Illegal drug use IS a much discussed, publicised and researched area of
criminology. However, there has been little interest in its mature users. It is
this subsection of illegal drug users that is investigated in this research. As the
first generation of widespread and popular drug users is reaching late-middle
age, this is becoming a fast growing and fascinating area of study.
As the size of this drug using subsection is set to grow in coming years, the lack
of existing research in this area is becoming more and more apparent. Existing
research related to the area of drug use among older adults tends to be out-of date,
predominantly American based, and looks largely at alcohol use,
prescription misuse, and over-the-counter abuse. Equally, there is a lack of
community based research in this area, which relies heavily on samples taken
from the criminal justice system and treatment centres.
This research aims to address these deficiencies. To create therefore as
complete a picture of this little investigated social phenomenon as possible both
quantitative and qualitative research techniques are incorporated into the
research. Quantitatively, secondary data analysis is used to explore the British
Crime Survey. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate techniques are used to
analyse the data set, including hypothesis testing and logistics regression. For
the qualitative component, the research uses snowball sampling to conduct face to-face
in-depth interviews with adults over the age of 40 involved in recent
illegal drug use living in the community.
Overall, this research shows that older recent illegal drug users exists, it
produces a profile of older recent drug users, including demographic and
criminological characteristics, and illustrates the drug using careers of older
drug users, showing how they incorporate drug use into their lives. Ultimately,
it provides evidence that contradicts the notion that illegal drug use is an activity
reserved exclusively for the young and shows that drug use does not exclude
having a long, happy and productive life.