Global drug market shifts during the COVID-19 pandemic
Oct 30, 2020
Dr Monica Barratt presented at the 2020 NDARC Webinar Series on Thursday, 17 September 2020 on the topic of “Global drug market shifts during the COVID-19 pandemic”. The webinar explores how illegal drug markets have adapted to the new world of COVID-19, which has meant significant restrictions both in social situations and also travel/mobility on an international level.
The webinar draws on a subsample of people reporting recent substance use in the Global Drug Survey’s COVID-19 special survey, which occurred earlier this year from 4 May to 20 June 2020. Some of the key findings include:
- Increases in reported cannabis, heroin and benzodiazepine use;
- Decreases in reported cocaine, MDMA, amphetamine type stimulants and ketamine use;
- Reasons reported for increases are due to more time to spare, more mental health symptoms;
- Some people reported decreases in supply (cannabis).
Watch “Global drug market shifts during the COVID-19 pandemic” (56 Minutes)