In Sinaloa, More Addicts and More Mental Problems Due to Amphetamines

“Ivan” for Borderland Beat

The following is a direct translation of an article written by journalist Alejandro Monjardin for Riodoce.

Sinaloa, in addition to being a producer state, is becoming a consumer of amphetamines and with this, mental problems due to its consumption are increasing.

Data from the Mexican Observatory of Mental Health and Drug Use of the National Council against Addictions reveal that in recent years the demand for treatment against addiction to amphetamine-type stimulants has increased and the demand for mental health treatments associated with this type of addiction drugs.

For marijuana, which for decades has been the most widely used impact drug, the demand for treatment is going down.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the most common amphetamine-type stimulants are amphetamines (including methamphetamine) and ecstasy.

Sinaloa, headquarters of the Sinaloa Cartel, is one of the main states producing synthetic drugs since 2006 when methamphetamine seizures began in the state by federal authorities.

The Observatory records demand for treatment against addiction to the use of amphetamine-type stimulants since 2013. Of the total services that year, 23 percent were for amphetamine use, by 2019 it rose to 41 percent and in 2020 it increased to 47 percent.

Marijuana is going the other way and requests for treatment for addiction to this drug are going down. In 2013, 35 percent of the people who requested treatment were for marijuana use, in 2019 it was 25 percent and in 2020 it dropped to 16 percent.

Mental disorders due to drug use had the same behavior.

In 2013, 23 percent of patients had marijuana use disorders, in 2019 it was 18 percent, and in 2020 it was 16 percent.

The demand for mental treatment for the use of amphetamine-type stimulants increased. In 2013, 9.5 percent of patients had mental problems due to this type of drug, in 2019 it was 28 percent and in 2020 it was 30 percent.

Problematic use of amphetamine-type stimulants predominates in Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa, Colima, Durango, Coahuila, Michoacán, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Nayarit, and Querétaro.

Alcohol use disorders and their highest levels occur in the states of Oaxaca, Mexico City, Zacatecas, Veracruz and Tlaxcala; for cocaine use is in Chihuahua, Baja California and Tamaulipas; and for opioid use in Chihuahua, Baja California, Sonora, and Mexico City.

According to statistics, the most significant mental and behavioral disorders in Sinaloa were depression, major anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and dysthymia.

The Conadic points out that there is a worrying increase in the demand for treatment due to the use of amphetamine-type stimulants and a tendency to decrease in the demand for the use of alcohol and marijuana; and the demand for the use of alcohol and amphetamine-type stimulants are the ones that have the most presence in the country’s entities.

The Commission reports a decrease in the patterns of consumption of psychoactive substances during the isolation period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the intake of alcoholic beverages decreased 26.7 percent; 16.8 percent tobacco, and 1.5 percent illegal drugs.

It indicates that care was reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but many health professionals continued to provide care remotely.

It indicates that a diagnosis was made to identify the use of fentanyl among people who requested treatment in public and private centers and civil society organizations and according to this exploratory study, between 2013 and 2020, 122 cases were detected in which users reported having consumed these substances, but does not detail in which states they were registered.

At the national level, the substances whose consumption caused the greatest demand for treatment by women were alcohol with 30 percent of cases, followed by amphetamine-type stimulants with 26 percent and marijuana with 14 percent; while among men the main substances were amphetamine-type stimulants with 30 percent, followed by alcohol with 23 percent and marijuana with 16 percent of cases.

In the country, between 2013 and 2020, there were changes in drug use and the demand for treatment for the use of amphetamine-type stimulants increased by 218 percent, that of alcohol decreased by 32 percent and that of marijuana decreased by 31 percent. Hundred.

The Conadic points out that Mexico has one of the largest treatment networks in Latin America, but there are still significant challenges regarding the interventions of non-governmental centers, which in some cases lack minimum quality criteria and can even violate the human rights of users.

“An important challenge in treatment is the implementation of social integration, rehabilitation and harm reduction programs, the latter carried out in recent decades by Civil Society Organizations, which are beginning to be implemented by state health services”, indicates.