KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – A new study has found a continuing high incidence of alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco use by Jamaicans over the past seven years.
The 2023 National Drug Prevalence Study was conducted in conjunction with the Centre for Leadership and Governance at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission of the Organization of American States (OAS).
Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton, speaking at the media launch for National Drug Awareness Month, said the findings would inform a national alcohol policy and the development of evidence-based prevention, treatment, and harm reduction programs.
“We are seeing that the overall prevalence has not increased significantly, but the intensity of use among those who already use has increased. This is what other countries have also found,” Tufton said.
The Health Minister told reporters that a National Drug Research Network is to be established. It will comprise academics and technical experts who will draft an agenda for drug research that goes beyond prevalence studies and takes a deeper dive into the issues.
He said these findings will also inform initiatives geared toward the high-risk areas and groups.
The study sought to determine the prevalence of substance use across the nation among those aged 12 to 65 years old.
Tufton said that it is noteworthy that alcohol prevalence is significantly higher in Trelawny (57.5 percent), St. Ann (54.3 percent), and Kingston (52.2 percent) than the national prevalence of current alcohol use (46.2 percent).
He said regarding marijuana use, significantly higher current use is evident in Kingston (27 percent), Trelawny (23.2 percent), and Clarendon (21.8 percent) compared to other parishes and the national prevalence of current use (17.1 percent).
For tobacco (cigarette smoking), St. Andrew (17.5 percent), Trelawny (16.1 percent), and St. Ann (14.5 percent) featured highest compared to other parishes and the overall national prevalence of 11.8 percent.
“This doesn’t mean we have no issues in other parishes. What it does is to provide us with vital information to tailor relevant prevention and treatment-related strategies to fit the different contexts,” Tufton said.
The survey found that eight in 10 Jamaicans (77.4 percent) have consumed alcohol at some point in their lifetime, with six in 10, or 60 percent, reporting use in the past year and five in 10 (46 percent) in the past month.
At the same time, three in 10, or 30.4 percent, have smoked marijuana, and the same for smoking cigarettes.
“Another concerning finding is the fact that among people who smoked ganja in the past year, approximately 66 percent of them (65.9 percent) were deemed as high risk for dependence (as measured by the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test) and this represents a 15 percent increase from 50 percent seven years ago (2016 survey),” Tufton said.
According to the health minister, harmful use of alcohol is most evident among the 25-35 age group, while current ganja use is most prevalent among the 18-25 age group. Tufton said among those who smoke cigarettes, daily use increased from seven percent in 2016 to 11.6 percent at present.
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