On substance abuse in Kuwait (1992-1997). Evidence from toxicological screening of patients.
OBJECTIVE
To assess preference for different psychoactive substances and time trends in Kuwait.


METHODS
Analysis of urine and blood samples of specimens sent by attending physicians to the only public health reference laboratory for toxicological screening in the country.


RESULTS
A total of 28,548 tests were performed on 3781 samples. Cannabinoids were positive in 40% of the tested samples, opiates in 24%, ethanol in 10%, and amphetamines in 5%. Elevated concentrations of methadone, cocaine, and phencyclidine did not exceed 0.1%. About 40% of samples was positive for benzodiazepines, but their therapeutic use obscures the informativeness of this finding. There was a significant increase in the proportion of positive results for ethanol, amphetamines, and benzodiazepines.


CONCLUSIONS
It is high time to implement a modern and comprehensive preventive and control program. The tendency to blame the Iraqi invasion for drug addiction has hampered efforts to recognise and address the problem in its entirety.
Radovanovic
Z
Z
Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 24923, Safat 13110, Kuwait.
Pilcher
C W
CW
al-Nakib
T
T
Shihab-Eldeen
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D015994:Incidence; D007730:Kuwait; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control
D013287:Illicit Drugs; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs