Project 170056

One issue that may hinder our understanding of illicit drug addiction is the tendency for drug users to administer multiple substances at a time, a phenomenon known as simultaneous polysubstance use (SPU). High rates of SPU have been documented across users of various illicit substances, and evidence suggests that simultaneous use of more than one substance can alter subjective and behavioural responses to the drugs and increase the harmful consequences of use. However, traditional models for assessing, diagnosing and treating substance use disorders tend to focus on problems associated with individual substances in isolation from one another. The principal applicant has recently developed a structured interview technique to assess patterns of SPU including details regarding order, amount, type and route of administration of all substances administered on specific substance use occasions. Preliminary results from studies using this method showed that participants were able to reliably recall such details and that certain combinations of substances followed identifiable patterns of co-administration. However, because these studies did not assess the presence or absence of substance related disorders or the harmful consequences of multiple substance use, the clinical significance of these findings remains unknown. The proposed research will examine patterns of SPU in various illicit substance-dependent populations and determine how SPU patterns are associated with substance-related disorders and harms.

historical and sociological analysis of genomic medicine implementation