Drug addicts switch to inject in economic decline

DRUG users are more likely to reach for the needle when an economic downturn bites.

An analysis of figures from rehabilitation centres in France has revealed that as financial markets nosedived three years ago, some drug users stopped snorting or swallowing cocaine. They started injecting the drug instead, says Christian Ben Lakhdar at Lille Catholic University, France.

"Between 2007 and 2008, whilst salary growth rates were falling significantly, the proportion of injecting drug users rose by 1.7 per cent," he says (International Journal of Drug Policy, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2011.03.004).

He speculates that the switch is driven by cost, as less of a drug is needed to achieve a high when injected.

Whether or not Ben Lakhdar's hypothesis is correct, the results of his analysis suggest that economic hardship may encourage drug users to turn to riskier methods of dosing themselves that might expose them to infectious diseases - something he thinks should be addressed in future government health policies.

A return to economic growth could reverse the situation, though. "Theoretically, when the income of users increases, an addict may decide to return to inhaling," he says.

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