Disruption and Reformulation of Illicit Drug Markets Among New Orleans Evacuees

这项研究将系统地研究非法药物市场(包括使用者和经销商)因以下原因而发生的变化 卡特里娜飓风和随后新奥尔良的洪水。以前有相当多的证据 卡特里娜飓风证明了新奥尔良活跃的非法毒品市场的存在。在 卡特里娜飓风史无前例的后果几乎所有人都被疏散到新奥尔良(不) 位于其他寄宿社区。在初步研究中，我们提供了来自纽约市NOES的报告 世卫组织证实，非法药物市场在以下几周内受到严重干扰或发生变化 飓风--在此期间，毒品、海洛因和大麻的供应量急剧下降。这 主要城市人口的疏散导致了拟议研究的具体目标：目标A(药物 市场破坏)：在卡特里娜飓风之前检查新奥尔良的非法毒品市场，并 记录之后发生的更改。目标B(撤离者进入新药市场)： 调查吸毒者如何在接受社区找到要使用和/或销售的药物。目标C (市场变化)：分析吸毒者/经销商是否以及如何影响非法药物的变化 接受社区的市场。AIM D(药品市场重组)：正如新奥尔良是 重新安置和重建，以调查非法药物市场是否以及如何进行自我调整。 专业的人种学家将在新奥尔良、休斯顿和纽约市进行这项研究。 民族志学者将观察非法毒品市场，并完成个人定性访谈。 每年在这三个地点各有40名受访者。他们还将每年举办8个焦点小组， 每个站点在四年内；给定的焦点小组将由曾经/现在活跃在 具体的非法毒品市场(海洛因、可卡因、大麻和其他物质)。认真分析和研究 基于丰富的定性数据的文章将记录新奥尔良非法贸易中断的影响 毒品市场，未吸毒者对接收城市休斯顿和纽约市毒品市场的影响， 以及新奥尔良预期的药品市场重组。这项研究将提高科学性 了解非法药物市场在发生重大灾难后的运作方式，并提供 关于未来如何进一步削弱此类市场的重要政策指导。

This research will systematically study changes in illicit drug markets (including users and distributors) due to Hurricane Katrina and by the subsequent flooding of New Orleans. Considerable evidence available before Hurricane Katrina documents the existence of vigorous illegal drug markets in New Orleans. In the unprecedented aftermath of Katrina almost the entire population became New Orleans evacuees (NOEs) located in other host communities. In preliminary research, we provide reports from NOEs in New York City who confirm that illicit drug markets were significantly disrupted or changed in the weeks following the hurricane-the availability of crack, heroin, and marijuana declined drastically during that period. This evacuation of a major urban population leads to the specific aims of the proposed research: AIM A (Drug Market Destruction): To examine illegal drug markets in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina and to document the changes that occurred afterwards. AIM B (Evacuees entry into New Drug Markets): To investigate how NOE drug users locate drugs to use and/or sell in the receiving communities. AIM C (Market Changes): To analyze whether and how NOE drug users/distributors influence changes in illicit drug markets in the receiving communities. AIM D (Reformulation of Drug Markets): As New Orleans is repopulated and rebuilt, to investigate whether and how illicit drug markets reformulate themselves. Professional ethnographers will conduct the research in New Orleans, Houston, and New York City. Ethnographers will make observations of illicit drug markets and complete personal qualitative interviews with 40 respondents at each of the three sites annually. They will also conduct 8 focus groups annually at each site over a four year period; a given focus group will be composed of NOEs who were/are active in a specific illicit drug market (heroin, crack, marijuana, and other substances). Careful analyses and research articles based upon the rich qualitative data will document the impact of the disruption of New Orleans' illicit drug markets, the impact of NOE drug users on the drug markets in the receiving cities of Houston and NYC, and the anticipated reformulation of drug markets in New Orleans. This research will improve scientific understanding of the ways that illicit drug markets function in the wake of a major disaster, and provide important policy guidance about how to further weaken such markets in the future.