Association between cigarette smoking and illicit drug use among male inmates in Taiwan

Purpose: To explore the relationship between cigarette smoking and illicit drug use. Method: In 2006, in the designated prisons, all male inmates except those isolated HIV infected inmates and those incarcerated within drug abuser treatment centers were surveyed anonymously using a self-administered questionnaire. The survey was done in group settings and was instructed by our interviewers. Prisons were selected using stratified sampling based on their geographic location. Totally, 11,795 subjects, who comprised 25 % of all male prisoners in Taiwan, were recruited into this study. Results: Roughly 56.3% of the subjects had committed drug crime, while 62.1% of the subjects had used illicit drugs. Prevalence of smoking and of drinking among subjects was respectively 92.7% and 58.1%. The mean age of subjects was 36.9±9.6. The mean age of smoking initiation (17.0±3.5) was about 6 years preceding the mean age of illegal drug use behavior (23.9±7.5). Among those illicit drugs, heroin (74.2%) and amphetamine (75.1%) were the most commonly used drugs, followed by Marijuana (21.8%), Ketamine (15.7%) and MDMA (10.8%). Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that subjects who smoke were 5.37 times more likely to use illicit drugs compared to their counterparts(OR=5.37, 95%CI=4.42-6.51), having controlled the subjects' marital status, level of education, religious belief, drinking habit, smoking habit and sport habit. Conclusion: Cigarette smoking is associated with illicit drug use among male inmates in Taiwan. Tobacco control education needs to be emphasized among prisoners.