Use of new synthetic drugs in Slovenian prisons

Abstract

Introduction

Prisons are a specific environment, in terms of population and various factors that affect health in the broader sense. According to the report of the board of prisons for Slovenia in 2013, 1 078 people who have had problems with illicit drug use were identified, representing 23.04% of all incarcerated persons. Moreover, an increase in the use of various types of new psychoactive substances, the so-called designer drugs, was recorded in recent years.

Aims

The research aimed to point out the psychoactive drugs most used in Slovenian prisons and to explore whether these pose a public health issue.

Methods

We conducted statistical research with semi-standardised epidemiological and psychoeducational questionnaires, which were distributed among prison population in Maribor region, Slovenia.

Results

The analysis of the questionnaires received, which was completed by 54 prisoners, has shown that 54.55% of people aged between 18 and 35 years take synthetic drugs regularly, 30.30% of the population enjoys synthetic drugs occasionally. In the category of over 50 years, no one enjoyed these drugs. The most popular synthetic drugs were synthetic cannabinoids. Although a third of the users of these drugs has experienced at least one side effect, as many as 55.56% do not know how to act in such a case.

Conclusions

This study confirmed that the majority of users of synthetic drugs are young adults who are convinced that their use is less harmful than the use of “ordinary” psychoactive substances. A surprisingly low awareness of side effects measure was stated.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.