Illegal Psychoactive Substances Research Articles

Depression and Anxiety of Portuguese University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study about Prevalence and Associated Factors

Background. The mental health of university students has worsened over time, and it is young people who have suffered the most from the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of mental health. Anxiety and depression are the most common symptoms reported by university students and are often the cause of disabilities, either in academic performance or in other spheres of life. Aim. The aim of this study was to both assess the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in Portuguese university students and analyze the factors associated with these symptoms. Methods. A quantitative cross-sectional study with a sample of 3,399 university students from seven Portuguese higher education institutions was conducted. The following questionnaires were used: the generalized anxiety disorder assessment scale (GAD-7), the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), and a study-created sociodemographic questionnaire. The Kendall correlation coefficient, chi-square test of independence, Spearman correlation coefficient, Shapiro-Wilk test, Mann–Whitney-Wilcoxon test, and Kruskall-Wallis test were used to analyze the association between variables. The statistical analysis was done using the software R Statistics (Version 4.0.4), using a significance level of 0.05. Results. Mild to severe anxiety symptoms were reported by 75% of the participants, and 61.2% described mild to severe depressive symptoms. Of the sample, 19.5% reported a previous diagnosis of a mental disorder, with 38.7% diagnosed after the pandemic began. Additionally, 23% reported taking medication for mental health issues, and 26.7% had considered self-harm or harbored thoughts of being “better off dead.” The study found lower anxiety and depressive symptoms (p<0.05) among men, students with higher socioeconomic status, those who frequently traveled home, individuals without prior mental health diagnoses, those with better academic performance, and those who avoided substances like coffee, tobacco, cannabis, and other illegal psychoactive substances. Interestingly, students in romantic relationships exhibited more anxiety symptoms (p<0.05). Moreover, participants who believed they had experienced moral or sexual harassment displayed higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms (p<0.001). Conclusions. There was a decrease in the mental health of university students after the pandemic compared to prepandemic studies, and the proportion of students with anxiety and depressive symptoms was alarming. There is an urgent need to implement programs in universities to promote students’ mental health.

Rises of consciousness in addicts of illegal psychoactive substances

Rises of consciousness in addicts of illegal psychoactive substances

Relación entre estereotipos, rasgos y roles de género con el consumo de drogas ilegales en adolescentes veracruzanos

Introduction: in Mexico, in the last decade, the consumption of psychoactive substances has increased among teenagers, especially the female population (INPRFM et al., 2017). One of the conceptual lines to understand this change is the construction of gender. Objective: we explored the relationship between gender stereotypes, traits and roles, and the use of illegal psychoactive substances in Mexican adolescents. Method: cross-sectional, correlational study, with a sample of 145 high school students from the Veracruz state, Mexico. The participants answered the scales: Traits, Roles, and Gender stereotypes, along with some questions to explore drug use. Results: we found similarities between men and women’s consumption of alcohol and tobacco; however, there was a higher use of illegal drugs in men. Men and women illegal drug users presented negative instrumental traits such as aggressiveness and impulsiveness. Men, both users and non-users, presented a higher score on the gender stereotypes scale, while women users had more negative instrumental roles with their peer group. Negative instrumental traits were predictors of illegal drug use. Discussion and conclusion: findings suggest further analysis of substance use from a gender perspective.

Socio-Cultural Aspects of Psychoactive Substance Use in Adolescents

The use of psychoactive substances by adolescents is one of the more serious problems of modern society. Socio-cultural context plays a significant role in influencing the form of psychoactive substance use. The aim is to show the most important sociocultural factors for psychoactive substance use among adolescence, as well as a show and analysis of studies on the use of psychoactive substance use in adolescents about cultural, racial, and ethnic affiliation. Identified factors that belong to the category of sociocultural determinants are the quality of family relationships and dynamics; peer pressure; part of the city or other place where young people live, stay and/or go to school; social norms, expectations, and beliefs; legal regulations, and the general characteristics of the society. In the analyzed studies, alcohol is the most used substance among adolescents, and marijuana is the most used illegal psychoactive substance. Male adolescents are more likely to use psychoactive substances, than girls. A high prevalence of the use of psychoactive substances was registered among American Indian adolescents and young people in Colombia, while a low prevalence was recorded in Asian countries. Patterns of drug use among youth were analyzed in several tribes living in India, Thailand, and the United States. Tobacco, alcohol, and opium are the most used substance in members of these tribes.

