Drug Use Trends in Mexico City 1987–2021: Results of the IRSD
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Abstract
Introduction. The Information Reporting System on Drugs (IRSD) developed in 1987 at the National Institute of Psychiatry Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz (INPRFM) is an early warning system that detects, analyzes and disseminates epidemiological information on the most relevant trends in psychoactive substances use in Mexico City, which is considered a public health problem mainly among young people.
Objective. To analyze the main trends in psychoactive substances use by sex "ever use" for the period 1987–2021 with data from users collected in several institutions.
Method. This study employs a repeated cross-sectional time series design. The information comes from 57,565 cases. IBM SPSS Statistics 29.0 software was used for data analysis and trends estimations. Time series at regular intervals were used to reveal the trends of the phenomenon over time.
Results. Over the last 34 years, marijuana, cocaine and inhalants are the most widely consumed psychoactive substances in Mexico City, followed by amphetamines and opioids. Although men make up the largest proportion of users, there has been a gradual increase in the consumption of women, which in some periods has reached the same level as that of men.
Discussion and conclusion. Consumption trends in Mexico City show some variations with respect to consumption trends at the international level, particularly in the cases of solvent inhalants and opioids.
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