Prevalence Of Illegal Drug Use Research Articles

Prevalence and Psychiatric Correlates of Illicit Substance Use in UK Undergraduate Students

This study examined the prevalence of illegal drug use in UK students and motivators behind such behavior. Additionally, we explored possible relationships between substance use, psychosocial motivators, and psychiatric distress. A group (n = 543) of students completed online measures of substance use, anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and insomnia. A series of reasons behind their use were ranked based on importance. Reported cannabis, cocaine, nitrous oxide, ketamine, and MDMA use were most prevalent based on lifetime, past year, and month assessments. The experience of anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and insomnia were related to increased reports of substance use. Poor self-confidence and self-medication were key motivators of illicit drug use in those presenting greater psychiatric distress. These outcomes add to the sparse body of literature concerning illicit substance use in relation to psychiatric distress amongst UK students. Furthermore, we provided novel insight into the psychosocial motivators of such use.

Illegal Drug Use Among Adolescents in Schools and Facilities: 3-Year Surveys in Taiwan

This study investigated and compared the prevalence of illegal drug use among students and detainees in Taiwan. Stratified sampling of schools in the major cities of Taiwan, including New Taipei City, Taichung City, and Kaohsiung City, was adopted, and surveys were conducted from 2014 to 2017. The sample in the study consists of 2,190 cohort school students and 125 detained juveniles in the Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung Juvenile Detention Houses each year. The response rate is 87% on average. The results show that 1.5% of students and 65.8% of detained juveniles have ever used drugs. From 2014 to 2017, the survey indicates that over 60% of detained juveniles have ever possessed and used drugs. The findings reveal that ketamine and disguised drugs (e.g., cathinone mix with methylamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, and ketamine) are the most popularly used drugs among Taiwanese adolescents. The findings may deserve further attention in tracking and monitoring the juvenile illicit drug use from a comprehensive national prevalence survey.

A Critical Assessment of Indications of the National Prevalence of Illegal Drug Use in Japan

Indications of the national prevalence of illegal drug use in Japan have largely been presented from two main sources: official police-recorded statistics and a national self-report survey. Their findings have been often used to support a representation of Japan as having relatively low levels of illegal drug use in comparison to other developed countries. However, the use and presentation of these sources has rarely considered in any meaningful way their nature and accuracy in revealing patterns of illegal drug use. As such, there is a tendency to uncritically accept and reproduce dominant patterns that may distort and disguise a more realistic understanding. This article critically examines these two sources, identifying a series of methodological issues that may contribute toward an underrepresentation of illegal drug use. In doing so, it also argues that a more critical social science–informed perspective may allow for these sources to be better utilized and situated within the cultural context in which they are produced and which they claim to represent.

Drug use, family support and related factors in university students. A cross-sectional study based on the uniHcos Project data

ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of illegal drug use in college students on any previous occasion, during the previous year and the previous month, and to analyze the relationship between illegal drug use and family support and other factors. MethodsA cross-sectional study using data from students participating in the uniHcos project (n = 3767) was conducted. The prevalence and age of onset of consumption of cannabis, non-prescription sedatives, stimulants and depressants was evaluated. Polyconsumption was also assessed. The independent variables were: family support, age, residence, and employment status. To determine the factors related to drug use multivariate logistic regression models stratified by gender were fitted. ResultsDifferences between men and women in prevalence of illegal drug use except non-prescription sedatives were observed. In both genders, less family support was associated with higher consumption of all drugs, except depressants, and with polyconsumption. To be studying and looking for work was related to cannabis and stimulant use and to polyconsumption among women, but only to cannabis use among men. ConclusionsThese results support the notion that the start of university studies is a particularly relevant stage in the onset of illegal drug use and its prevention, and that consumption may be especially associated with family support.

