Which psychoactive substances are used by patients seen in the healthcare system in French overseas territories? Results of the OPPIDUM survey

Abstract

Addiction to illicit substances or medicines is influenced by cultural, religious, ethnic factors as well as local availability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the profile of drug users and characteristics of the psychoactive substances used in French overseas territories, using data from the OPPIDUM survey. OPPIDUM is an annual, nationwide, multicentric, cross-sectional study based on specialized care centres that included subjects presenting a drug addiction or under opiate maintenance treatment. The current study includes data from the 2012 and 2013 surveys and focuses on patients included by drug addiction centres located in French overseas departments and territories: French Pacific Ocean (French Polynesia, New Caledonia), French Americas (Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, French Guiana) and Reunion Island. Data from metropolitan France (2013 survey) were included as reference. Two hundred and forty-five patients were included. The sex ratio was 3.7 for the Pacific Ocean, 3.5 for the French Americas and 3.3 for Reunion Island. Cannabis was consumed in all the territories, from 50.8% in Reunion Island to 81.7% in Pacific Ocean. Cocaine was most frequently consumed in the French Americas (61%), mainly in the 'freebase' form (91%), whereas 6.5% of cocaine users in metropolitan France did so. Problematic use of medicines was most frequent in Reunion Island. Heroin seems rarely used in all overseas territories. This study highlights the complexity of substances used in French overseas territories, which often differ from that in mainland France. The relative difference between different areas provides valuable information for future investigations and possible interventions.

Health consequences of cocaine use in France: data from the French Addictovigilance Network

“…Crack cocaine users appeared to be more often in situations of social precarity (from 11 to 40% vs 10 to 14% for cocaine powder users in OPPIDUM data), older (mean age in 2016: 40 ± 10 years, vs 35 ± 9) and lived mainly in the French overseas territories and Paris. This is in agreement with the results of studies, suggesting that frequent crack cocaine users tend to be more marginalized socially and economically and are less likely to have jobs [14,15]. Moreover, powder cocaine tends to be sold in grams and seems to be ‘more expensive,’ whereas crack cocaine is more often sold in smaller unit sizes and thus is preferred by people with low income [16].…”

Impact of pregnancy on psychoactive substance use among women with substance use disorders recruited in addiction specialized care centers in France

“…It was developed by the French Addictovigilance Network to monitor changes in the consumption of psychoactive substances used, and alert about the use of new products or new routes of administration. Methods and results have already been published . Briefly, on a voluntary basis, centers include patients with psychoactive substance abuse or dependence criteria (as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) or under OMT.…”

“…OPPIDUM (for Observation of illegal drugs and misuse of psychotropic medication) is a nationwide survey that collects information on abuse and dependence in patients attending care in addiction care centers in France . We aimed to assess risk factors associated with psychoactive substance abuse by comparing patterns of substance use according to the presence of ongoing pregnancy in women of childbearing age with substance use disorders.…”

Cannabis and anticancer drugs: societal usage and expected pharmacological interactions – a review

“…Cannabis is the most widely consumed drug in the world, between 125 and 203 million people made use of it worldwide in 2009, that is an annual rate of prevalence comprised between 2.8 and 4.5%, and France is the leading consumer in Europe . In parallel, new medicines containing molecules derived from cannabis have been put on the market, some of them advertising the improvement of certain adverse effects caused by chemotherapy and the relief of some kinds of cancer pain . These different potentially beneficial effects may lead to personal consumption of cannabis or the prescription of these new medicines during the use of anticancer chemotherapy.…”