Black 'N Mild and Carcinogenic Cigar Smoking Among Inner City Young Adults in Hartford, CT

Considerable concern has been expressed about the use of illicit drugs like heroin and cocaine among disadvantaged, minority youth and young adults in America's inner cities. Often overlooked in this research and associated public response are the far greater health consequences that stem from the use of legally sold drugs like alcohol and tobacco (Baer, Singer, and Susser, 2003, Singer, 2004). Recently, based on research in Miami/Dade and Alachua, Florida, Page and Evans (2003) have drawn attention to the significant rise in small cigars use among urban youth, especially African Americans between 11 and 15 years of age. They note that "a cigarillo called 'Black 'N Mild' that contains between five and twelve times the nicotine of cigarettes has become the product of choice among African American and other youth" in the counties under study (Page and Evans, 2003:64). To date, there has been only limited research on the existence of this practice among inner city youth and young adults in other locales (Malone, Yerger, & Pearson, 2001). This paper reports on findings on Black 'N Mild use from a study of changing licit and illicit drug use among inner city populations in Hartford, CT; these findings include similarities to and differences from the findings reported by Page and Evans. The study highlights the importance of examining regional differences in drug use patterns (Singer et al., 1992)

Ethical Issues in Research With Hispanic Drug Users: Participant Perspectives on Risks and Benefits

There has been considerable discussion in the research ethics literature concerning special researcher responsibilities in studying vulnerable populations, including whether or not drug addicts, as a result of their health condition and craving for drugs, constitute a vulnerable group from a human subject perspective. In the assessment of ethical issues, researchers in recent years have begun to recognize the critical importance of hearing the subject\u27s voice and learning the concerns and attitudes of those who participate in research. To date, however, despite a significant increase in studies of not-in-treatment drug users, little attempt has been made to determine the perspectives of drug users about participation in research, especially ethnic minority drug users, and in particular, Hispanic drug users. Based on recent findings of a study of drug user attitudes and perspectives on research, this paper reports on the perceived risks and benefits of participation in research of a subsample of Hispanic street drug users from Hartford, Connecticut