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The purpose of this article is to characterize fully employed users of heroin, compare them with their unemployed counterparts, and identify demographic, human, and social capital and drug misuse factors that are differentially associated with full employment. A nested case-control research design was used to identify 122 fully employed users (cases) and 466 unemployed users (controls) from a larger study of African American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White men and women who were active heroin injectors and sniffers and recruited from the streets of Miami-Dade County, Florida, between July 1997 and February 2000. Multivariate logistic regression techniques were used to analyze data from the Modified AIDS Risk Behavior Questionnaire. Findings indicated that employed users were more likely to possess human capital and social capital and less likely to use crack cocaine than unemployed users. Intervention to increase and sustain the employability of persons who misuse heroin is essential. Protocols that enhance human capital and social capital and reduce the misuse of drugs will benefit programs that seek to improve the employment status of persons who misuse heroin. The study's limitations are noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of efforts to dissuade intravenous drug users (IVDUs) from donating or selling blood, some continue to do so. As part of a longitudinal study, 915 IVDUs in South Florida were interviewed concerning their history of donation or sale of blood and tested for antibodies to HIV-1 and HTLV-I/Il. Approximately 17 percent had either donated or sold blood during 1985 through 1988; most contributors (80.4 percent) sold to commercial blood services. IVDUs who had donated/sold blood were more likely to be male and not in drug treatment than were those who had not contributed blood. IVDUs not in treatment at the time of interview were more likely than IVDUs in treatment to have sold blood. Of those who had donated/sold blood since 1985, 19.6 percent subsequently tested positive for antibodies to HIV-l and 5.7 percent were positive for antibodies to HTLV-I/II. Increased effort is required to screen prospective donors and sellers, particularly at commercial blood banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]