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Fluctuations in the use of many drugs at one time or another have been characterized as drug epidemics. The depiction of drug use as an epidemic, as in the recent cases of methamphetamine and crack use, is a proven mechanism for communicating that a problem exists, but such depictions are not without risk. When the public characterization of drug use as an epidemic represents more than its epidemiological meaning of iunusually elevated occurrence, i panic is often substituted for reasoned action. Such declarations are likely to truncate objective investigation, generate fear rather than understanding, and stimulate reactive measures that exacerbate drug misuse. This article discusses the epidemiological origin and meaning of epidemic, documents how media headlines have sensationally depicted methamphetamine use, and recommends that alternative strategies for describing an increase in the incidence and prevalence of use may be more successful in directing researchers and policy makers toward effective strategies for reducing misuse.

Qualitative data from women defunded from a subsidized methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) program were analyzed to determine the impact of defunding on the women and their dependents. Women attested to the efficacy of MMT in creating a stable environment in which their illicit drug use was eliminated or controlled; they were able to decrease their participation in illicit activities and pursue further employment and educational goals. When de funding occurred women employed a variety of strategies including family borrowing, welfare funds, and illicit activities to remain on private MMT programs. The result of these payment strategies was often a premature detoxification from MMT due to unpaid clinic bills. Many women returned to heroin use to alleviate withdrawal symptoms from methadone detoxification. This return to heroin use was also accompanied by increased illicit activities. Defunded women reported severe emotional and financial destabilization as a result of lost access to subsidized methadone maintenance treatment.

Mothers who use crack cocaine are commonly believed to be selfish, uncaring, and neglectful of their children. For this paper, the grounded theory method was used to analyze 68 semi-structured depth interviews with cocaine-using mothers. These women's views of motherhood, the strategies they used to manage mothering on cocaine, and the contextual influences on mothering outcomes were explored. Contrary to popular assumptions, the women highly valued motherhood and held firm standards for childrearing. Mothers were concerned about the possible risks to their children and used a process of defensive compensation to protect both their children and their maternal identities from the negative influences of crack cocaine. When unable to fulfill their maternal responsibilities by other means, some mothers placed their children with family members, and others lost custody involuntarily. When children were forcibly removed, mothers often increased their drug use to cope with the loss. Social and economic conditions influenced the outcomes of mothering on crack.