THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF COCAINE USE IN SPAIN

Trends and patterns of cocaine use in Spain are described with the aid of different information sources such as population surveys, the State Information System on Drug Abuse, and anthropological studies. In recent years the magnitude of cocaine supply indicators has increased greatly. High levels of last-month prevalence of cocaine use have been detected among the general population - consistently higher than those for heroin - and cocaine consumption among heroin users has increased. Although the frequency of some health problems related to cocaine use - treatment admissions, hospital emergency admissions - has increased, it is still 30 times less than for heroin. Various hypotheses to explain these discrepancies are discussed.