A review of Brazilian crack cocaine studies, for example, reinforced such idea indicating that drug consumption among women increase their exposure to vulnerability regarding specific sex issues, including gestation health problems, intrapersonal and domestic violence, prostitution and moral judgment ( 21). It might contribute to social stigmatization among women users, influencing the appearance of high-risk behavioral profile in this population ( 9, 14, 15, 18– 20). Several factors are being highlighted as potential differences between sexes in relation to drug use and addiction, including the psychoactive effects of each drug, the patterns and motivations of use, the dependence and withdrawal symptoms and, finally, the treatment challenges and strategies ( 14– 16).ĭespite still incipient, some findings have been suggested that women have more severe pattern of drug use in association with higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities and psychosocial problems (e.g., familiar, work-related, legal, and criminal problems) ( 17). This new perspective leads to an effort from the Brazilian scientific community to investigate potential sex specificities in a range of target-points, which is in line with an international tendency to explore and integrate on addiction studies sex and gender differences as a main issue for investigation ( 11– 13). The CCU profile is not different from other drugs with prevalence rates being higher among men, however, in the last few years, drug reports and few studies have been suggested an increase of crack cocaine consumption among women ( 1, 9, 10). Clinical evaluation of crack cocaine users (CCU) has been suggested the presence of more pronounced symptoms and negative psychosocial effects when compared to those who consume the drug in powder form ( 7, 8) or any other drugs, increasing the demand for CUD treatments. At high doses or in a chronic and prolonged use form, otherwise, both cocaine and crack cocaine could trigger negative emotions (e.g., mood and anxiety symptoms), paranoia, impulsive and aggressive behaviors, and physiological reactions ( 6). Despite both forms having distinct ways of administration, time of action and half-life duration, they have similar active components, being capable to produce psychostimulant effects (e.g., euphoria, energy gain, increased psychomotor activity and alertness, reduced appetite and sleep needs) in the user ( 5). Crack cocaine is produced with the same chemical base from cocaine, but with less amount of water, which results in a tropane alkaloid composition. Despite there is a few studies of epidemiological data on specific increase of crack consumption, Brazilian drugs reports have been estimated that 1.3% of drug users consume crack cocaine form annually ( 4).
In South American countries, for example, crack cocaine “rocks”– a cocaine base obtained from hydrochloride conversion for smoking usually through a pipe ( 2)-has been widely consumed, such as in Brazil ( 3).
Recent reports from Word Drug Report 2021 estimated a potential increase of 11% in global drug use for 2030, with pronounced impact in low- and middle income- countries, which could be, in part, explained by the availability of the drug in derived forms that provide greater returns to the drug market ( 1). Cocaine consumption has been increasing over the last decades. Cocaine Use Disorder (CUD) represents a serious public health problem with about 20 million people using the drug annually worldwide.
0 kommentar(er)
