Gender differences in the use of prohibited substances in prison

Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of both legal and illegal substances, and see the difference in consumption patterns that occur in both men and women.

Methods

Surveys have been conducted on consumer habits in the past year among 84 inmates (60 women and 24 men) at the prison Brians 1, interrogating both the consumption of illegal drugs and consumer recreational drugs and routes of administration. Data were analyzed using SPSS program.

Results

A total of 57.1% had used illegal drugs. The most frequent was cannabis, with 54.8% (62.5% men and 51.7% women), followed by heroin, with 23.8% (29.2% in men and 21.7% in women) and cocaine, with 14.3% (20.8% in men and 11.7% women).

Use of legal drugs was 45.2% (50% in men and 43.3% women). In this case, the greatest differences were obtained in the use of bupropion (26.7% women versus 0% men), new generation anticonvulsants such as gabapentin and pregabalin (31.7% women and 12.5% men) and the use of intranasal route of administration (31.7% women versus 0% for men). At the other extreme we find more abuse benzodiazepines abuse in men (45.8 versus 20% in women) and sedative antipsychotics (37.5% vs. 8.3%)

Conclusions

Although there is a serious problem with the misuse of legal psychotropic drugs by inmates in prisons, there is still greater consumption of illegal substances.

Men's consumption pattern is more “traditional” (predominance of illegal substances and “classical” legal substances orally).

Women's consumption pattern is more experimental at both the use of new psychoactive drugs and the use of alternative routes of administration.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.