Percentages of problem drug use and their implications for policy making: A review of the literature

Lit review

Schlag, Anne Katrin

Release Date

2020

Geography

International

Language of Resource

English

Full Text Available

Yes

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

Yes

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Objective

This paper reviews the literature on problem drug use, aiming to answer the question ‘what percentages of drug users are problem drug users?’ We look at the conceptualisation of problem drug use, and related concepts such as addiction and dependence.

Findings/Key points

Results show that the majority of drug use is episodic, transient and generally non-problematic. The majority of people who have used various drugs in their lifetime have not done so in the past year. Only a minority become problem drug users.

doi.org

Keywords

Harm reduction

Policy/Regulatory

Hesitancy of prescribers

Advocacy

Evidence base

About PWUD