Discutiendo la hipótesis de la “puerta de entrada” del inicio del uso de drogas ilegales

Introducción: los datos del Sistema Nacional de Vigilancia Epidemiológica de las Adicciones en México evidencian en las últimas décadas un aumento en la prevalencia de usuarios de drogas, especialmente en la región norte y occidente del país, así como una tendencia a iniciarse a edades cada vez más tempranas. La mayoría de los estudios sobre drogas en México no abordan el tema del inicio del consumo. En este trabajo se describe a través de tablas de vida cómo los mexicanos experimentan el inicio del uso de drogas entre los 10 y los 25 años. Objetivo: probar la hipótesis de la “puerta de entrada” con los datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Adicciones 2011. Método: modelo de análisis de sobrevivencia de tiempo discreto para analizar el efecto de la edad de inicio del uso de alcohol y el uso de drogas por parte de otros significativos sobre el inicio y desarrollo del consumo de sustancias. Resultados: los datos muestran que los efectos de ambas variables son diferentes en cada momento del curso de vida. El efecto de la edad del uso de alcohol pierde significancia estadística cuando se incluyen en el análisis, variables que indagan sobre el uso de drogas en otros significativos. Conclusiones: los hallazgos sugieren relativizar la hipótesis de la “puerta de entrada”, incorporando en la explicación del fenómeno factores contextuales que inciden en el inicio temprano.

Trends of people using drugs and opioid substitute treatment recorded in England and wales general practice (1994-2012).

BackgroundIllicit drug use is a multifaceted public-health problem with potentially serious impacts. The United Kingdom has one of the highest prevalence of illegal drug use in Europe. Reduction of overall illegal drug use in England and Wales has decreased from 11% to 8.2% (2012/13) over the past 10 years. People who use drugs often seek help from their family doctors.AimsTo investigate General Practitioners (family doctors) first recording of drug use and opioid substitute treatment in primary care settings.DesignA descriptive study design. Males and females (16-64 years old) were extracted from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database.SettingEngland and Wales primary care.MethodThe first recording of drug use and opioid substitution treatment in primary care was estimated for the period (1994-2012). Poisson regressions were conducted to estimate incidence risk ratios (IRR).ResultsWe identified 33,508 first recordings of drug use and 10,869 individuals with prescriptions for opioid substitute treatment. Overall, males (IRR 2.02, 95% CI:1.97–2.07), people in the age-group; 16-24 (IRR 6.7, 95% CI:6.4–6.9) compared to those over 25 years and the most deprived (IRR 4.2, 95% CI:3.9–4.4) were more likely to have a recording of drug use. Males (IRR 1.2 95% CI:1.2–1.3), in the age-group; 25-34 (IRR 1.8 95% CI:1.7–1.9) and the most deprived (IRR 3.9 95% CI:3.6–4.3) were the groups more likely to have a opioid substitute treatment prescription.ConclusionIt is evident from this study that there is little recording of drug use and opioid substitute treatment in primary care. Most drug users do not receive treatment in primary care.

A socio-cultural view of trends in drug use indicators.

As Caulkins et al. [1] note, the prevalence of illegal drug use is often cast as an overall indicator of the size of the national drug problem and the annual change is often used as a performance measure of policy efficacy, but the true costs of drug abuse can be understood more clearly by examining a richer set of indices. To this end, they calculated and examined the number of chronic users and other aggregate measures for four illegal drugs. We have had a long-standing interest researching the underlying social processes behind drug use trends, and read Caulkins et al.'s latest contribution from this perspective. We are especially excited about the finding of a sustained decline in the prevalence of chronic cocaine users starting in 2008. However, this good news must be tempered with fuller consideration of other drugs, including the modest increase in chronic heroin use as indicated by Caulkins et al. and the widespread misuse of prescription opioids not discussed in their paper. The increase in frequent marijuana users reported is more complex to interpret, as more individuals and government agencies shift their understanding of marijuana's medical efficacy and safety for recreational use. Thus, there is disagreement as to the extent that marijuana use and even frequent use is necessarily a public health concern. Clearly, this will be a topic of much further research and dialogue. [1] Caulkins J., Kilmer B., Reuter P., Midgette G. Cocaine's fall and marijuana's rise: questions and insights based on new estimates of consumption and expenditures in US drug markets. Addiction 2015; 110: 728-36. Language: en

