study says.<\/p>\n On that note, willingness to disclose use \u201cwas often related to the type of drugs being disclosed,\u201d authors wrote\u2014as well as the context of past use.<\/p>\n \u201cRespondents more frequently discussed drugs that were decriminalized, legalized, and\/or less stigmatized in their area of origin (e.g., marijuana) versus drugs that are not (e.g., cocaine or heroin) or injection drug use,\u201d the study says. As one participant\u2014an academic and person who uses drugs\u2014wrote, \u201cCocaine disclosure is much harder to imagine than mushrooms or weed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRespondents felt comfortable disclosing at work that they needed help to address a substance use disorder (SUD), if they had been in recovery, drug use was nonvoluntary (i.e., they were drugged), or for medical reasons,\u201d the report continues. \u201cRespondents also openly disclosed other people\u2019s drug use, even if they did not disclose their own.\u201d<\/p>\n Notably, respondents \u201cdid not disclose drug abstinence at work,\u201d researchers found.<\/p>\n The most important factor in whether researchers disclosed their drug use, the survey found, was a person\u2019s social relationships. \u201cRespondents preferred to disclose to colleagues who would not negatively impact their careers,\u201d findings say, adding that \u201cSome respondents reported working in an environment in which drug use is the norm.\u201d<\/p>\n Among people who don\u2019t use drugs, the majority believed that their lack of use was \u201cusually not relevant,\u201d with some respondents holding beliefs \u201cabout abstinence as a norm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDrug abstinence seems normal and not needing explanation,\u201d wrote one academic who does not use drugs.<\/p>\n Others felt their lack of drug use was itself judged. \u201cIt feels almost stigmatizing to disclose that [cannabis] is a drug I\u2019ve never used,\u201d another respondent wrote.<\/p>\n Perspectives on whether researchers\u2019 own drug use was an important factor in drug research differed based on whether or not someone uses drugs.<\/p>\n \u201cRespondents who used drugs believed that the influence of drug use and disclosure could possibly enhance research questions,\u201d authors explained; \u201chowever, respondents who abstained from drug use generally believed that drug use and disclosure did not affect research questions.\u201d<\/p>\n The study\u2019s title is borrowed from a written response of one nonprofit worker who uses drugs and noted the conflicting reactions people might have when learning about a researcher\u2019s own drug use.<\/p>\n \u201cOne excerpt summarized the general sentiment of how drug use could influence research,\u201d the study said: \u201c\u2018He\u2019s used drugs \u2013 he\u2019s biased!\u2019 or \u2018He\u2019s not a drug user \u2013 what would he know!’\u201d<\/p>\n Researchers behind the new study said their findings \u201cgenerally echoed what is heard in community discussions and in previous research which included barriers to talking about drug use such as legal penalties, being labeled drug-seeking in healthcare contexts, disability-related issues, risk of job loss, funding loss, and security and respect in professional contexts.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cConsistent with previous studies and commentaries, there was a belief that while lived experience was important to their work, disclosure could seriously jeopardize careers, public perception of their role as parents or children, credibility as researchers, funding opportunities, social privileges, and societal \u2018reputation,’\u201d they wrote. \u201cRespondents felt that they risked the most if they were not in positions of social power (e.g., racial\/ethnic minority, early in career, at-will employees, dependent on funding, not tenured).\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith a few key exceptions, the drug research community is not grappling with its own positionality and is discouraged from doing so,\u201d the study<\/a> concludes. \u201cOur data suggest that at least some researchers seek safe, non-judgmental contexts in which lived experience can, when relevant, be included in their work. The notion that researchers are (or should be) objective is problematic when we are dealing with a subject fraught with entrenched inequalities in the policy, criminal justice, and health sectors\u2019 responses to drug use.\u201d<\/p>\n Psychedelic Mushrooms May Have Contributed To Early Development Of Human Consciousness, Study Concludes<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo elements courtesy of carlosemmaskype<\/a> and Apollo<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Vast Majority Of Drug Researchers Acknowledge Having Used Drugs Themselves, Study Finds, But Far Fewer Feel Comfortable Discussing It<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Among drug researchers who participated in a recent online survey, the vast majority (86 percent) reported having used drugs themselves in the past, and nearly half (47 percent) said they\u2019d done so during the past three months. Of those who reported using drugs, about 6 in 10 (59 percent) saidContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15462],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77354"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77354"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77355,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77354\/revisions\/77355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Vast Majority Of Drug Researchers Acknowledge Having Used Drugs Themselves, Study Finds, But Far Fewer Feel Comfortable Discussing It<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"