Becoming an Undercover

For two years, beginning in 2004, Mitch Librett left his day job as a Shift Commander in his own police department at 4 o’clock, 3 afternoons per week, donning old clothing to assume the role of narcotics investigator with the Special Investigations Unit of another police jurisdiction. He conducted in-depth interviews with these undercover police officers, eventually gaining their trust and confidence. Dr. Librett is currently writing a book about his research. Qualitative research of this sort is often rooted in the personal experiences of the researcher. It also benefits from a careful and honest examination of this history by the researcher. This article reveals some of Dr. Librett’s self examination as an undercover police officer and researcher, and presents some excerpts from his field notes and insights. All of the locations, names, and settings from his research have been disguised, both here and in his manuscript

America\u27s War on Drugs: Applying a Supply and Demand Framework for the Opioid Epidemic Through the Lens of Federalism

For the past fifty years, American drug policy has been manipulated and enforced in a way that made it possible for drug epidemics to occur and has exaggerated their negative consequences on society. The War on Drugs policy initiatives first implemented in the 1970s created a drug law enforcement structure that has criminalized addiction and made it difficult for addicts to receive treatment. The United States is currently facing it\u27s worst drug epidemic in history due to these policies. However, unlike previous epidemics, the opioid crisis is particularly unique not only because of the unparalleled nature of the issue, but also because of the policy approaches being put forward that are attempting to combat it. This thesis attempts to evaluate why the War on Drugs policies failed and trace the astonishing trajectory of the opioid epidemic in order to recommend realistic and effective policy solutions that can successfully curb the crisis. As a way to categorize the wide array of possible solutions, I use the basic economic theory of supply and demand, a popular prism used to evaluate drug policy. I also consider the federalization of drug policy, a phenomenon that occurred during the War on Drugs era in which states and localities became increasingly involved in drug enforcement. Thus, this thesis attempts to apply a two-layered framework of supply and demand within the scope of federalism in order to provide some innovative insights into how the United States can approach this ongoing issue

Writing Migration: Points of Departure and Arrival in History and Reason

Introduction to vol. 11: Writing Migration: Points of Departure and Arrival in History and Reaso

From Reason-vs.-Madness to Science-vs.-the Non-scientific (and Beyond)

Introduction to section

Reason Split into Rationalism and Empiricism: Divergent Traditions on the Borderline

Introcution to sectio

Writing Migration: Points of Departure and Arrival in History and Reason

10 pagesIntroduction to volume XI of Konturen, Writing Migration

Neighborhood and weight-related health behaviors in the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) Study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous studies have shown that neighborhood factors are associated with obesity, but few studies have evaluated the association with weight control behaviors. This study aims to conduct a multi-level analysis to examine the relationship between neighborhood SES and weight-related health behaviors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this ancillary study to Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) a trial of long-term weight loss among individuals with type 2 diabetes, individual-level data on 1219 participants from 4 clinic sites at baseline were linked to neighborhood-level data at the tract level from the 2000 US Census and other databases. Neighborhood variables included SES (% living below the federal poverty level) and the availability of food stores, convenience stores, and restaurants. Dependent variables included BMI, eating patterns, weight control behaviors and resource use related to food and physical activity. Multi-level models were used to account for individual-level SES and potential confounders.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The availability of restaurants was related to several eating and weight control behaviors. Compared to their counterparts in neighborhoods with fewer restaurants, participants in neighborhoods with more restaurants were more likely to eat breakfast (prevalence Ratio [PR] 1.29 95% CI: 1.01-1.62) and lunch (PR = 1.19, 1.04-1.36) at non-fast food restaurants. They were less likely to be attempting weight loss (OR = 0.93, 0.89-0.97) but more likely to engage in weight control behaviors for food and physical activity, respectively, than those who lived in neighborhoods with fewer restaurants. In contrast, neighborhood SES had little association with weight control behaviors.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this selected group of weight loss trial participants, restaurant availability was associated with some weight control practices, but neighborhood SES was not. Future studies should give attention to other populations and to evaluating various aspects of the physical and social environment with weight control practices.</p

Participation in environmental enhancement and conservation activities for health and well-being in adults: a review of quantitative and qualitative evidence

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