The Prevalence of Illegal Drug Use

The prevalence of the use of only one type of illicit drug, except marijuana or hashish, ranging from 0.4% to 14.3% for different substances. Psychoactive drugs used by participants aged 13-34 years in our study, are sedatives and tranquilizers without a prescription. Lifetime prevalence of consumption of sedatives without prescription resulted 14.3% of boys and girls reported similar prevalence (14.1% respectively 14.6% boys versus girls). For all other psychoactive substances illegal, the prevalence was significantly higher among men than among women. The aim of this study has been to undertake an in depth analysis of the prevalence, tendencies, and factors related to the use of psycho active substances among youth in Albania and evaluation of social services offered in the country. The objective of the study is the Determination of the prevalence and frequency of consumption of illegal drugs and their relation to socio-demographic and economic factors. This study is transversal (cross-sectional), the only type of study which allows interest phenomenon prevalence evaluation. In this study are included two subject groups: one group consists of subjetcs currently present at education system and interviewed at school settings, i.e secondary schools, high schools and university. The other group consists of youngsters being interviwed not at schools settings. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n3p530

Protocol for a systematic review: Crop targeting's impact as a drug control strategy

* Free Fulltext on Publisher Wesbite BACKGROUND Illegal drug use is a global public health problem with consequences for social and economic development. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recently estimated the global prevalence of illegal drug use at between 149 million and 272 million people, or 3.3 to 6.1 percent of the world’s population, and rising (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [UNODC], 2011). Illegal drug use results directly in almost 200,000 deaths per year (UNODC, 2011), and the indirect social and economic costs of the illegal drug trade are much greater. The economic cost of illegal drug use is enormous with billions of dollars invested in the attempt to suppress the industry (Paoli, Greenfield & Reuter, 2009). In 2011, the U.S. National Drug Intelligence Center estimated that the economic cost to the U.S. of illicit drug use was more than $193 billion during the 2007 calendar year. This estimate includes $61.4 billion in crime related issues, $11.4 billion in health related issues and $120.2 billion in loss of productivity (United States Department of Justice, National Drug Intelligence Centre, 2011). At a country level, the violence associated with the use of illegal drugs is of primary concern (Finklea, Krouse, & Rosenblum, 2011). In some countries such as the U.S, policymakers rely on crop targeting strategies as a way to resolve military conflict (Felbab-Brown, 2010). Research consistently shows a direct link between emerging violence and the illicit drug trade (International Centre for Science in Drug Policy, 2010). International implications of the drug trade include the establishment of international organized crime networks (Schneider, 2010), an escalation in violence along trafficking routes (UNODC & Latin America and the Caribbean Region of the World Bank, 2007), and increased corruption in federal law enforcement agencies (Bronitt, 2004; UNODC, 2007). In 2010 in Mexico alone, the estimated number of deaths related to drug trafficking was 11,600, with an estimated 30,000 deaths occurring from December 2006 onwards...

Tobacco Consumption and Illegal Drug Use Among Bangladeshi Males

This article aimed to identify the determinants of tobacco consumption and illegal drug use (IDU) as well as to examine the association between these two variables using a representative sample of 3,771 Bangladeshi males aged 15 to 54 years. Data were collected through Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2007. To identify the determinants, the patterns of tobacco consumption and IDU were analyzed by age, education and occupation, residence, mass media, premarital sex, wealth, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Prevalence of smoking cigarette and bidi was roughly 60%. However, the prevalence of IDU was 3.4%, and this proportion is statistically significant (Z = 11.32, p = .000). After bivariate analysis, almost all variables except STIs were significantly associated with tobacco consumption. Similarly, all variables except residence and mass media were associated with IDU. Based on multivariable adjusted logistic regression analysis, the likelihood of using IDU was approximately twofold (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23-2.53) among bidi smokers and fourfold (OR = 3.8, 95% CI = 2.62-5.56) among cigarette smokers as compared with nonsmokers.

