Degenhardt Louisa, Day Carolyn, Conroy Elizabeth, Gilmour Stuart, Hall Wayne
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2005 Sep 1;79(3):397-404. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2005.03.028.
This paper uses a unique event, the Australian heroin shortage, to see whether an abrupt, substantial and sustained change in heroin supply had different effects on harms related to heroin use among younger and older heroin users.
Indicator data were examined by age group on the number of persons entering treatment for heroin and amphetamine dependence, arrests for heroin use/possession and number of drug related deaths in NSW, Australia. Data were analysed using times series analysis.
There was a 41% reduction in the number of new registrations for opioid pharmacotherapy per month among 25-34 year olds, and a 26% reduction among 15-24 year olds, but no apparent changes among older age groups. Similarly, reductions in the number of non-pharmacological heroin treatment episodes were most pronounced among younger age groups. There was a 49% reduction in the number of heroin possession/use offences among those aged 15-24 years, compared to declines of 31-40% among older age groups. Declines in heroin related deaths were greatest among 15-24 year olds (65% reduction). There was no change in other drug related deaths in any age group.
A reduction in heroin supply was followed by greater reductions in heroin related harms among younger than older people, across a number of outcome domains.
本文利用澳大利亚海洛因短缺这一独特事件，探究海洛因供应的突然、大幅且持续变化对年轻和年长海洛因使用者中与海洛因使用相关危害是否产生不同影响。
按年龄组对进入海洛因和苯丙胺依赖治疗的人数、因使用/持有海洛因被捕人数以及澳大利亚新南威尔士州与毒品相关的死亡人数等指标数据进行研究。采用时间序列分析对数据进行分析。
25至34岁人群中，每月阿片类药物治疗新登记人数减少了41%，15至24岁人群减少了26%，但老年人群体无明显变化。同样，非药物性海洛因治疗次数的减少在年轻人群体中最为显著。15至24岁人群中，持有/使用海洛因犯罪的人数减少了49%，而老年人群体的降幅为31%至40%。与海洛因相关的死亡人数降幅在15至24岁人群中最大（减少了65%）。各年龄组中与其他毒品相关的死亡人数均无变化。
海洛因供应减少后，在多个结果领域中，年轻人群体中与海洛因相关的危害比老年人群体减少得更多。
