Current findings indicate that substance abuse constitutes a major threat to health, family and social systems in Jamaica

ABSTRACT

Substance abuse is a complex and progressively expanding global problem. The insidious nature of Substance Abuse makes it a major Public Health issue of no mean order. This study is of correlational design, seeking to identify prevalence and patterns of drug use in the Jamaican population. The sample was selected to represent the national population characteristics by utilizing a multiusage stratified random sampling technique. Seventeen communities were randomly selected from a grouping stratified for this purpose. The stratification criteria are as follows socio-economic levels; community size; community complexity; urban/rural characteristics; economic base (e.g., sugar, tourism, agriculture, fishing); and potential exposure to facilities for drug use. Based on the sample size, the sample error is estimated at +- 3.0 percent. In the national sample (2005), reported drug use during the past month (30 days) among respondents shows the most popular of all drugs used by rank are 1. Alcohol 51 percent, 2. Pain-killers 27.9 percent, 3. Tobacco 14.6 percent. The most popular illegal drugs used are 1. Marijuana 11.5 percent, 2. Cocaine 0.6 percent. Opiates and phencyclidine (PCP) are used in equal proportions (0.2 percent) respectively. With the exception of alcohol (51 percent), the majority of respondents reported non-use in the past month for the substances specified. For eight of the thirteen identified substances, 98 percent reported non-use. Multiple drug use is a phenomenon which exists among substance abusers. Alcohol is the drug most frequently used with other substances. Alcohol and tobacco are the most popular combinations among multiple drug users. The pattern of substances used reported by respondents shows that the majority (56.2 percent) use only one substance. The highest use of drugs is found in those parishes in the middle and western sections of the island namely Manchester, St. Ann, Trelawny and St. Elizabeth. The use of alcohol and marijuana in all parishes with few exceptions tended to be fairly widespread. Alcohol and marijuana were the substances most popularly used across all parishes. (AU)