The changing picture of substance abuse problems among Finnish prisoners

Marginalized people are often absent from population surveys of substance use and from research based on care data. Special methods are needed to reach these small but very significant groups. This study analyses how patterns of intoxicant use have changed over time among one of the most marginalized group of people, the prisoners. Nationally representative samples of Finnish prisoners were examined: 903 prisoners in 1985, 325 prisoners in 1992, and 410 prisoners in 2006. Comprehensive field studies consisting of interviews and a clinical medical examination were used. In 1985, a diagnosis for alcoholism was given to 41% of the men and 36% of the women prisoners. An increase over time was observed, and in 2006, 52% of men and 51% of women prisoners were alcohol dependent. Dependence on a drug was diagnosed in 6% of men and 3% of women in 1985; this prevalence had increased to 58% of men and 60% of women in 2006. A dramatic change in prevalence of illegal drug use and drug addiction among prisoners has taken place in the past 20years. Recognizing this shift from alcohol to other intoxicants is important since drugs are illegal substances and thus tend to lead to involvement with the judicial sector, thus stigmatizing and deepening the spiral of marginalization.

Illegal drug use in the age of ageing

Both historically and currently, UK policies on illegal drug use have been largely focused towards younger people, but there is growing evidence of a shift in the demographic profile of people who use illegal drugs, with an increasing substantial number of drug users aged over 40 years. There is limited evidence for a change in the age profile of drug users from the British Crime Survey which documents drug use in the general population of England and Wales.1 This survey reports that the prevalence of illegal drug use (predominantly cannabis, cocaine powder, ecstasy, amyl nitrate, and amphetamines) in the previous year has fallen significantly between 1996 and 2008/2009 for those aged 16 to 29 years, while the prevalence has increased among those aged 30 to 59 years.1 Unfortunately, the British Crime Survey does not collect information about illegal drug use by those aged 60 years and over, so identifying population level data on drug use for the oldest age groups presents a challenge. Further evidence of this demographic change among people accessing drug treatment services (primarily users of opiates and/or crack cocaine),2 is available from surveillance data. Using data from established monitoring systems (including the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System [NDTMS] which currently records data on people accessing structured treatment interventions in England), Beynon et al 3 demonstrate that the percentage of people in drug treatment in Cheshire and Merseyside aged 40 years and over increased from 9.8% in 1998 to 23.1% in 2004/2005 (with 1.7% of these aged 50 years and over in …

Logics of practice in the ‘risk environment’

This paper explores the salience of the work of Pierre Bourdieu for theorising young men's experience of risk and drugs within a working class community in the North East of England identified by official discourses as a ‘risk environment.’ First, the concepts of field, habitus and practice are introduced. We then discuss the usefulness of these concepts for understanding diversity and contradiction in drug use, risk calculation and everyday life amongst a sample of young men. Data is presented from focus groups and individual interviews taken from a 3-year qualitative study of a ‘risk community,’ identified with reference to the incidence of crime, high unemployment and prevalence of illegal drug use in an area regeneration project. Social-structural determinants of dispositions towards drug use risk and risky behaviours are identified and the role of ‘risk environment’ highlighted. By combining theory with a rigorous empiricism, Bourdieu's work can be useful when exploring ‘risk environments’ and the concept of habitus can enhance understandings of young men's dispositions towards risk and risk taking.

