Disruption and Reformulation of Illicit Drug Markets Among New Orleans Evacuees

描述（由申请人提供）：这项研究将系统地研究由于卡特里娜飓风和新奥尔良随后的洪水造成的非法药物市场（包括用户和分销商）的变化。卡特里娜飓风之前的大量证据证明新奥尔良存在活跃的非法毒品市场。在前所未有的卡特里娜飓风的后果，几乎所有的人口成为新奥尔良撤离人员（NOE）位于其他东道国社区。在初步研究中，我们提供了来自纽约市的NOE的报告，他们证实，在飓风过后的几周内，非法毒品市场受到了严重破坏或改变，在此期间，可卡因、海洛因和大麻的供应量急剧下降。主要城市人口的疏散导致了拟议研究的具体目标：目的A（毒品市场破坏）：在卡特里娜飓风之前检查新奥尔良的非法毒品市场，并记录之后发生的变化。目的B（疏散人员进入新药市场）：调查NOE吸毒者如何在接收社区找到使用和/或销售的药物。目标C（市场变化）：分析NOE吸毒者/分销商是否以及如何影响接收社区非法药物市场的变化。目的D（毒品市场的重组）：随着新奥尔良人口的增加和重建，调查非法毒品市场是否以及如何重组。专业的人种学家将在新奥尔良、休斯顿和纽约市进行研究。人种学家将对非法毒品市场进行观察，并每年在三个地点的每一个地点与40名受访者进行个人定性访谈。他们还将在四年内每年在每个地点举办8个焦点小组;一个特定的焦点小组将由在特定非法药物市场（海洛因、快克、大麻和其他物质）中活跃的NOE组成。基于丰富的定性数据的仔细分析和研究文章将记录新奥尔良非法药物市场中断的影响，NOE吸毒者对休斯顿和纽约等接收城市毒品市场的影响，以及新奥尔良毒品市场的预期重组。这项研究将提高对重大灾难后非法毒品市场运作方式的科学认识，并为未来如何进一步削弱此类市场提供重要的政策指导。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): 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.