Lost lives and opportunities for the legacy of harm reduction in Scotland, UK

Lost lives and opportunities for the legacy of harm reduction in Scotland, UK

Pharmacological insights emerging from the characterization of a large collection of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists designer drugs

Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) constitute the largest and most defiant group of abuse designer drugs. These new psychoactive substances (NPS), developed as unregulated alternatives to cannabis, have potent cannabimimetic effects and their use is usually associated with episodes of psychosis, seizures, dependence, organ toxicity and death. Due to their ever-changing structure, very limited or nil structural, pharmacological, and toxicological information is available to the scientific community and the law enforcement offices. Here we report the synthesis and pharmacological evaluation (binding and functional) of the largest and most diverse collection of enantiopure SCRAs published to date. Our results revealed novel SCRAs that could be (or may currently be) used as illegal psychoactive substances. We also report, for the first time, the cannabimimetic data of 32 novel SCRAs containing an (R) configuration at the stereogenic center. The systematic pharmacological profiling of the library enabled the identification of emerging Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) and Structure-Selectivity Relationship (SSR) trends, the detection of ligands exhibiting incipient cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2R) subtype selectivity and highlights the significant neurotoxicity of representative SCRAs on mouse primary neuronal cells. Several of the new emerging SCRAs are currently expected to have a rather limited potential for harm, as the evaluation of their pharmacological profiles revealed lower potencies and/or efficacies. Conceived as a resource to foster collaborative investigation of the physiological effects of SCRAs, the library obtained can contribute to addressing the challenge posed by recreational designer drugs.

Modern methods of treating marijuana addiction (cannabis use disorders) and its influence on health

Introduction: Worldwide, cannabis is the most widely used illegal psychoactive substance and the third most common drug, after alcohol and tobacco. Cannabis use disorder (CUD) affects approximately 10% of the 193 million cannabis users worldwide. In recent years, cannabinoids have become more and more popular. The CUD is becoming a growing social and health problem. The search for effective forms of pharmacotherapy is still ongoing, and an effective combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy may be crucial for the future of CUD treatment.
 
 Material and method: The article was based on a review and analysis of publications and discoveries in recent years, which were available in the PubMed and Google Scholar database.
 
 Results: 82 study participants attempted abstinence from cannabis use. In the final primary endpoint analysis, both 400 mg of CBD and 800 mg of CBD were more effective than placebo in reducing cannabis use. 50 people who were addicted to cannabis treated with gabapentin showed a significant reduction in cannabis use and cannabis withdrawal compared to placebo. Moreover, 70 men addicted to cannabis were randomized and those, who used FAAH inhibitors reported fewer cannabis withdrawal symptoms, less cannabis use and lower THC urine levels than placebo users.
 Conclusions: Gabapentin has been proven to show a reduction in CUD. The use of CBD, FAAH inhibitors and psychotherapy MET/CBT/CM also appear to be effective. In addition, the use of the principles of People-First Language, avoiding slang and idioms, using medical and curing vocabulary, respects the addicted person, and also positively influences the chances of abstinence.

Non-invasive authentication of mail packages using nuclear quadrupole resonance spectroscopy

The international postal network is one of the most widely used methods for correspondence throughout the world. Most postal traffic across the globe consists of legitimate interpersonal, business-consumer, and business-business communications. However, the global postal system is also utilized for criminal activity. In particular, it is often utilized to ship and distribute contraband, including illegal psychoactive drugs such as fentanyl and heroin, to consumers. Existing technological solutions are capable of identifying synthetic opioids and other illegal drugs within packages, but are accompanied by several disadvantages that make them unsuitable for large-scale authentication of international mail traffic. This paper presents a novel method for non-invasive authentication of mail packages that overcomes these challenges. The approach uses nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) spectroscopy to detect and quantify the presence of known active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) within the package. It has been experimentally demonstrated using a bench top prototype. Test results from a variety of package types demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed authentication approach.