Cannabis und andere illegale Drogen: Prävalenz, Konsummuster und Trends. Ergebnisse des Epidemiologischen Suchtsurveys 2006

<span class="fett">Ziel:</span> Der seit 1980 durchgeführte Epidemiologische Suchtsurvey (ESA) liefert mit der Erhebung 2006 aktuelle Daten zu Prävalenz, Mustern und Trends illegalen Drogenkonsums. </p><p> <span class="fett">Methodik:</span> Repräsentative Bevölkerungsstichprobe von 7.912 Erwachsenen im Alter von 18–64 Jahren. Die Datenerhebung erfolgte als schriftliche Befragung bzw. telefonisches Interview (Mixed-Modus-Design; Antwortrate: 45 %). </p><p> <span class="fett">Ergebnisse:</span> Nach einer Zunahme der Prävalenzwerte illegalen Drogenkonsums bei jungen Erwachsenen von 1986 bis 2003 war 2006 ein Rückgang festzustellen. Während die 12-Monats-Prävalenzwerte des Konsums anderer illegaler Drogen nur geringfügige zeitliche Änderungen aufweisen, ging der Anteil des Cannabiskonsums (letzte 12 Monate) 18- bis 39-Jähriger von 2003 (11,8 %) bis 2006 (9,2 %) signifikant zurück. Leicht gestiegen ist die Prävalenz cannabisbezogener Störungen, die bei insgesamt 1,1 % der 18- bis 64-Jährigen (Missbrauch 0,7 %, Abhängigkeit 0,4 %) festgestellt wurden. </p><p> <span class="fett">Schlussfolgerungen:</span> Trendbeobachtungen sprechen für eine Stabilisierung des Konsums illegaler Drogen. Die seit zehn Jahren relativ konstanten Prävalenzwerte aktuellen Cannabiskonsums (30-Tage-Prävalenz) sprechen dafür, dass die in der Vergangenheit beobachtete Zunahme des Cannabiskonsums auf die Variation des Probierkonsums zurückzuführen war.

Illegal drug use, smoking and alcohol consumption in a low-risk Irish primigravid population

To evaluate the prevalence of illegal drug use, smoking and alcohol consumption in Irish primigravidas, we interviewed 1011 women at their booking visit. A total of 23.5% (235) of women had used illegal drugs prior to their first pregnancy, 28.9% were ex-smokers and 27.9% were still smoking during pregnancy. A total of 53.9% admitted to drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Smokers are 2.8 times more likely to have used drugs in the past than non-smokers. Level of alcohol consumption appears to be a significant predictor of drug use.

Party drugs and party people: examining the ‘normalization’ of recreational drug use in Melbourne, Australia

This paper reports the findings of survey research recently completed in Melbourne, Australia among a sample of 379 bar and nightclub patrons. Drawing from the work of English researchers Howard Parker and Fiona Measham, this study examines the ‘normalization’ of young people's drug use and the links between this drug use and young people's ‘time out’—their leisure time and ‘cultural consumption’ habits. The paper outlines the research participants’ use of alcohol and other drugs including measures of both ‘lifetime’ and more recent use; the prevalence of illegal drug use within the peer group; the general accessibility and availability of illegal drugs, as well as participants’ knowledge of various drug-related risks and harms. The use of alcohol and other drugs was found to be widespread, with 96% of survey respondents identifying as ‘current drinkers’, whilst 56% reported the ‘lifetime use’ of illegal drugs. Just over a third (35.2%) reported the recent (last month) use of an illegal drug, typically ecstasy, cannabis and/or amphetamines. I conclude that such findings provide further support for the claim that drug use is becoming increasingly normalized within youth populations in Australia. The paper closes with a brief discussion of the implications of these findings in terms of the design and implementation of drug prevention and harm minimisation strategies in Australia and elsewhere.

