Skip to main content

Table 3 Items used to measure personal and close-other drug use experience and frequency

From: Comprehensive drug policies increase trust in local government: an analysis of authorities’ and residents’ perspectives in rural US Appalachian and Midwestern counties

Variables Items

Drug names

Personal Drug Use

 

Have you ever used any of the following substances without a prescription or more than prescribed? If so, how often, do you use the following drugs?

Amphetamines (prescription stimulants like Ritalin, Adderal)

 

Methamphetamine ("speed", "meth")

 

Cocaine

 

Prescription Opioids for pain (like Oxycontin, Vicodin, Norco, Percocet, others)

 

Heroin ("smack")

 

Fentanyl

 

Xylazine ("tranq", "tranq dope", "sleep"cut)

 

Non-opioid prescription pills for pain (like gabapentin [Neurontin], duloxetine [Cymbalta], venlafaxine [Effexor])

 

Hallucinogens ("LSD", "acid", Psilocybin, "mushrooms", "shrooms", Mescaline, "peyote")

 

Thinner or other inhalants or solvents, such as glue

 

GHB

 

Disassociates (Ketamine, "special K", "K", Nitrous Oxide, "whippets")

 

Prescription pills for anxiety (like diazepam [Valium], lorazepam, alprazolam)

Close-other Drug Use

 

Has someone close to you used any of the following substances without a prescription or more than prescribed in the last year? If so, how often do they use the following drugs?

Amphetamines (prescription stimulants like Ritalin, Adderal)

 

Methamphetamine ("speed", "meth")

 

Cocaine

 

Prescription Opioids for pain (like Oxycontin, Vicodin, Norco, Percocet, others)

 

Heroin ("smack")

 

Fentanyl

 

Xylazine ("tranq", "tranq dope", "sleep"cut)

 

Non-opioid prescription pills for pain (like gabapentin [Neurontin], duloxetine [Cymbalta], venlafaxine [Effexor])

 

Hallucinogens ("LSD", "acid", Psilocybin, "mushrooms", "shrooms", Mescaline, "peyote")

 

Thinner or other inhalants or solvents, such as glue

 

GHB

 

Disassociates (Ketamine, "special K", "K", Nitrous Oxide, "whippets")

 

Prescription pills for anxiety (like diazepam [Valium], lorazepam, alprazolam)

  1. Both sets of items were measured as: 1 = Never, 2 = Tried it one or more times, 3 = Once a month or less often, 4 = 2–4 times a month, 5 = 4 times a week or more
  2. Items from the 2019 and 2020 surveys had one additional selection of ‘2–3 times a week’. It was combined with the 4 times a week or more category in analyses for consistency
  3. Close-other Drug Use in the 2019 and 2020 surveys was assessed with one single item “Does anyone close to you use any of the above drugs without a prescription or more than prescribed? If so, do they use it often?”, with the selections: 1 = No, 2 = Yes, but they do not use it often, 3 = Yes, and they use it often
  4. The drug list in years 2019 and 2020 did not contain Xylazine, or Disassociates