Public health approaches to substance use: a scoping review protocol

The aim of this scoping review is to describe how a public health approach to legal and illegal psychoactive substance use has been previously defined, and to identify its core values, concepts, activities, and goals. Jurisdictions globally are increasingly endorsing a public health approach to addressing psychoactive substance use. However, there is currently no agreed definition of this approach, and this term has been applied inconsistently in the literature, policy, and practice. A critical first step toward advancing a public health approach to substance use is identifying and articulating its core components. This review will consider all peer-reviewed and gray literature in English focused on conceptualizing, defining, or describing a public health approach to substance use. Our review does not place limitations on populations, psychoactive substance types, or other contextual factors. We will search PROSPERO, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Scopus, as well as health and social science databases; websites of prominent nonprofit, civil society, and government agencies/organizations in public health and substance use fields; and reference lists of included articles. Two independent reviewers will screen titles/abstracts of peer-reviewed literature, and 1 reviewer will screen titles/abstracts of gray literature. Two independent reviewers will conduct the full-text screening. A data extraction sheet will be pilot tested through double extraction. Findings will be presented as a narrative summary supported by tables and diagrams and, if feasible, a conceptual framework for understanding and applying a public health approach to substance use. Open Science Framework https://osf.io/sv25e.

Development of scales to measure Lebanese university students’ perceived knowledge about and attitudes about cannabis use: initial psychometric properties

BackgroundFor a long period, cannabis in Lebanon was categorized as an illegal psychoactive substance criminalized by law, despite being the 3rd largest producer of cannabis resin after Morocco and Afghanistan. The current available literature on the topic in Lebanon is scarce, as perceived knowledge towards cannabis use in the general population is not well established, and public health policies are absent. In the context of future legalization of cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes, what is the public’s perception of cannabis perceived knowledge about and attitude against cannabis use? The objectives of this study were to create two scales to assess perceived knowledge towards cannabis use and attitude against cannabis use and check their psychometric properties in a sample of Lebanese university students.MethodsThe study was designed as a cross-sectional study involving 415 Lebanese university students aged between 18 and 30 years. Students were only recruited from one university and were sent an email with a brief description of the study and a link to the questionnaire. The questionnaire items covered perceived knowledge and attitude about cannabis use, recovered and adapted from available literature.ResultsPerceived knowledge items converged over a solution of four factors that had an Eigenvalue over 1, explaining a total of 64% of the variance (factor 1 = perceived knowledge about cannabis quality of life improvement; factor 2 = perceived knowledge about cannabis psychiatric use; factor 3 = perceived knowledge about cannabis risks; factor 4 = perceived knowledge about cannabis neurological use). Attitude items converged over a solution of two factors that had an Eigenvalue over 1, explaining a total of 58.2% of the variance (factor 1 = negative attitude about cannabis use; factor 2 = positive attitude about cannabis use). Good Cronbach’s alpha values were found for the perceived knowledge and attitude scales (α = 0.78 and α = 0.73 respectively). Greater perceived knowledge was found in male participants and in those who have tried cannabis for recreational purposes. Greater perceived knowledge was also associated with stronger attitude about cannabis use and older age. Furthermore, greater mean attitude about cannabis use scores were significantly found in male participants and in those who have tried cannabis for recreational or medicinal purposes.ConclusionPrimary results showed acceptable psychometric properties for the perceived knowledge towards and attitudes about cannabis use scale. Further studies are needed in order to validate them among the general population and assess more psychometric properties of these scales.

Use of Psychoactive Substance and its Associated Factors among School Adolescents in Rupandehi District of Nepal.

