“It is safer to sell marihuana than heroin or cocaine and you make more money” qualitative study about drug traffic and consumption in Girona (eastern sector)

Abstract

Introduction

Font de la Pólvora is a neighbourhood located on Catalonia, which has been one of the most important points of sale of heroin and cocaine in the country. The sale of drugs was also affected by the economic crisis, changing the behaviour pattern of patients with drug dependence.

Objective

To describe the changes in drug trafficking in this region and how these influence their consumption.

Methods

The investigation is carried out by the harm reduction outreach team, who selected, with a non-probabilistic method, a sample of 6 drug users. An in-depth semi-structured interview was conducted.

Results

From 2006 to 2012, there existed up to 19 points of drug sale of heroin and cocaine. There are currently 2. The reasons behind the decrease are:

–the demand for cocaine decreases;

–the sporadic consumption of heroin decreases;

–with the decrease in demand, drugs lose quality.

With the housing bubble in Spain and the rise in foreclosures on behalf of banks, empty flats proliferated in the area, which were eventually occupied illegally. This fact prompts the production of cannabis.

Conclusion

Many of the strictly punitive actions in the control of narcotics lead to the dealers coming up with new ideas and new patterns of consumption which complicate the intervention of the teams working in the territory.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.