"You take care of people, people will take care of you": Moral Economies and an Unpredictable Drug Market.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Fentanyl is the leading cause of opioid-related overdose deaths in the United States. Given the exogenous market shock of fentanyl and subsequent transition in the illicit opioid supply, our analysis sought to explore the social and relational experiences of people who use opioids (PWUO).

Methods

We conducted qualitative interviews with 30 PWUO (n = 30) in Los Angeles, CA from July 2021 to April 2022. To be eligible for this study, participants had to report being 18 years of age or older and any self-reported opioid, cannabis, and injection drug use within the past 30 days. We used constructivist grounded theory to analyze the contexts that contribute to lived experiences surrounding opioid use behaviors within social networks.

Results

Within an unpredic

SUBMITTER: Gould EE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11964208 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature