Epidemiology of Cocaine Use in Spain

• NCJ Number: 154080
• Journal: Drug and Alcohol Dependence Volume: 34 Issue: 1 Dated: (December 1993) Pages: 45-57
• Author(s): G B Anta; J V Orta; M J B Portela; L de la Fuente de Hoz
• Date Published: 1993
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Ireland

Annotation

This description of trends and patterns of cocaine use in Spain was derived from information sources such as population surveys, the State Information System on Drug Abuse, and anthropological studies.

Abstract

Indirect supply indicators show that in 1991 Spain had more cocaine confiscated than any other country in Western Europe, amounting to almost half of the total amount of cocaine confiscated in all of Western Europe. All indirect supply indicators have grown dramatically in recent years and at a greater rate than supply indicators for cannabis or opiates. The amounts of crack confiscated are still small but rising rapidly. Generally, population surveys show that cocaine is used more sporadically than heroin. Surveys agree that men have a higher prevalence of cocaine use than women, and most users are concentrated in the 20- to 29-year-old age group. The State Information System on Drug Abuse indicates that in recent years the prevalence and intensity of cocaine use have increased among heroin addicts. The Barcelona anthropological study (Diaz et al., 1992) found that cocaine use exists in all social strata and that both user profiles and the context in which use occurs can vary greatly; however, the study identified two basic and opposing patterns of use: one, less problematic and the prevailing pattern, in persons with a higher level of education, characterized by sniffing cocaine in small doses; the other, more problematic, in persons with a lower educational level, generally characterized by the use of large doses of cocaine taken intravenously or through the lungs, often in association with heroin. Hypotheses are presented to explain the discrepancy between the high prevalence of use and the low volume of cocaine-related problems detected. The study projects that cocaine- related problems are likely to continue increasing in Spain, but the magnitude of the increase will depend on whether the more problematic types of use spread among large population groups. 4 tables and 107 references