Psychoactive substance use among adolescents has been identified as an important health issue in Nepal. Therefore, this study examined the psychoactive substance use and factors associated with its use among adolescent students in the Rupandehi district of Nepal. A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2017 to July 2018 with 460 school students aged between 15 to 19 years across sampled public and private schools in the Rupandehi district of Nepal. Structured interview schedule was used to collect information on psychoactive substance use. The generalized estimating equation was used to identify the factors associated with the use of psychoactive substances. Over a quarter (27.4%) of school-going adolescents used at least one type of psychoactive substance. Commonly used psychoactive substance included tobacco products (59.3%) followed by cannabis (55.6%), marijuana (35.8%), hashish (23.5%), alcohol (22.2%), heroin (18.5%), nitrogen tablets (14.8%), sulfa (13.6%) and opium (13.6%), respectively. Being male (AOR=2.0, 95% CI: 1.19-3.36), having peers (AOR=1.8, 95% CI: 1.13-3.03) or family members (AOR=2.2, 95% CI: 1.40-3.54) that used psychoactive substances and father's education level (AOR=2.5, 95% CI: 1.05-5.78) were significantly associated with the psychoactive substance use. This study identified that over a quarter of school-going adolescents reported the use of at least one illegal psychoactive substance. This study provided details on the extent of behaviours, and can be used to develop a comprehensive prevention and control program. Such programs should address the socio-cultural factors that enable substance use and address gaps in knowledge to prevent and control of psychoactive substance use.

Impulsivity and family conflict as predictors of illegal psychoactive substance use in adolescents

This research studies impulsiveness and family conflict as predictors of illegal psychoactive substance use. The objective of this research was to analyze the differences in impulsiveness and family conflict between high school student users and non-users of illegal psychoactive substances. A quantitative methodology through a cross-sectional, correlational study was carried out. A questionnaire composed by the Plutchik scale of impulsiveness, some items of the Climent, Aragón and Plutchik Scale of Impulsivity and indicators to explore consumption of psychoactive substances. The sample was composed by 344 high school students of the municipality of Emiliano Zapata in Veracruz, México. The results show that 9.0% have consumed illegal drugs. A correlation was found between family conflict, impulsivity and use of psychoactive substances. We found that impulsivity and risk taking are predictors of illegal drug use. The results show that impulsivity is a factor related to drug use and it is necessary to design interventions that favor management of emotions and decision making in adolescents, as well as the participation of the family in substance use prevention programs.

Friendship and Consumption Networks in Adolescents and Their Relationship to Stress and Cannabis Use Intention.

Background: Cannabis is an illegal psychoactive substance that’s use is widespread among adolescents. During adolescence, many changes can cause stress. In this phase, the group of friends becomes increasingly important, being a situation of vulnerability for the beginning of cannabis use, either as an escape mechanism or due to peer’s influence. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the structure of the consumption and friendship network, the intention to use cannabis, and the stress in a secondary school class. Methods: An online platform with validated self-reported questionnaires were used for data collection. Results: The sample consisted of adolescents (n = 20) aged 14–16 from a third-year class of compulsory secondary education in Ponferrada (León, Spain). Significant differences were obtained concerning consumption intention and the different network metrics in both the friendship and consumption networks. Subsequently, the representation of these networks was carried out. Conclusions: Social Network Analysis is a very useful tool that provides a picture of the context in which adolescents are located. In the consumption network, there are central actors who have not yet consumed cannabis; this is a crucial moment to implement prevention strategies.

Wyniki ogólnopolskiej ankiety „PolDrugs 2021” – kim są polscy użytkownicy substancji psychoaktywnych?

Introduction: The possibilities of the therapeutic use of illegal psychoactive substances are being researched all over the world. Demographic and epidemiological studies are required. The aim of the survey was to present the most important demographic data and data on the use of psychoactive substances in Poland. Material and methods: 2,373 responses to the original questionnaire from users from all over Poland were collected via the Internet. Results: People of all ages use many different psychoactive substances in many different circumstances. The three most common agents used in Poland are marijuana, MDMA and amphetamines. 31.9% of respondents undertook psychiatric treatment. Conclusions: Psychiatrists rarely ask about the use of psychoactive substances. Initiation in the use of psychoactive substances usually takes place before reaching the age of majority. Drug policy and prevention principles need to be modified.

Nonmedical Use of Benzodiazepines among Immigrant and Native-Born Adolescents in Spain: National Trends and Related Factors.

