Further evidence on the labor market effects of addiction: Chronic drug use and employment in metropolitan miami

Abstract

This study used data collected from 1996 to 1997 in low-income and high-crime neighborhoods in Miami, Florida, to analyze the effects of chronic drug use on employment. Given the significant gender differences in substance use patterns and labor market behavior, separate models were estimated for males and females. The analysis estimated univariate probit models of employment and bivariate probit models that allow for possible correlation among missing or unobserved determinants of drug use and employment. The key finding was that regardless of gender and specification, chronic drug use significantly reduced the probability of being employed.