Drug use and COVID-19           

By Vanesa Cort
SINCE COVID-19 swept across the globe leaving death and illness in its wake, over 18 months ago, many have succumbed to negative behaviours brought on by the stress of the pandemic.

Not surprisingly, it has been reported that drug use is on the increase, though there has been a shift in the type of drugs abused and opiod use is now spiraling up while illicit drug use has seen a slight decline.
Disruptions to the supply chain, a decrease in local sellers and social distancing have all been given as reasons for a reduction in the use of drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

However, one researcher said that she noticed “a spike in substance use that included an increase in both quantity and frequency of use during the pandemic”.
Experts agree, nonetheless, that pandemic-related strain, economic stress, loneliness and general anxiety about the virus “are a major driver for the increase”.

As the pandemic is ongoing, data is still being accumulated on how it has affected people with substance use disorders (SUD), though concerned groups point out that COVID-19 allows for a closer look at drug abuse.
Locally, the use of crack-cocaine is a cause for concern though little is reported about the drug except for news items when quantities are seized or persons are charged with possession.

From the time this ‘fast food’ form of cocaine became available around the world, in the 1980s, it has created immense problems for law enforcement everywhere and soon was termed the drug problem of the century. Authorities struggled to control the burgeoning trade involving ports around the world.

The drug is produced when powdered cocaine is processed and combined with water and another substance, usually baking soda. The mixture is ‘cooked’ (boiled) and when cooled becomes hard and rock-like.

The name derives from the crackling sound made when the drug is heated and smoked. While powdered cocaine is ingested through the nostrils and there is a delay of about ten minutes before it takes effect, crack is almost instantaneously effective.

However, the ‘high’ though intense, only lasts for about ten minutes and experts say that, because the drug is so highly concentrated, it is “extremely addictive (and) it’s possible for a person to become addicted to crack after just one ‘hit’.”

The ‘craving’ for more has caused demand to skyrocket and though this has diminished in recent years, crack still remains the drug of choice for many, who have become addicted to it. Cocaine, from which it is derived, has made drug cartels, particularly in South America, fabulously wealthy as drug distribution networks spread rapidly across the globe.

Huge ‘drug busts’ of cocaine have been recorded in this country and persons are regularly apprehended at the airport, attempting to traffic in the substance, while Guyana quickly became known as a primary transshipment port for the drug.

All of the cocaine does not pass through the country, however. Some of it remains here and, after processing, is sold as crack at locations nationwide on ‘blocks’, similar to ‘crack houses’ in the US, where  people gather to buy and smoke it.

Addiction has become a problem and the pandemic places crack smokers at greater risk because the drug causes sleeplessness and loss of appetite – weakening the immune system – and long term use can lead to respiratory complications.

There is therefore urgent need for greater attention to be paid to this section of our population and substantial resources directed towards the treatment and rehabilitation of ‘users’, particularly in light of the recent discovery of an even more malignant COVID-19 variant.

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