Awareness that cocaine can contain fentanyl among nightclub and festival attendees in New York City, 2018-2022.
Joseph J Palamar
PMID 36961114WHAT IT FOUND
Awareness that cocaine can contain fentanyl rose among NYC nightclub and festival attendees from 42.1% in 2018 to 65.6% in 2022, but agreement was lower among attendees age 18 to 25 (60.9%) than age 26 and older (72.6%).
Key findings
01The share of attendees who agreed that cocaine can contain fentanyl rose from 42.1% in 2018 to 65.6% in 2022.
02In 2022, agreement was 72.6% among attendees age 26 and older and 60.9% among those age 18 to 25.
03In the adjusted analysis, Asian attendees were less likely to agree that cocaine can contain fentanyl, and no other participant characteristics were significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional and did not follow the same people over time, so it cannot show that any education campaign caused awareness to rise. Results are not generalizable to the general population or to places outside New York City. No data were collected in 2020, and annual sample sizes decreased, making later estimates less precise. The survey was only during summer months, which may affect who attends and what is known. Black individuals made up 7.6% of the sample, and too few were analyzed separately, so they were combined with other races. The main outcome was self-reported agreement with a statement, not drug testing, overdose outcomes, or the source of knowledge.
Declared interests
The author declared no conflicts. The supplied publication types include NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the increase in agreement as evidence that cocaine is more often contaminated with fentanyl or that people who use cocaine are protected from overdose. The study measured self-reported agreement with a statement, not drug testing or overdose outcomes.