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65% of people are using drugs alone at home and this means a high risk for their health and for their lives, They order the products at home and pay through the banking system.
This is just one of the conclusions of a survey of 1,239 people on drug use in quarantine that was conducted virtually between March 31 and April 3, 2020.
It was done through social networks and virtual platforms of the Échele Cabeza project and other projects of the Corporación Acción Técnica Social (ATS) that have close to 120,000 followers. 95% of the respondents are from Colombia: 64% from Bogotá and the rest of cities such as Medellín, Cali, Bucaramanga, Tunja, Manizales, Pereira, among others.
Why do this work? According to experts, because changing the context of consumption affects the experience and the relationship with the substances that are occurring in this period of isolation. It makes them more individual than social, and that has consequences.
But the survey not only inquired about the consumption of illegal psychoactive substances such as marijuana, cocaine, MDMA-ecstasy, hallucinogens, 2CB, prescription drugs, inhalants and Popper, but also those that are legal such as cigarette, coffee, alcohol, tea and drinks. energizers. They even asked about nicotine delivery devices like electronic cigarettes and vaporizers.
81% of respondents acknowledged having used at least one illegal substance in the last 15 days before quarantine, and 68% at least one legal substance.
Many drugs are purchased at home.
The majority (70%) live with their families, while the rest with friends, partner or roommates. 6% said they lived alone.
What are the most consumed substances?
According to the survey, the most consumed substances in the quarantine are, in their order, marijuana (25%), alcohol (19%), coffee (14%), cigarette (11%) and tea (8%). Those that decreased in their consumption are hallucinogens (6%), energy drinks (3%), cocaine (2%) and MDMA (2%).
This means that the consumption of psychostimulant substances decreases also due to the closure of party and leisure spaces, where they are usually distributed, but the consumption of legal stimulants such as coffee, cigarettes and tea increases.
The substances that quarantined people have experienced the most are: marijuana (23%), coffee (19%), alcohol (14%), tea (13%), cigarette (10%), hallucinogens (7%), sedatives (5%), energy drinks (5%), cocaine (3%), among others.
49% say that their consumption has decreased; 28%, which is maintained; and 23%, which has increased. An impactful fact is that 65% of the people who answered the survey claim to consume alone and 35%, that they do so accompanied.
Many of the respondents (21%) said they no longer enjoy the substances as before because they have “bad trips.” On the contrary, 22% affirm that they enjoy them more, while for 57% their relationship remains the same.
Another important aspect that the survey takes is that of the withdrawal syndrome. 32% stated that during the quarantine they have felt it. Of these people, 58% acknowledge that it is due to the absence of cannabis use, followed by nicotine (13%), alcohol (10%), ecstasy (6%), cocaine (5%), among others.
24% of people have managed their withdrawal with food, followed by hydration (22%), exercise (22%) and only 3% have asked for psychological support and 1% have used medications. Regarding the hangover, 33% consider that it is now less intense; 14%, which is more. And 53%, which is the same.
Among those who responded, 62% of people indicated that they plan to reduce the consumption of psychoactive substances and 76% consider that consumption will continue after the pandemic.
How is the drug acquired?
According to the survey, in addition to consumption habits, the purchase, sale and distribution of illegal substances have changed. According to Julián Quintero, sociologist and director of ATS, the quarantine accelerated processes of virtual transactions and messaging in the payment and delivery of drugs, which were already underway before this period. “64% of the people who completed the survey indicate that they have bought illegal substances in quarantine, mainly cannabis,” said Quintero.
It is striking that 64%, that is, 788 people, acquired illegal substances during the quarantine. 43% indicated that they acquire them by leaving their home and receive them at a meeting point, while 14% go to a pot or to the street.
27%, on the other hand, receive their substances by some type of traditional messaging or by cellular application (app).
Regarding the form of payment, 12% indicate that they paid for their substances through a virtual wallet or bank transfer, while 79% continue to pay them in cash, cash on delivery.
When participants were asked who sold the drugs to them, 56% indicated that they do so by a trusted distributor.
73% consider that obtaining drugs is difficult. What’s more, they have detected a price increase in the substance, 65% say they have increased between 25% and 50%, depending on the substance and especially cannabis. They also said that the quality had decreased.
The risks
According to the survey researchers, there is a high risk of covid-19 of continuing social consumption because it involves socialization rituals associated with sharing a drink, a ‘joint’, a pass, among others.
At least, among the respondents, 65% of the people who completed the survey indicated not having shared ‘joints’, keys or syringes with other people during quarantine, as well as disinfecting the substances after receiving them.
Regarding work and academic productivity during quarantine, 55% of people said that they had used psychoactive substances while carrying out work or telecommuting activities: marijuana (17%), coffee (15%), tea (7%), cocaine (6%), energy drinks (6%), cigarette (5%).
And the coexistence?
59% recognized that the people with whom they pass the quarantine know of their consumption, 39% admit that they do not know and 2% have had to “get out of the psychoactive closet” in this quarantine and assume their consumption.
To those who still have to hide their consumption, 66% say they have continued to consume secretly, 21% stopped consuming and 13% do so on the street.
91% of people responded that drug use has helped them cope with this situation. However, regarding coexistence, alcohol and cocaine consumption negatively affects quarantine. 46% of people responded that they really need to party.
What are the recommendations?
For the authors of the survey, consumption in confinement presents a high risk for public health both in homes and on the streets.
Public health experts have expressed their concern about the management of anxiety that is occurring in homes through food and nutrition. It is estimated that people during the quarantine could gain between 4 and 8 kilos if they do not practice some type of physical activity at home.
For the experts, it is necessary to advance in the regulation of cannabis for recreational purposes so that, from there, actions of prevention, harm reduction and treatment for dependence can be developed.
There is also concern about an increase in consumption once the quarantine ends. The risk is that people return to consuming as they did before isolation, causing overdoses, poisonings and crises derived from substance abuse. “It is recommended to send self-regulation messages to consumers and prepare the health and emergency system to deal with this situation.”
Survey data
This survey sought to identify the main trends in the consumption of legal and illegal psychoactive substances, despite the quarantine restrictions.
Julián Quintero, sociologist and director of ATS; The survey’s authors were Vannesa Morris, sociologist and coordinator of the Échele Cabeza project, and Christian Gordillo, data administrator for Échele Cabeza.
The degree of reliability of the survey was carried out on 95% and the margin of error is 2.83%. It is also important to keep in mind that the expected sample was 286 surveys and 1,239 were obtained, which provided more robust data to analyze and generate a range of hypotheses on the subject.
63% of the people surveyed belong to the male gender and 35% to the female gender. And 2% to another. 83% of the respondents are between 18 and 29 years old, which is consistent with the population group with the highest consumption, according to epidemiological consumption studies.
DRAFTING BOGOTÁ
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