Identifier

39

Rhena South

Date

2015

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Criminology and Criminal Jus

Committee Chair

Amanda D. Johnson

Committee Member

James C. McCutcheon

Abstract

Recently, reports of non-controlled pharmaceutical serotonergic agonist and antagonist - e.g., Seroquel, BuSpar, Elavil - misuse are becoming more prevalent within the institutionalized population. This reported misuse, when paired with the United States ex rel Steven Kruzewski vs. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP Supreme Court decision that allowed First Amendment protections against off-label marking of prescription drugs, has potentially increased the availability of these drugs and therefore, increased misuse among a non-institutionalized population. However, there have only been two cases of misuse reported non-institutionally, both of which were dismissed. The current study investigated the prevalence and correlates of pharmaceutical serotonergic receptor agonist and antagonist misuse within the framework of Agnew's General Strain Theory. Cases of misuse (N=188) were selected from the 2013 National Survey of Drug Use and Health. Results revealed that the misuse of these drugs is not prevalent at this time. Explanations for these findings and police implications are considered.

Comments

Undergraduate Honor's Thesis

Notes

Data is provided by the student.

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