Inquiry into the misuse/abuse of benzodiazepines and other forms of pharmaceutical drugs in Victoria : final report / Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee.

  • Victoria. Parliament. Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee
Date:
2007
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: Inquiry into the misuse/abuse of benzodiazepines and other forms of pharmaceutical drugs in Victoria : final report / Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    113/524 (page 91)
    2.3 Misuse and Abuse of Benzodiazepines and Other Pharmaceutical Drugs — Profiles of Use and Reasons for Use Introduction Unfortunately there is a relative dearth of information and research giving insights from a drug user perspective on the culture of pharmaceutical drug misuse. Certainly this is the case compared to other licit drugs such as alcohol and illicit drugs such as heroin and amphetamines.'?” Nonetheless, it is known is that there is a great variety of user profiles and demographics pertaining to prescription drug use and abuse. This can range from an elderly person who has become inadvertently dependent on benzodiazepines through long-term prescription to these drugs, to a street injector of opioids, often in conjunction with the use of illicit drugs. Consequently, the reasons why a person may abuse prescription drugs will vary according to the profile of those abusing them. Whilst some user accounts have been included in this chapter where available, most of the information presented here is based on research and accounts from service providers’ perspectives. Although it is likely that accounts of pharmaceutical drug misuse will be embedded in accounts of polydrug use, there appears to be a need for in-depth qualitative research of non-medical use of prescription drugs from a user's perspective, both in Victoria and nationally. Victorian researchers have also made this observation, for example Jenkinson and O'Keefe (2006). Research of this nature will be invaluable in informing regulatory, preventive, and treatment responses to this growing phenomenon. The use of short-acting benzodiazepines such as flunitrazepam (eg. Rohypnol®) as a ‘date rape’ drug will not be addressed here because this has received recent extensive coverage elsewhere (Taylor, Prichard & Charlton 2004). This is particularly the case given that the motivation for use in this context is to take advantage of another person rather than to experience the drugs’ psychoactive effects. Profiles of use There is no one snapshot or profile of a prescription drug misuser or abuser just as there is not one reason why a person may use these drugs in excess of therapeutic need. A submission to this Inquiry from Dr Benny Monheit, a drug and alcohol clinician based in Melbourne, indicated how important it was to understand the heterogeneity of prescription drug users. For example, psychiatrists may see a completely different profile of user (and abuser) than doctors in drug and alcohol clinics or even general practice: [it is] difficult to achieve a consensus among the medical profession [on benzodiazepine use and misuse]. For example, psychiatrists are keen. to be able to continue to prescribe benzodiazepines in an unrestricted manner as they find the anti-anxiety effect of 127. See for example other reports tabled by the Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee such as the Final Report of the Inquiry into Amphetamine and ‘Party Drug’ Use in Victoria (Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee 2004) and the Final Report of the Inquiry into Strategies to Reduce Harmful Alcohol Consumption in Victoria (Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee 2006). Both these reports drew on a voluminous research literature discussing the cultural aspects of drug use and abuse.