Background: the nonmedical use of prescribed medications among adolescents has increased significantly in recent years. We aimed to identify the patterns of benzodiazepine nonmedical use and its evolution during the decade 2006–2016 among immigrant and native-born adolescent populations. Methods: we used individualized secondary data retrieved from the 2006–2016 Spanish State Survey on Drug Use in Secondary Education (ESTUDES) of the school-aged population. Using logistic multivariate regression models, we estimated the independent effect of each of these variables on nonmedical use. Two models were generated: one for immigrant adolescents and one for native-born adolescents. Results: during the decade 2006–2016, 2.81% of native-born and 3.36% of immigrant adolescent students made nonmedical use of benzodiazepines. Gender and socioeconomic status were found to be related to the nonmedical use of benzodiazepines. Consumption of illegal psychoactive substances, other than marijuana, was the variable of greatest value (aOR = 6.00, 95% CI 3.89–9.27). Perceived risks and drug availability were found to be predictors for the nonmedical use of benzodiazepines in both immigrant and native-born adolescents. Conclusion: in Spain, patterns of benzodiazepine nonmedical use among immigrant and native-born adolescents are similar. The results of this study refute certain stereotypes related to consumption of substances among immigrant adolescents, identifying them as a risk group.

Risk Management in First Aid for Acute Drug Intoxication.

Drug abuse (cannabis, cocaine, opiates, and synthetic drugs) is an increasing phenomenon, especially in the younger population, thus leading to more cases of intoxication requiring evaluation in the emergency department and subsequent hospitalization. In 2017, 34.2% of students reported having used an illegal psychoactive substance in their lifetime, while 26% reported having done so over the past year. We made a review about the effectiveness of the role of the temporary observation unit in the emergency department to improve management of acute drugs intoxication. We checked medical literature from the last 10 years (2009–2019). The following electronic databases were systematically searched: MEDLINE-PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Then, a systematic review was carried out according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review standards. Intoxicated patients usually display a favorable medical course, few diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, a short stay in the hospital, and, when hospitalization is needed, semi-intensive therapy is a feasible solution; therefore, intoxicated patients are ideal candidates for a temporary observation unit. The emergency department is very important to manage intoxicated patients; however, the hospitalization of these patients is often not necessary.

Use of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis in late adolescence: roles of family living arrangement and socioeconomic group

BackgroundFrance has one of the highest levels in Europe for early use of legal and illegal psychoactive substances. We investigate in this country disparities in adolescent problematic substance use by family living arrangement and parental socioeconomic group.MethodsThe data used were from the 2017 nationally-representative ESCAPAD survey, conducted among 17-year-olds in metropolitan France (N = 39,115 with 97% response rate). Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated using modified Poisson regression.ResultsAdolescents living in non-intact families (44%) reported daily smoking, binge drinking and regular cannabis use (respectively ≥3 episodes and ≥ 10 uses in the last 30 days) much more frequently than those living in intact families (for example, the PR estimates for father single parent families were respectively 1.69 (1.55–1.84), 1.29 (1.14–1.45) and 2.31 (1.95–2.74)). Socioeconomic differences across types of families did little to explain the differential use. Distinctive socioeconomic patterns were found: a classical gradient for smoking (PR = 1.34 (1.22–1.47) for the most disadvantaged group relative to the most privileged); an inverse association for binge drinking (PR = 0.72 (0.64–0.81) for the most disadvantaged relative to the most privileged), and no significant variation for cannabis use.ConclusionOur findings shed light on the consistency of the excess use of adolescents from non-intact families and on the substance-specific nature of the association with parental socioeconomic group. Preventive approaches at the population level should be complemented by more targeted strategies.

Tea Polyphenols Attenuate Methamphetamine-Induced Neuronal Damage in PC12 Cells by Alleviating Oxidative Stress and Promoting DNA Repair.

