Historique
Article de Périodique
The interest in eight new psychoactive substances before and after scheduling (2015)
Auteur(s) :
LEDBERG, A.
Année
2015
Page(s) :
73-78
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Domaine :
Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Discipline :
LOI (Loi et son application / Law enforcement)
Thésaurus géographique
SUEDE
Thésaurus mots-clés
INTERNET
;
DROGUES DE SYNTHESE
;
PHENOMENE EMERGENT
;
POLITIQUE
;
LEGISLATION
;
CLASSIFICATION
;
RESEAUX SOCIAUX
;
INFLUENCE
Note générale :
Note de police scientifique dans la Revue Internationale de Criminologie et de Police Technique et Scientifique 2015; 68(4):503-4.
Résumé :
Background: In recent years the recreational use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) has increased. NPS are considered a threat to public health and the main response to this threat is to make the selling and buying of these substances illegal. In Sweden, during the last 5 years, 62 new substances have been classified as narcotics but little is known of the effects of making a particular substance illegal. The aim of this work is to study how legal status influences the interest in NPS in Sweden.
Methods: Forty-five thousand posts made in a Swedish Internet discussion forum (Flashback Forum) related to eight NPS (MDPV, Methylone, 4-MEC, 4-HO-MET, MXE, 6-APB, AH-7921, and 3-MMC) were used to derive time-dependent measures of interest in these substances. Intervention analyses were used to investigate the effects of legal status on the forum interest.
Results: For all eight substances the activity on the forum (measured as number of posts per day) showed a drastic decrease around the time of classification. The statistical analysis showed that in seven of eight cases, the drop in activity could be accounted for by the legal status of the substances.
Conclusions: The legal status of the substances was shown to have a substantial effect on the interest in the substances. The novel measure used to trace the interest in particular NPS could be a useful tool to follow trends in substance use in almost real-time.
Highlights:
Activity on an Internet discussion forum is used to track interest in NPS.
The legal status of the substances has a major effect on the activity.
When a substance becomes illegal, interest is sometimes diverted to other substances.
Methods: Forty-five thousand posts made in a Swedish Internet discussion forum (Flashback Forum) related to eight NPS (MDPV, Methylone, 4-MEC, 4-HO-MET, MXE, 6-APB, AH-7921, and 3-MMC) were used to derive time-dependent measures of interest in these substances. Intervention analyses were used to investigate the effects of legal status on the forum interest.
Results: For all eight substances the activity on the forum (measured as number of posts per day) showed a drastic decrease around the time of classification. The statistical analysis showed that in seven of eight cases, the drop in activity could be accounted for by the legal status of the substances.
Conclusions: The legal status of the substances was shown to have a substantial effect on the interest in the substances. The novel measure used to trace the interest in particular NPS could be a useful tool to follow trends in substance use in almost real-time.
Highlights:
Activity on an Internet discussion forum is used to track interest in NPS.
The legal status of the substances has a major effect on the activity.
When a substance becomes illegal, interest is sometimes diverted to other substances.
Affiliation :
Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs, SoRAD, Stockholms universitet, Stockholm, Sweden
Cote :
Abonnement