Hygiena 2019, 64(1):21-26 | DOI: 10.21101/hygiena.a1703

Public health impact of substance use

Viktor Mravčík1, Pavla Chomynová1,2, Kateřina Grohmannová1
1 Národní ústav duševního zdraví, Klecany, Česká republika
2 Univerzita Karlova, 1. lékařská fakulta, Klinika adiktologie a Všeobecná fakultní nemocnice, Praha, Česká republika

The paper focuses on the public health impact of substance use and factors related to their regulation, as well as on the contribution of the use of addictive substances (tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs) to the overall health burden. Health and social harms of different addictive substances are compared. Examples of significant changes in the population health associated with addictive substances are presented. Exposure to addictive substances in the context of other adverse socio-economic factors is a significant determinant of health, and can dramatically reduce life expectancy even in developed countries. Different addictive substances are associated with different levels of harm and contribute to the overall health burden to a different extent, with licit substances (tobacco and alcohol) having the strongest impact due to their high prevalence in the population, however their harmfulness at the individual level is also very high. A balanced set of policy measures including supply regulation as well as prevention, harm reduction and treatment measures play a crucial role in the nature and extent of the consequences of substance use in the society.

Keywords: addictive substances, public health, health burden, life expectancy

Received: September 2018; Accepted: November 28, 2018; Published: February 28, 2019  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Mravčík V, Chomynová P, Grohmannová K. Public health impact of substance use. Hygiena. 2019;64(1):21-26. doi: 10.21101/hygiena.a1703.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Szasz T. Drogy: historie jedné hysterie. Olomouc: Votobia; 1997.
    2. Gronský L, Langer I, Mravčík V, Zábranský T. Racionální protidrogová politika: uživatelé drog do rukou policie nebo lékařů? Olomouc: Votobia; 1997.
    3. GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators. Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet. 2017 Sep 16;390(10100):1345-422. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    4. Lim SS, Vos T, Flaxman AD, Danaei G, Shibuya K, Adair-Rohani H, et al. A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2012 Dec 15;380(9859):2224-60. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    5. Degenhardt L, Hall W. Extent of illicit drug use and dependence, and their contribution to the global burden of disease. Lancet. 2012 Jan 7;379(9810):55-70. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. Degenhardt L, Whiteford HA, Ferrari AJ, Baxter AJ, Charlson FJ, Hall WD, et al. Global burden of disease attributable to illicit drug use and dependence: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2013 Nov 9;382(9904):1564-74. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    7. Nutt DJ, King LA, Phillips LD; Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs. Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis. Lancet. 2010;376(9752):1558-65. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    8. van Amsterdam J, Opperhuizen A, Koeter M, van den Brink W. Ranking the harm of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs for the individual and the population. Eur Addict Res. 2010;16(4):202-7. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    9. Taylor M, Mackay K, Murphy J, McIntosh A, McIntosh C, Anderson S, et al. Quantifying the RR of harm to self and others from substance misuse: results from a survey of clinical experts across Scotland. BMJ Open. 2012 Jul 24;2(4). pii: e000774. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    10. Lachenmeier DW, Rehm J. Comparative risk assessment of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other illicit drugs using the margin of exposure approach. Sci Rep. 2015 Jan 30;5:8126. doi: 10.1038/srep08126. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    11. Beaglehole R, Bonita R. Global public health: a scorecard. Lancet. 2008 Dec 6;372(9654):1988-96. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61558-5. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Notzon FC, Komarov YM, Ermakov SP, Sempos CT, Marks JS, Sempos EV. Causes of declining life expectancy in Russia. JAMA. 1998 Mar 11;279(10):793-800. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    13. Leon DA, Chenet L, Shkolnikov VM, Zakharov S, Shapiro J, Rakhmanova G, et al. Huge variation in Russian mortality rates 1984-94: artefact, alcohol, or what? Lancet. 1997 Aug 9;350(9075):383-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    14. Kolodny A, Courtwright DT, Hwang CS, Kreiner P, Eadie JL, Clark TW, et al. The prescription opioid and heroin crisis: a public health approach to an epidemic of addiction. Annu Rev Public Health. 2015 Mar 18;36:559-74. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. Case A, Deaton A. Rising morbidity and mortality in midlife among white non-Hispanic Americans in the 21st century. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Dec 8;112(49):15078-83. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Kochanek KD, Murphy S, Xu J, Arias E. Mortality in the United States, 2016. NCHS Data Brief. 2017 Dec;(293):1-8.
    17. Woolf SH, Aron L. Failing health of the United States. BMJ. 2018 Feb 7;360:k496. doi: 10.1136/bmj.k496. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. Rehm J, Anderson P, Fischer B, Gual A, Room R. Policy implications of marked reversals of population life expectancy caused by substance use. BMC Med. 2016 Mar 10;14:42. doi: 10.1186/s12916-016-0590-x. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    19. Singer M, Bulled N, Ostrach B. Syndemics and human health: implications for prevention and intervention. Ann Anthropol Pract. 2012;36(2):205-11. Go to original source...
    20. Sovinová H, Csémy L. Užívání tabáku a alkoholu v České republice 2014. Praha: Státní zdravotní ústav; 2015.
    21. Mravčík V, Chomynová P, Grohmannová K, Janíková B, Tion Leštinová Z, Rous Z, et al. Výroční zpráva o stavu ve věcech drog v České republice v roce 2016. Praha: Úřad vlády České republiky; 2017.
    22. Best D, Gross S, Vingoe L, Witton J, Strang J. Dangerousness of drugs: a guide to the risks and harms associated with substance misuse. London: National Addiction Centre and Department of Health; 2003. Go to original source...
    23. Mravčík V, Chomynová P, Grohmannová K. Užívání návykových látek a problematika závislosti. In: Horáček J, Kesner L, Höschl C, Španiel F, editors. Mozek a jeho člověk, mysl a její nemoc. Praha: Galén; 2016. p. 324-33.
    24. Mravčík V. Epidemiologie problémového užívání drog [disertační práce]. Praha: Univerzita Karlova, 1. lékařská fakulta; 2018.
    25. Zábranský T, Běláčková V, Štefunková M, Vopravil J, Langrová M. Společenské náklady užívání alkoholu, tabáku a nelegálních drog v ČR v roce 2007. Praha: Centrum adiktologie PK 1. LF UK v Praze; 2011.
    26. Rhodes T, Lilly R, Fernández C, Giorgino E, Kemmesis UE, Ossebaard HC, et al. Risk factors associated with drug use: the importance of 'risk environment'. Drugs (Abingdon Engl). 2003;10(4):303-29. Go to original source...
    27. Murkin S, Rolles G. How to regulate cannabis: a practical guide. Bristol: Transform Drug Policy Foundation; 2013.
    28. ALICE RAP. Policy papers series. Policy paper 5. Cannabis: From prohibition to regulation [Internet]. Barcelona; 2014 [cited 2018 Nov 28]. Available from: http://www.alicerap.eu/resources/documents/cat_view/1-alice-rap-project-documents/19-policy-paper-series.html.
    29. Anderson P, Braddick F, Conrod P, Gual A, Hellman M, Matrai S, et al. The New governance of addictive substances and behaviours. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2017. Go to original source...
    30. Reuter P, Trautmann F, editors. A report on Global Illicit Drugs Markets 1998-2007. European Communities; 2009.
    31. Williamson L, Thom B, Stimson GV, Uhl A. Stigma as a public health tool: Implications for health promotion and citizen involvement - A response to Bayer and Fairchild. Int J Drug Policy. 2015 Jul;26(7):615-6. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    Return to the content