Patterns in use: a study on routes of administration of Asian drug users

Abstract

Current evidence suggests that more people from ethnic minorities are accessing substance misuse services than before. However, research in this area is sparse and much of the work has been done outside London. Data gathered from the Thames regional database (1999) would suggest that the Asian community is an emerging sub-group that is accessing drug services. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the assessment process demonstrates marked differences when comparing data of Asian drug users with those of white users, the main differences being length of drug-using history, route of administration and amount of heroin being used. The drug of choice of the Asian community was heroin and their route of administration was by smoking (95% had never injected). In comparison, the British white population has a history of injecting drug use (95%). An audit was completed in Brent to verify the anecdotal evidence mentioned above. This audit was repeated in South Camden, where there is a similar Asian client group who are accessing the specialist service, to see if similar patterns in route of administration, length of drug history and amount of heroin used emerged. The audit was completed for 500 clients, with the two services provided approximately 250 clients each for the audit. The main evidence found differences in length of use, drug of choice, route of administration, age, social class and gender. The next step is to design suitable research to look at the possible reasons for this difference upon presentation, and whether this should shape drug service provision.