Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on drug markets, prevention and treatment in Ukraine

Authors

  • Maria Bevz National Center for Prevention of Addiction

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26881/jpgs.2022.1.07

Keywords:

pandemic, drug prevention, restrictions, Ukraine

Abstract

This paper aims to highlight some issues, challenges and trends caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the drug scene and the system of drug prevention in Ukraine. This article is based on the official statistics, available qualitative and quantitative studies conducted by the Institute for Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatric Examination and Drug Monitoring of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (Ukrainian National Focal Point), the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and Ukrainian researchers. Of course, some studies are not representative of the general population; however, they give some information on the drug scene in Ukraine during the pandemic. The data used in the article were collected mainly in 2019–2020. Every actor on the drug scene had to adapt to the new reality caused by anti-pandemic measures. Drug sellers proposed “stable work” during lockdown; drug dealers dropped ordered substances closer to the customer’s place. At the same time, OST facilities implemented home-treatment, and many private facilities appeared. OST patients misused methadone and sold it on the illicit market, while drug users started to find substitutes of their main drug and notably increased drug-related deaths.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Boslaugh S., 2007, Secondary data sources for public health: A practical guide, Cambridge University Press, New York.

Dumchev K., Kiriazova T., Chernova, O., 2021, Impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on drug markets, substance use patterns, and delivery of harm reduction and treatment services in Ukraine, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction in collaboration with Ukrainian Institute on Public Health Policy, https://www.uiphp.org.ua/uk/ resursnyi-tsentr/item/download/125_9e69da736687021 4605a593b1b737ce6 (accessed 07 April 2022).

EMCDDA, 2020, Ukraine country overview, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, https://www. emcdda.europa.eu/countries/ukraine_en (accessed 07 April 2022).

EMCDDA, 2021, EMCDDA trendspotter briefing. Impact of COVID-19 on drug markets, drug use, drug-related harms and responses in east European Neighbourhood Policy countries, 2021, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/system/files/ publications/13263/EU4MD_Trendspotter_East_ENP_FINAL.pdf (accessed 07 April 2022).

Europol, EMCDDA, 2020, EU Drug Markets Impact of COVID-19, 2020, Europol & European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, https://www.europol.europa.eu/ cms/sites/default/files/documents/eu_drug_markets_ covid19_impact_final.pdf (accessed 07 April 2022).

Garasim A., 2021, Narkoforumi: tut kupuûť narkotyki gurtom ì vrozdrìb, najmaûťsâ na robotu ì provodâť konkursi poezìï (Eng. Drug forums: buy drugs in bulk and retail, hire and hold poetry contests), 2021, TEXTY.ORG.UA, https://texty.org.ua/articles/104210/mav-koksu-5-hramiv-chymzhyvut-i-pro-sho-pyshut-na-ukrayinskyh-narkoforumah/ (accessed 07 April 2022).

Heaton J., 2008, Secondary analysis of qualitative data: an overview, Historical Social Research / Historische Sozialforschung, 33(3), 33–45. I

nstitute for Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatric Examination and Drug Monitoring of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, 2021, Report on Drug and Alcohol Situation in Ukraine for 2021 (Based on data 2020), https://cmhmda.org.ua/wpcontent/uploads/2022/02/national-drug-and-alcoholreport-20212020.pdf (accessed 07 April 2022).

Institute for Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatric Examination and Drug Monitoring of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, 2019, Report on the Drug and Alcohol Situation in Ukraine 2019 (Based on data 2018), https://cmhmda. org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Ukraine_Countryreport_2019_EMCDDA.pdf (accessed 07 April 2022).

Johnston M.P., 2014, Secondary data analysis: A method of which the time has come, Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries, 3, 619–626.

Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, 2021, Polìcejs’kì razom z aktivìstami po vsìj deržavì proveli akcìû z protidìï vuličnìj reklamì narkotikìv (Eng. Police together with activists across the country held a rally to counter street drug advertising), https://www.npu.gov.ua/news/narkozlochini/ policzejski-razom-z-aktivistami-po-vsij-derzhavi-proveliakcziyu-z-protidiji-vulichnij-reklami-narkotikiv/ (accessed 07 April 2022).

Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, 2020, Statystyka pro zarejestrovani kryminaľni pravoporušennia ta rezuľtaty jich dosudovoho rozsliduvannia; pro osib, jaki včynyly kryminaľni pravoporušennia (Eng. Statistics on the registered criminal offenses and results of their pre-judicial investigation; on the persons who committed criminal offenses), https://gp.gov.ua/ua/posts/statistika (accessed 07 April 2022).

Downloads

Published

2022-05-27

How to Cite

Bevz, M. (2022). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on drug markets, prevention and treatment in Ukraine. Journal of Geography, Politics and Society, 12(1), 59–64. https://doi.org/10.26881/jpgs.2022.1.07

Issue

Section

Articles