Violencia En Adolecentes

TENDENCIAS DEL USO DE DROGAS EN LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO (1986-2003). SISTEMA DE REPORTE DE INFORMACIÓN
SOBRE DROGAS

Jorge Galván Reyes*, Arturo Ortiz Castro*, Alejandra Soriano Rodríguez*, Leticia Casanova Rodas*

SUMMARY
Introduction: Currently, there are a number of methodological alternatives to find out the dynamics, the extension and the levels of drug use in the general population. Thetrends on drug use in our country have registered important variations in the last 25 years. Among the most outstanding of these trends are: the high and stable use of marijuana, the increase in cocaine use and a decrease in the use of inhalants. Recently an increase in the use of these stimulants has been registered. The different studies show that these trends present some variations, sincedifferent group populations with different characteristics have been studied. This is the case of the data obtained by the Drug Information Reporting System -IRSDwhich detects users with specific characteristics (regular drug users and advanced cases of addiction). Based on the facts mentioned above, the intention of this article is to present the main trends on drug use in Mexico City within theperiod between 1986 and 2003, according to the drug Information reporting System -DIRS- and to analyze these trends compared to other studies with different types of population. Background: The Information Reporting System on Drugs IRSD is a mechanism used to obtain data coming from diverse agencies that are related to the problem of the use of drugs; such agencies belong to the health sector or to theagencies of law enforcement. The main advantages of this type of systems are a low cost of operation -since it works with the infrastructure of the institutions that mainly conform the system- its easy application and that it provides current and fast information on the phenomenon. The continuous operation of the IRSD allows the accumulation of data with a sequence which makes possible theanalysis of the trends on drug use, the identification of new groups at high risk and new drugs in the market. It also allows to identify the design of the preventive actions derived from the continuous analysis of information coming from its data bases. Mexico City has its own Drug Information Reporting System IRSD- since 1986 coordinated by the National Institute of Psychiatry Ramon de la Fuente. Itsobjective is to count on a periodic and homogenous source of information which can be

used as a diagnosis tool to design suitable programs of prevention appropriate to the Mexican population from a health perspective. The IRSD carries out semester evaluations of the phenomenon and has done now a total of 34. Method: Sample description: IRSD information between 1986 and June 2003 was used. Thisdata base is conformed by 16,377 studied cases. It is a considered as «case» any person who recognizes to have consumed at least once in life some drug with the deliberate purpose of being intoxicated. The cases are also excluded from accidental or occupational exhibition and when only alcohol and tobacco have been consumed. Instrument: The Information is obtained from an individual scale appliedtwice a year, in health and justice agencies. This schedule collects information on the following aspects: socio-demographic profiles of the users, the reason for entering the institution, problems associated with the drug use and patterns of consumption of 12 drugs. For this article, only the information corresponding to the pattern of consumption was used to identify the trends. The analysisincludes the information compiled by the IRSD during the period of 1986 and the first semester of 2003. Procedure: The instrument is applied twice a year, in periods of 30 days, during the months of June and November to any one who uses drugs and has entered the health and justice agencies for such reason. Once the period of information gathering is over, the applied instruments are sent by all the...