DNA integrity plays a crucial role in cell survival. Methamphetamine (METH) is an illegal psychoactive substance that is abused worldwide, and repeated exposure to METH could form mass free radicals and induce neuronal apoptosis. It has been reported that free radicals generated by METH treatment can oxidize DNA and hence produce strand breaks, but whether oxidative DNA damage is involved in the neurotoxicity caused by METH remains unclear. Tea polyphenols exert bioactivities through antioxidant-related mechanisms. However, the potential neuroprotective effect of tea polyphenols on METH-induced nerve cell damage and the underlying mechanism remain to be clarified. In this study, oxidative stress, DNA damage, and cell apoptosis were increased after METH exposure, and the expressions of DNA repair-associated proteins, including the phosphorylation of ataxia telangiectasia mutant (p-ATM) and checkpoint kinase 2 (p-Chk2), significantly declined in PC12 cells after high-dose or long-time METH treatment. Additionally, tea polyphenols could protect PC12 cells against METH-induced cell viability loss, reactive oxide species and nitric oxide production, and mitochondrial dysfunction and suppress METH-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, tea polyphenols could increase the antioxidant capacities and expressions of p-ATM and p-Chk2 and then attenuate DNA damage via activating the DNA repair signaling pathway. These findings indicate that METH is likely to induce neurotoxicity by inducing DNA damage, which can be reversed by tea polyphenols. Supplementation with tea polyphenols could be an effective nutritional prevention strategy for METH-induced neurotoxicity and neurodegenerative disease.

Unexpected pregnancy, experience of sexual violence and contraception among women who use cannabis or other illegal substance in the Great Paris Region: Data from the 2016 Health Barometer

Women who use psychoactive substances could have higher levels of unplanned pregnancy and of difficulties accessing long-term contraceptive methods than those who do not use these substances. General population data on this topic are rare, particularly in France. This study is based on data from the French Health Survey 2016, collected from women aged 15 to 49 years and living in the Great Paris region (N=1626). Use of illegal psychoactive substances (cannabis, substances used via intranasal or intravenous administration) were evaluated over the lifecourse and, for cannabis, over the 12 months preceding the study. Unplanned pregnancies were ascertained over the preceding 5 years, emergency contraception, abortion, and the experience of sexual violence during the lifecourse. We also studied the number of sexual partners in the preceding 12 months, as well as current contraception. Data were analyzed using weighted logistic regression models, adjusted for participants' sociodemographic characteristics and tobacco use. Women who use illegal substances have a higher probability than non-users to experience an unplanned pregnancy in the preceding 5 years (OR associated with lifecourse cannabis use: 1.61, 95% CI 1.00-2.58), to have used emergency contraception (ORs between 2.20 to 2.90), to have had an abortion (OR associated with lifecourse cannabis use: 1.77, 95% CI 1.26-2.49), and to have experienced sexual violence (ORs between 1.87 to 3.14). They also had more sexual partners than non-users, but did not differ in terms of contraception. In the general population, there is a relationship between women's use of illegal substances and their probability of experiencing sexual violence. These results should be brought to the attention of health professionals in contact with women, to help identify those who have addictive behaviors and identify their sexual and reproductive health needs.

Gender differences in the nonmedical use of psychoactive medications in the school population- national trends and related factors

BackgroundThe nonmedical use of prescribed medicines among adolescents has increased significantly in recent years. Our study was designed to describe the prevalence of the nonmedical use of tranquilizers, sedatives, and sleeping pills (TSSp) among the school-age population residing in Spain from a gender perspective, and to identify factors associated with such use.MethodsNationwide, epidemiological, cross-sectional study on the nonmedical use during the previous 30 days, of TSSp by the Spanish school population. We used individualized secondary data retrieved from the 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014 Spanish state survey on Drug Use in Secondary Education and a total of 179,114 surveys from respondents aged 14 to 18 years. Using logistic multivariate regression models, we estimated the independent effect of each of these variables on the nonmedical use of medicines. Two models were generated- one for females and one for males.Results2.86% (5116) of the Spanish school population of both sexes made nonmedical use of TSSp. Prevalence was greater among girls than among boys for all the study years. Patterns of nonmedical use among female adolescents were related to alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use. Consumption of illegal psychoactive substances, other than marijuana, was the variable showing the greatest value among male teenagers (aOR 6.21 (95% CI 4.97–7.77).ConclusionsThe prevalence of the nonmedical use of TSSp is higher in girls than in boys. The influence of legal and illegal psychoactive substances leads to a higher likelihood of nonmedical use of TSSp in high-school students in Spain.