Illicit Substance Use and the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States: A Scoping Review and Characterization of Research Evidence in Unprecedented Times

Anh Truc Vo, Thomas Patton, Amy Peacock, Sarah Larney and Annick Borquez
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Anh Truc Vo: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Thomas Patton: Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
Amy Peacock: National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Sarah Larney: Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
Annick Borquez: Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 14, 1-28

Abstract: We carried out a scoping review to characterize the primary quantitative evidence addressing changes in key individual/structural determinants of substance use risks and health outcomes over the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States (US). We systematically queried the LitCovid database for US-only studies without date restrictions (up to 6 August 2021). We extracted quantitative data from articles addressing changes in: (a) illicit substance use frequency/contexts/behaviors, (b) illicit drug market dynamics, (c) access to treatment and harm reduction services, and (d) illicit substance use-related health outcomes/harms. The majority of 37 selected articles were conducted within metropolitan locations and leveraged historical timeseries medical records data. Limited available evidence supported changes in frequency/behaviors/contexts of substance use. Few studies point to increases in fentanyl and reductions in heroin availability. Policy-driven interventions to lower drug use treatment thresholds conferred increased access within localized settings but did not seem to significantly prevent broader disruptions nationwide. Substance use-related emergency medical services’ presentations and fatal overdose data showed a worsening situation. Improved study designs/data sources, backed by enhanced routine monitoring of illicit substance use trends, are needed to characterize substance use-related risks and inform effective responses during public health emergencies.

Keywords: COVID-19; illicit drugs; substance use; scoping review; harm reduction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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