On substance abuse in Kuwait (1992–1997)

Purpose: To assess preference for different psychoactive substances and time trends in Kuwait. Methods: Analysis of urine and blood samples of specimens sent by attending physicians to the only public health reference laboratory for toxicological screening in the country. Results: A total of 28,548 tests were performed on 3781 samples. Cannabinoids were positive in 40% of the tested samples, opiates in 24%, ethanol in 10%, and amphetamines in 5%. Elevated concentrations of methadone, cocaine, and phencyclidine did not exceed 0.1%. About 40% of samples was positive for benzodiazepines, but their therapeutic use obscures the informativeness of this finding. There was a significant increase in the proportion of positive results for ethanol, amphetamines, and benzodiazepines. Implications: It is high time to implement a modern and comprehensive preventive and control program. The tendency to blame the Iraqi invasion for drug addiction has hampered efforts to recognise and address the problem in its entirety.