Drugs: which are the most consumed substances and from what age they are tested

Alcohol and tobacco are the drugs most used by Argentines and have average ages of onset of consumption between 17 and 18 years. While marijuana begins to be consumed from the age of 19 and is the third most consumed substance. On the other hand, tranquilizers amount to an average age of 40 years and cocaine of 21.  84.7% of people have ever consumed alcohol, 49.2% tobacco, 26.3% marijuana, 14.1% tranquilizers and 5.1% cocaine, according to the National Survey on Consumption and Care Practices 2022 (ENCoPraC) presented on Thursday by the Secretariat of Comprehensive Policies on Drugs of the Argentine Nation (Sedronar) and the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (Indec). In this sense, the president of the Association for Harm Reduction of Argentina (A.R.D.A) and psychoanalyst, Gustavo Zbuczynski, said that “it is always good to have statistics to guide policies and actions” and stressed the importance of conducting “these studies more regularly in order to have an overview of the evolution over time.” Although, he emphasized: “Among the difficulties external to the study, we must warn that the data cannot be reliable because we are working with very sensitive information because many of these substances on which we are surveyed are illegal.” To recognize its consumption is to recognize the commission of a crime. This framework of illegality also prevents us from investigating what people consume when they believe they are consuming a certain substance,” he expanded and exemplified: “The case of Puerta 8 (poisoned cocaine) clearly demonstrates that those who believed they were using cocaine were consuming carfentanil without knowing it.” Alcohol is the most consumed drug in Argentina, nine out of ten men and eight out of ten women admitted that they drank alcohol at some time in their lives. 66.2% did so in the last year, while 51.2% claimed to have had at least one drink in the last month. In turn, the age range of consumption shows that people over 66 years of age are the ones who consumed less alcoholic beverages in their lives, since 25% of this group answered that they never drank alcohol. In contrast, 90.6% of those between 25 and 34 years old at least once tried and that is the group that consumes most frequently because 59.7% answered that they had done so during the last month. Alcohol consumption is a social fact, most respondents answered that they do it in the company of friends, family or with their partner. Only 8.1% of respondents answered that they consume alone. Regarding the precautions taken by people, the most frequent has to do with “staying hydrated or eating before consuming” while the other precautions decrease: “consume in a safe place with trusted people, warn or talk to someone you know” (38.7%), “regulate the amount of consumption” (30.9%), “plan the days of consumption” (29.7%) and “avoid mixing substances” (27.1%). In this sense, the fact of “consuming in a safe place” is the precaution most taken into account by women. Surely one of the strongest statements of the study is that young people tend to try tobacco before alcohol, since the average age at which cigarettes are tried is 17.4 years while alcohol is 17.7.Almost one in two people (49.2%) responded to have used tobacco at some time in their lives. But that does not translate into a habit, since only 25.6% say they did it in the last year and 23.3% in the last month. This means that half of those who ever smoked did not do so again in the last time. For years tobacco was perceived as a fad and awareness campaigns regarding the problems it can cause made that in recent times consumption also fell in younger people. Almost eight in ten people aged 66 to 75 say they have tried at some time in their lives, although this figure drops to 29.2% in young people aged 16 to 24. However, the group between 35 and 49 years is the one that smokes most frequently within the last month: it is 28.5%, and is above the average of all agesMore than half answered having done it “for pleasure” as the main reason (54.6%). Marijuana use, between legality and illegalityThis report for the first time includes both medicinal and “non-therapeutic” use. It should be noted that in Argentina the simple possession, cultivation, sale and distribution of marijuana is prohibited, but at the same time the industrial production of oils is legal., edibles, among others, and also the consumption, cultivation and trade of medicinal products through a registry of the Ministry of Health, called Reprocann.La survey shows that 26.3% of respondents admitted that they used cannabis at some time in their lives. Although in the last year only 13.8% claimed to have consumed and the number falls to 8.1% in the last month. In addition, the average age of initiation is higher than for alcohol and tobacco, standing at 19.8 years of age. In addition, consumption is higher in households with a high educational climate (10.6%) while in the so-called “low” it drops to 5.5%. The main reason for reported consumption was “for pleasure” (71.9%). Another of the data highlighted by the report has to do with the mixture of substances: six out of ten people who used marijuana combined it with alcohol on the same occasion (60.8%). Consumption of tranquilizers, mostly with a medical prescription14.1% of respondents said they had consumed even once in their lives consumed a tranquilizer. Of these, more than 85% of the people who responded to consume tranquilizers said they do so with a medical prescription. In addition, of the 14.1% who said they have ever used a tranquilizer in their lives, the majority are people over 66 years of age (31.3%) and this group, in turn, is also the majority when asked about use in the last year (20.6% versus 6% average for all ages). Cocaine use The 3.9% who said they had ever used cocaine (although the survey is anonymous, it is likely that an undetermined percentage of respondents lied for reasons of stigmatization and illegality) only 0.9% answered that they took it in the last month. It is a minimum consumption and that does not rise with respect to the 2019 report, beyond that methodologically it is not comparable.What can be noticed “Current public policies not only have an impact on illegalized substances; the erroneous policy we have in tobacco prevents people who consume nicotine from taking care measures to avoid tar, which produces 70% of the damages linked to tobacco consumption and that, the erroneous policies that are implemented, prevent prevention by prohibiting the devices that current technology offers us, “explained Gustavo Zbuczynski. the president of A.R.D.A. questioned the survey carried out, since it proposed uniform questions for all types of drugs as in the case of precautionary measures (for alcohol consumption it was the same question as for tobacco). “It would have been very interesting to add some variable that measures the perception that users have of the health system to correctly evaluate the influence of this factor when it is not consulted,” added Zbuczynski.He also stressed that “there is no inquiry into consumption routes,” which would be a data of great relevance to “work on preventive measures.” “It’s evident the total lack of connection with the changes we see in the clinic,” he said. Among the conclusions of this study, Zbuczynski highlighted: “1) The enormous lack of information that substance users suffer when taking precautions. This situation is clearly exemplified by the fact that most marijuana users express as a precaution to stay hydrated or eat before consuming and not to avoid mixing substances.” 2) That the “educational level” (in my opinion access to information) influences the perception of concerns about one’s own consumption. 3) It has influence on the “curiosity to try”. This data confirms the need to work during schooling from harm reduction programs. And 4) that in sectors with a high level of education, the perception of drug use is more appropriate to the reality of what is happening.” The perception of the seriousness of consumption obeys in my opinion to a distortion of the drug problem imposed and spread by abstentionist prohibitionism and responds to the exacerbation of social alarm. In any case, to properly evaluate this aspect we should evaluate the relationship with economic access since the situation in the different neighborhoods is very different, “he concluded.

Original source in Spanish