A "Free Clinic" Patient Population and Drug Use Patterns

The free clinic is a relatively new medical institution and few data exist on the kinds of populations it serves. The authors studied a group of patients who appeared at a free clinic in San Diego. They found that most of the patients were white and middle class in origin; that drug abuse was high but was not a common presenting problem; that the group was suspicious of the validity of information published in "Establishment" news media; and that hallucinogens would he more widely used if they were more available.