New Psychoactive Substances Use Increased Among Certain Populations

New psychoactive substances (NPS) use increased among young people in Latin America, and NPS use is disproportionate among marginalised populations in Western Europe. Stimulants are also more likely to be smoked or inhaled than opioids, but not all drug consumption rooms permit inhalation on premises, and smoking equipment is rarely distributed. However, safer smoking kits for crack cocaine, cocaine paste, and amphetamine-type stimulants are distributed in several territories, including Portugal and Puerto Rico, and harm reduction programmes for people who use non-injectable cocaine derivatives are in place in several countries in Latin America. Source: Global State of Harm Reduction 2020

SEE ALSO:

• Canadian government supports safer crack and cocaine smoking equipment distribution
• Biden administration has made ’harm reduction’ a central pillar of his plan to fight a record number of drug-related deaths, but a conservative backlash is threatening the effort
• A study in Mexico evaluates safer crack kits and smoking practices