Changes in illicit drug use and markets with the covid-19 pandemic

The annual Ecstasy and Related Drugs Study (EDRS) interviews people who use substances to find out about changes in price, purity and availability of a range of different drugs. An article has been published in the journal “Addiction” titled “Changes in illicit drug use and markets with the covid-19 pandemic and associated restrictions: findings from the Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System, 2016 - 20.” The authors found that for most drugs, there was either no change in levels of use, or a reduction in use since covid-19. MDMA was the drug most commonly mentioned in terms of reduced use, and this was mostly explained by reduced opportunities to socialise. Cannabis was the drug most commonly associated with increased use since covid-19, followed by alcohol and tobacco.

Go to “Changes in illicit drug use and markets with the covid-19 pandemic and associated restrictions: findings from the Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System, 2016 - 20.”