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

  1. Ali Farhoudian
  2. Seyed Ramin Radfar
  3. Hossein Mohaddes Ardabili
  4. Parnian Rafei
  5. Mohsen Ebrahimi
  6. Arash Khojasteh Zonoozi
  7. Cornelis A J De Jong
  8. Mehrnoosh Vahidi
  9. Masud Yunesian
  10. Christos Kouimtsidis
  11. Shalini Arunogiri
  12. Helena Hansen
  13. Kathleen T Brady
  14. Marc N Potenza
  15. ISAM-PPIG Global Survey Consortium
  16. Alexander Mario Baldacchino
  17. Hamed Ekhtiari
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Abstract

Background and aims

COVID-19 has infected more than 13 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 4th, 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”, percentage of those who were in majority is reported in the parenthesis) 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 SUDs.

Competing interest

Authors claimed no competing interest

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