TY - JOUR
T1 - A Global Survey on Changes in the Supply, Price, and Use of Illicit Drugs and Alcohol, and Related Complications During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic
AU - ISAM Global Survey Consortium (ISAM-GSC)
AU - Farhoudian, Ali
AU - Radfar, Seyed Ramin
AU - Ardabili, Hossein Mohaddes
AU - Rafei, Parnian
AU - Ebrahimi, Mohsen
AU - Zonoozi, Arash Khojasteh
AU - De Jong, Cornelis A.J.
AU - Vahidi, Mehrnoosh
AU - Yunesian, Masud
AU - Kouimtsidis, Christos
AU - Arunogiri, Shalini
AU - Hansen, Helena
AU - Brady, Kathleen T.
AU - Potenza, Marc N.
AU - Baldacchino, Alexander Mario
AU - Ekhtiari, Hamed
AU - Abagiu, Adrian Octavian
AU - Abouna, Franck David Noel
AU - Ahmed, Mohamed Hassan
AU - Al-Ansari, Basma
AU - Al-Khair, Feda Mahmmoud Abu
AU - Almaqbali, Mandhar Humaid
AU - Ambekar, Atul
AU - Arya, Sidharth
AU - Asebikan, Victor Olufolahan
AU - Ayasreh, Murad Ali
AU - Basu, Debasish
AU - Benmebarek, Zoubir
AU - Bhad, Roshan
AU - Blaise, Mario
AU - Bonnet, Nicolas
AU - Brasch, Jennifer
AU - Broers, Barbara
AU - Busse, Anja
AU - Butner, Jenna L.
AU - Camilleri, Moses
AU - Campello, Giovanna
AU - Carra, Giuseppe
AU - Celic, Ivan
AU - Chalabianloo, Fatemeh
AU - Chaturvedi, Abhishek
AU - Cherpitel, José de Jesús Eduardo Noyola
AU - Clark, Kelly J.
AU - Cyders, Melissa Anne
AU - de Bernardis, Ernesto
AU - Deilamizade, Abbas
AU - Derry, John Edward
AU - Dhagudu, Naveen Kumar
AU - Dolezalova, Pavla
AU - Kurniasanti, Kristiana Siste
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2021 Farhoudian, Radfar, Mohaddes Ardabili, Rafei, Ebrahimi, Khojasteh Zonoozi, De Jong, Vahidi, Yunesian, Kouimtsidis, Arunogiri, Hansen, Brady, ISAM Global Survey Consortium (ISAM-GSC), Potenza, Baldacchino and Ekhtiari.
PY - 2021/8/6
Y1 - 2021/8/6
N2 - Background and Aims: COVID-19 has infected more than 77 million people worldwide and impacted the lives of many more, with a particularly devastating impact on vulnerable populations, including people with substance use disorders (SUDs). Quarantines, travel bans, regulatory changes, social distancing, and “lockdown” measures have affected drug and alcohol supply chains and subsequently their availability, price, and use patterns, with possible downstream effects on presentations of SUDs and demand for treatment. Given the lack of multicentric epidemiologic studies, we conducted a rapid global survey within the International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM) network in order to understand the status of substance-use patterns during the current pandemic. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Worldwide. Participants: Starting on April 4, 2020 during a 5-week period, the survey received 185 responses from 77 countries. Measurements: To assess addiction medicine professionals' perceived changes in drug and alcohol supply, price, use pattern, and related complications during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: Participants reported (among who answered “decreased” or “increased”) a decrease in drug supply (69.0%) and at the same time an increase in price (95.3%) globally. With respect to changes in use patterns, an increase in alcohol (71.7%), cannabis (63.0%), prescription opioids (70.9%), and sedative/hypnotics (84.6%) use was reported, while the use of amphetamines (59.7%), cocaine (67.5%), and opiates (58.2%) was reported to decrease overall. Conclusions: The global report on changes in the availability, use patterns, and complications of alcohol and drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic should be considered in making new policies and in developing mitigating measures and guidelines during the current pandemic (and probable future ones) in order to minimize risks to people with SUD.
AB - Background and Aims: COVID-19 has infected more than 77 million people worldwide and impacted the lives of many more, with a particularly devastating impact on vulnerable populations, including people with substance use disorders (SUDs). Quarantines, travel bans, regulatory changes, social distancing, and “lockdown” measures have affected drug and alcohol supply chains and subsequently their availability, price, and use patterns, with possible downstream effects on presentations of SUDs and demand for treatment. Given the lack of multicentric epidemiologic studies, we conducted a rapid global survey within the International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM) network in order to understand the status of substance-use patterns during the current pandemic. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Worldwide. Participants: Starting on April 4, 2020 during a 5-week period, the survey received 185 responses from 77 countries. Measurements: To assess addiction medicine professionals' perceived changes in drug and alcohol supply, price, use pattern, and related complications during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: Participants reported (among who answered “decreased” or “increased”) a decrease in drug supply (69.0%) and at the same time an increase in price (95.3%) globally. With respect to changes in use patterns, an increase in alcohol (71.7%), cannabis (63.0%), prescription opioids (70.9%), and sedative/hypnotics (84.6%) use was reported, while the use of amphetamines (59.7%), cocaine (67.5%), and opiates (58.2%) was reported to decrease overall. Conclusions: The global report on changes in the availability, use patterns, and complications of alcohol and drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic should be considered in making new policies and in developing mitigating measures and guidelines during the current pandemic (and probable future ones) in order to minimize risks to people with SUD.
KW - addiction
KW - behavioral addiction
KW - COVID-19
KW - global survey
KW - illicit drug market
KW - substance use disorder
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85113236018&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.646206
DO - 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.646206
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85113236018
SN - 1664-0640
VL - 12
JO - Frontiers in Psychiatry
JF - Frontiers in Psychiatry
M1 - 646206
ER -
