Evolution of the Illegal Substances Market and Substance Users' Social Situation and Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

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Version: Final published version
License: CC BY 4.0
Serval ID
serval:BIB_76BF425676BA
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Evolution of the Illegal Substances Market and Substance Users' Social Situation and Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Journal
International journal of environmental research and public health
Author(s)
Gaume J., Schmutz E., Daeppen J.B., Zobel F.
ISSN
1660-4601 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
1660-4601
Publication state
Published
Issued date
07/05/2021
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
18
Number
9
Pages
4960
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Publication Status: epublish
Abstract
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken for tackling it had the potential to lead to deep modifications in the supply of illegal drugs and to impact substance users' health and social situation. To investigate this, we used mixed methods, i.e., quantitative data collected with a brief questionnaire from substance users receiving opioid agonist treatment in a treatment centre in Switzerland (N = 49), and qualitative data obtained using semi-structured phone interviews among a sub-group of participants (N = 17). We repeated data collection twice over four weeks to investigate trends over time (N = 51 and 14 at wave 2). Findings consistently showed the limited impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the illegal substance market. Over the two waves, the supply, price and purity of three main illegal substances did not significantly vary. Substance use was estimated as usual by most, trending toward a decrease. The impact of the pandemic on participants' social situation and health was appraised as low to medium. Nevertheless, a minority of participants reported higher impact and multivariate analyses showed a more important impact for those who were female, younger, and not using multiple substances. This process was implemented quickly and provided an understanding of the short-term impact of the pandemic on drug markets and users.
Keywords
COVID-19, black market, lockdown, substance use, users’ health and social situation
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
04/06/2021 18:04
Last modification date
12/01/2022 8:11
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