British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, 400-1045 Howe St., Vancouver, BC V6Z 2A9, Canada; School of Public Policy, Simon Fraser University, 515 West Hastings St., Vancouver, BC V6B 5K3, Canada.
British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, 400-1045 Howe St., Vancouver, BC V6Z 2A9, Canada; Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada.
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2022 Jul 1;236:109471. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109471. Epub 2022 Apr 25.
Driven by an increasingly toxic drug supply, drug toxicity deaths in the United States and Canada have risen to unprecedented levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to characterize the prevalence of and the factors associated with a perceived decline in the quality of drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic among community-recruited cohorts of PWUD in Vancouver, Canada.
Data collection took place between July and November 2020. In adherence with COVID-19 safety protocols, questionnaires were administered by interviewers through remote means (e.g., phone or videoconference). Using multivariable logistic regression, we characterized the prevalence of and factors associated with a perceived decline in drug quality during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vancouver, Canada.
Of the 738 individuals included in this analysis, 272 (36.9%) reported that the quality of drugs declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. In multivariable analysis, perceived decline in the quality of drugs was significantly associated with: recent non-fatal overdose (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.01, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.29-3.15), at least weekly injection drug use (AOR=1.94, 95% CI: 1.40-2.71), at least weekly crack use (AOR=1.61, 95%CI: 1.10-2.36), and at least weekly crystal methamphetamine use (AOR=1.46, 95%CI: 1.03-2.08).
Over a third of PWUD perceived that the quality of drugs declined during the COVID-19 pandemic and these individuals were significantly more likely to report experiencing a recent non-fatal overdose, engaging in frequent injection drug and stimulant use. Study findings indicate the need for interventions to address the toxic drug supply, including providing a regulated supply.
在美国和加拿大，由于毒 品供应日益恶化，新冠疫情期间毒 品中毒死亡人数达到了前所未有的水平。本研究旨在描述加拿大温哥华社区招募的吸毒者群体在新冠疫情期间感知到的毒 品质量下降的流行率和相关因素。
数据收集于 2020 年 7 月至 11 月进行。为了遵守新冠疫情安全协议，调查员通过远程方式（如电话或视频会议）进行问卷调查。我们采用多变量逻辑回归方法，描述了加拿大温哥华新冠疫情开始时感知到的毒 品质量下降的流行率和相关因素。
在本分析中纳入的 738 名个体中，有 272 名（36.9%）报告在新冠疫情期间毒 品质量下降。在多变量分析中，感知到的毒 品质量下降与以下因素显著相关：近期非致命性过量（调整后的优势比 [AOR]=2.01，95%置信区间 [CI]：1.29-3.15）、至少每周注射吸毒（AOR=1.94，95%CI：1.40-2.71）、至少每周吸食快克（AOR=1.61，95%CI：1.10-2.36）和至少每周吸食冰毒（AOR=1.46，95%CI：1.03-2.08）。
超过三分之一的吸毒者认为在新冠疫情期间毒 品质量下降，这些个体更有可能报告最近发生非致命性过量、经常注射吸毒和兴奋剂使用。研究结果表明，需要采取干预措施来应对毒 品供应问题，包括提供管制供应。
