[Narcotic Use under Probation and Parole Supervision - A longitudinal Study of Risk-group-specific Recidivism under Abstinence Conditions].
Gesundheitswesen (Bundesverband der Arzte des Offentlichen Gesundheitsdienstes (Germany)) February 1, 2024 Ursula Kappl, Bernd Huppertz, Heino Stöver et al.
Over fourteen years, urine tests from 380 people on probation (87% male, average age 30) showed that 2.7% of 13,500 individual analyses detected at least one of eight narcotic substances. Cannabis had the highest relapse prevalence at 3.7%, followed by opiates at 2.4%. Barbiturates, LSD, buprenorphine, and PCP were almost never found. Relapses were most common among 18- to 35-year-olds, and women violated court abstinence orders with amphetamines more often than men did. Relapse rates for cannabis, opiates, and cocaine fluctuated most over time. The authors suggest that narcotic use during probation is not rare and has received too little professional attention.