TY - JOUR
T1 - Motivations for Diverted Buprenorphine Use in a Multisite Qualitative Study
AU - Kavanaugh, Philip R.
AU - McLean, Katherine
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by Penn State Harrisburg’s School of Public Affairs and Penn State Greater Allegheny’s Administration of Justice.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020.
PY - 2020/10/1
Y1 - 2020/10/1
N2 - Drawing on a multisite sample of 40 persons who sell, share, or use diverted buprenorphine to manage opioid use disorder, in this study we describe why individuals seek to obtain buprenorphine outside of formal treatment contexts, and between-site variation regarding their motives and means. Findings indicate that both the provision and purchase of diverted buprenorphine support user-defined risk minimization strategies to avoid withdrawal, reduce heroin use, and satiate opioid cravings in periods of lowered tolerance. We also found that a subset of the sample used buprenorphine recreationally, and that it functioned to extend or augment illicit drug use careers. Implications of the findings are discussed in light of federal and state drug control and treatment policies.
AB - Drawing on a multisite sample of 40 persons who sell, share, or use diverted buprenorphine to manage opioid use disorder, in this study we describe why individuals seek to obtain buprenorphine outside of formal treatment contexts, and between-site variation regarding their motives and means. Findings indicate that both the provision and purchase of diverted buprenorphine support user-defined risk minimization strategies to avoid withdrawal, reduce heroin use, and satiate opioid cravings in periods of lowered tolerance. We also found that a subset of the sample used buprenorphine recreationally, and that it functioned to extend or augment illicit drug use careers. Implications of the findings are discussed in light of federal and state drug control and treatment policies.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088368769&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85088368769&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0022042620941796
DO - 10.1177/0022042620941796
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85088368769
SN - 0022-0426
VL - 50
SP - 550
EP - 565
JO - Journal of Drug Issues
JF - Journal of Drug Issues
IS - 4
ER -
