Vast Majority Of Drug Researchers Acknowledge Having Used Drugs Themselves, Study Finds, But Far Fewer Feel Comfortable Discussing It

Among drug researchers who participated in a recent online survey, the vast majority (86 percent) reported having used drugs themselves in the past, and nearly half (47 percent) said they’d done so during the past three months.

Of those who reported using drugs, about 6 in 10 (59 percent) said they’d disclosed their use to colleagues inside or outside their institution, while just 11 percent said they disclosed use in their research or scholarship itself.

Overall, 17.8 percent of drug researchers who responded to the survey “considered themselves to be ‘out’ as a” person who uses drugs (PWUD), the report says. Just over a third (34.1 percent), meanwhile, “identified as an occasional PWUD,” while more than half of researchers (55.4 percent) said they identified as a person who does not use drugs (PNUD).

The new study, titled, “‘He’s used drugs – he’s biased! He’s not a drug user – what would he know!‘: A Cross-sectional, Online Study of Drug Researchers’ Experiential Knowledge of Drug Use and Disclosure,” was published in September’s issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. It’s authored by a six-author team of researchers from New York University, Arizona State University, Columbia University the University of Washington and the nonprofit advocacy group Drug Policy Alliance.

Findings of the study suggest that while researchers’ own drug-use experiences may help inform and strengthen research, stigma nevertheless prevents many from sharing their experiences more openly. Some said they feared that disclosing use would lead to their research not being seen as objective.

“Respondents connected their concerns about disclosure in research with issues of social identity, professional risk, and the role of stigma related to lived experience,” the report says. “Some respondents felt that such concerns reinforce a vacuum, noting that the inability to disclose drug use limits research questions and the knowledge base overall.”

Past literature, researchers noted, has observed a general silence about researchers’ drug use that results in a “don’t ask, don’t tell” context that can perpetuate misinformation and biases.

“In fields such as public health and medicine, where the idea of scientific objectivity is persistent, it can be especially difficult to address lived experience,” they wrote, adding that, as such, “our understanding of drug use by drug researchers is often limited to those with the power, privilege, and/or bravery to discuss those experiences, in addition to certain drugs which have drug exceptionalism.”

Authors said they believe their study to be “one of the first to gather empirical data about drug researchers’ lived experience with substance use.”

Respondents to the survey were 669 adults from 43 different countries who identified as drug researchers “at any level,” the report says. They were recruited via emails, “social media posts, referrals, and advertisements with organizations that focus on drug use.” Many were identified through a literature review of drug-related research published from January 2018 to June 2021.

In terms of demographics, the “mean age was 41.8 years (SD=12.0) and most reported cisgender (52.2% women; 42.8% men) and heterosexual (73.3%) identities,” according to the study. “Most (87.5%) had postgraduate education. Race was only collected from U.S. residents, among whom the majority identified as White (77.8%).”

In terms of lifetime use, the drugs most frequently tried by researchers were marijuana (81.8 percent of respondents), hallucinogens (50.2 percent), cocaine (45.7 percent) and MDMA, or ecstasy (42.3 percent).

The most commonly used drugs among researchers within the past three months differed slightly. Marijuana still led the list, at 34.8 percent, followed by CBD specifically (10.6 percent), hallucinogens (9.7 percent) and cocaine (6.4 percent).

“Among marijuana users, 74.6% of lifetime users and 78.1% of recent users lived in a state or country where it was legalized for medical, adult recreational use or decriminalized,” the study says.

On that note, willingness to disclose use “was often related to the type of drugs being disclosed,” authors wrote—as well as the context of past use.

“Respondents more frequently discussed drugs that were decriminalized, legalized, and/or less stigmatized in their area of origin (e.g., marijuana) versus drugs that are not (e.g., cocaine or heroin) or injection drug use,” the study says. As one participant—an academic and person who uses drugs—wrote, “Cocaine disclosure is much harder to imagine than mushrooms or weed.”

“Respondents felt comfortable disclosing at work that they needed help to address a substance use disorder (SUD), if they had been in recovery, drug use was nonvoluntary (i.e., they were drugged), or for medical reasons,” the report continues. “Respondents also openly disclosed other people’s drug use, even if they did not disclose their own.”

Notably, respondents “did not disclose drug abstinence at work,” researchers found.

The most important factor in whether researchers disclosed their drug use, the survey found, was a person’s social relationships. “Respondents preferred to disclose to colleagues who would not negatively impact their careers,” findings say, adding that “Some respondents reported working in an environment in which drug use is the norm.”

Among people who don’t use drugs, the majority believed that their lack of use was “usually not relevant,” with some respondents holding beliefs “about abstinence as a norm.”

“Drug abstinence seems normal and not needing explanation,” wrote one academic who does not use drugs.

Others felt their lack of drug use was itself judged. “It feels almost stigmatizing to disclose that [cannabis] is a drug I’ve never used,” another respondent wrote.

Perspectives on whether researchers’ own drug use was an important factor in drug research differed based on whether or not someone uses drugs.

“Respondents who used drugs believed that the influence of drug use and disclosure could possibly enhance research questions,” authors explained; “however, respondents who abstained from drug use generally believed that drug use and disclosure did not affect research questions.”

The study’s title is borrowed from a written response of one nonprofit worker who uses drugs and noted the conflicting reactions people might have when learning about a researcher’s own drug use.

“One excerpt summarized the general sentiment of how drug use could influence research,” the study said: “‘He’s used drugs – he’s biased!’ or ‘He’s not a drug user – what would he know!’”

Researchers behind the new study said their findings “generally echoed what is heard in community discussions and in previous research which included barriers to talking about drug use such as legal penalties, being labeled drug-seeking in healthcare contexts, disability-related issues, risk of job loss, funding loss, and security and respect in professional contexts.”

“Consistent with previous studies and commentaries, there was a belief that while lived experience was important to their work, disclosure could seriously jeopardize careers, public perception of their role as parents or children, credibility as researchers, funding opportunities, social privileges, and societal ‘reputation,’” they wrote. “Respondents felt that they risked the most if they were not in positions of social power (e.g., racial/ethnic minority, early in career, at-will employees, dependent on funding, not tenured).”

“With a few key exceptions, the drug research community is not grappling with its own positionality and is discouraged from doing so,” the study concludes. “Our data suggest that at least some researchers seek safe, non-judgmental contexts in which lived experience can, when relevant, be included in their work. The notion that researchers are (or should be) objective is problematic when we are dealing with a subject fraught with entrenched inequalities in the policy, criminal justice, and health sectors’ responses to drug use.”

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