Drug use disorders among people convicted of drug supply crimes with Julie BrummerDrug use disorders among people convicted of drug supply crimes with Julie Brummer
Addiction Audio
Dr Elle Wadsworth speaks with Dr Julie Brummer about Danish register-based research on drug use disorders among people convicted of drug supply crimes. The conversation outlines prevalence figures, group differences and possible treatment implications within the criminal justice system.
17:38•30 Oct 2026
Drug Supply, User–Dealer Overlap and Treatment Opportunities with Julie Brummer
Episode Overview
- The boundary between people who use drugs and people who supply them is blurred, even in serious drug crime cases.
- Drug use disorders were present in 19% of large-scale drug supply offenders and more common in smaller-scale offending than in the general population.
- Serious drug crime offenders with drug use disorders often have additional issues, including alcohol use disorders, psychiatric disorders and weaker ties to work or education.
- Those with drug use disorders show broader criminal histories, including property offences and a wider range of prior convictions.
- Long prison sentences may offer a practical chance to identify drug problems and provide treatment, which might reduce future drug supply offending for some people.
“We found that drug use disorders were quite common among people involved in serious drug crimes… there is this blurred boundary between user and supplier.”
What are the common struggles and victories in addiction recovery? This conversation between Dr Elle Wadsworth and Dr Julie Brummer looks at a group many people rarely think about: people convicted of drug supply crimes, and their own drug use disorders. Aimed at researchers, clinicians, students and anyone curious about how drug markets connect to individual drug problems, the episode breaks down Julie’s large register-based study from Denmark.
She explains that the usual divide between ‘users’ and ‘dealers’ isn’t as clear as it might appear: “There is this blurred boundary between user and supplier, even among people involved in serious drug crimes.” You’ll hear how the team used linked police, criminal justice, hospital, prescription and treatment registers to identify people convicted between 2001 and 2020, and then compared small, moderate and large-scale drug supply offenders with a general population group.
Julie walks through the headline numbers in plain language: drug use disorder histories were found in 29% of small-scale offenders, 24% of moderate-scale, and 19% of large-scale offenders, compared with just 3% in the general population group. The chat also looks at how people with drug use disorders differ from other serious drug crime offenders.
Julie notes that this group is more likely to have alcohol use disorders, psychiatric disorders, weaker links to employment or education, and broader criminal histories, including property crimes. She suggests that some may be “fringe players” with more peripheral roles such as couriers in large operations, yet they still meet the legal threshold for serious drug crime.
For anyone interested in treatment and criminal justice, there’s a key point: long prison sentences may offer a practical window to identify and address drug problems, which might reduce future drug supply offending for some people. If you’re curious about how data can shed light on drug crime and treatment opportunities, this episode is worth your time.
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