The use and availability of legal and illegal drugs among Finnish 15-year-old students

The article presents some Finnish results from a comparative survey (ESPAD) conducted among 15- to 16-year-old students in 1995 in 26 European countries. The focus is on the prevalence of the use of alcohol and other drugs, and on the relation between availability and use. In addition, the differences between metropolitan Helsinki and Finland as a whole are analysed. The Finnish results are compared with those of the neighbouring countries and the United Kingdom, where the prevalence of alcohol and substance use was among the highest in all ESPAD countries. The lifetime prevalence of drunkenness was very high (77 %). There were no differences between boys and girls. Metropolitan Helsinki students did not differ from students living elsewhere in their alcohol use. Boys re ported that they had consumed more alcohol on their last drinking occasion than girls. Mixing alcohol with pills was more common among girls than boys. A quarter of all girls had at least sometimes mixed alcohol and pills. The prevalence of illegal substance use was low (5 %). In metropolitan Helsinki there were markedly more girls who had used alcohol and pills together (32 %) and taken tranquillisers or sedatives (14 %) than in the whole of Finland (25 % and 6 %, respectively). The reported use of marijuana and hashish was more common in metropolitan Helsinki (14 %) than on average (5 %). The respondents found it very easy to get alcohol. The availability of a beverage was easier the wider its distribution network and the lower the minimum age for buying it. Of the other substances, inhalants (48 %) were assessed as the easiest to obtain, followed by tranquillisers and sedatives (21 %) and then by marijuana and hashish (14 %). Finland, together with the United Kingdom and Denmark, belongs to those ESPAD countries where the prevalence of drunkenness is highest, whereas the prevalence of illegal drug use in Finland is very low. The prevalence of mixing alcohol and pills was on the same level in Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Incidence and Prevalence of Illegal Drug Use in Switzerland in the 1980s and Early 1990s: An Analytical Study

The Swiss registry of charges concerning illegal trade and consumption of narcotics offers the possibility of monitoring the incidence and prevalence of illegal drug use in Switzerland. Of course, the relation between the number of charges against users of illegal drugs and the number of users is unknown and may vary in time and space. This makes it difficult to estimate the prevalence of consumption from law enforcement data, but it does not hinder the estimation of incidence if the numbers of first and subsequent charges are known. This is demonstrated by employing a dynamic model with two compartments which represent the not yet charged and the charged users. In contrast to methods which rely on treatment admission data, the new method can detect changes of incidence without time lag. Prevalence estimates can be obtained if the charge frequency distribution is known, as it is for Switzerland from 1990 to 1994. A theoretical distribution is fitted to the data which are available for all illegal drugs as well as for heroin and/or cocaine. This leads to estimates of the populations of users of illegal drugs in general and of heroin and/or cocaine.

Epidemiological surveillance of opioid‐related episodes in an emergency room of Barcelona, Spain (1979–1989)

In the early 80's opioid addiction was a low prevalence problem in Spain, grew enormously during that decade and became the most important risk factor for AIDS in recent years. The limitations of assessing the prevalence of illegal drug use by means of standard epidemiological methods lead, worldwide, to the use of indirect indicators. A Register of Toxicological Emergencies, developed for research purposes and containing data from 1979 to 1989 at the Hospital del Mar (Barcelona) is described. Results for opioid-related emergencies are presented, showing an epidemic increase in the number of such emergencies after 1981. The total number of opioid-related emergencies was 18,042 with a mean of 2.23 opioid-related emergency admissions per client throughout the whole period, implying that some 8000 persons were seen. In episodes from non-arrestees, mean age increased slightly over time, the male/female ratio being 2.5; withdrawal was the more frequent reason for attendance (53%), overdose accounting for 9% of admissions, and other medical conditions for 33%. Non-arrested women were more likely to attend for other medical conditions and overdoses than men. The importance of this kind of register as well as its limitations for assessing the trend of opioid use prevalence is discussed.

Hispanics and Illicit Drug Use: A Review of Recent Findings

This manuscript presents a comprehensive assessment of the current illegal drug use problem among Hispanics by analyzing the recent findings on this subject. Information is provided on the prevalence of illegal drug use by drug type, age, and specific Hispanic group, and on the accessibility and availability of drug treatment facilities to Hispanics. The consequences of illegal drug use upon the well-being of Hispanics are discussed. Recommendations on additional research are made.