Polydrug Use in Adolescence

The 2010 Monitoring the Future survey conducted by the US government raises concerns about an increase in drug use among teenagers, particularly those of a younger age. A similar trend has been reflected by European surveys, such as the 2010 Annual report on the state of the drugs problem in Europe, EMCDDA. According to this study, commissioned by the European Council, the use of multiple substances — polydrug use — is widespread and represents a major challenge. A recent survey by the Spanish government (EDADES 2009/2010) revealed that approximately 50% of drug users consumed two or more substances simultaneously. The objective of users is to increase or reverse the effects of the different drugs taken, but greater health risks and problems and a poor treatment response are also inherent in polydrug consumption. Almost all patterns of polydrug use include alcohol, and the use of amphetamines or ecstasy among frequent or heavy alcohol consumers is much higher than the average. A study by the Spanish government (Encuesta Estatal sobre uso de drogas en estudiantes de enseñanzas secundarias, ESTUDES, 2008) revealed that Spanish students between 14-18 years old who used drugs generally consumed more than one drug at the same time. 96.2% of students who had taken ecstasy in the previous year had simultaneously consumed alcohol and 86.1% had simultaneously consumed cannabis. An association between consumption of stimulants and hallucinogen drugs was also reported. For example, among students who had used ecstasy in the previous year, 71.4% had also consumed cocaine, while 38.5% of those who had used cocaine in the same period had also consumed ecstasy.