Experience of using the European Web Survey on Drugs as an instrument for auscultation of drug users for the necessary services in Portugal

International drug policies are moving towards greater respect for human rights and user participation in their design. Since illicit drug use tends to be a hidden behaviour it is important to find methods of participation that respect anonymity and capture a greater number of participants. This study intends to assess the utility attributed to a set of services, in regard of the subjective experience of the participant as a drug user, among the participants of an international web survey.

This study is based on the Portuguese national database (N=4685) of the European Web Survey on Drugs, an online survey, implemented between march and may 2021 in about 30 countries, considering the national module about services. The main variables used were: 12M prevalence of each illicit drug, classification of experience as drug users, utility attributed to 18 services. Bivariate analysis was used to assess the association between type of experience as drug user and services considered more useful.

The highest proportion of participants (47%) considered being satisfied with their consumption not felt the need to make changes; followed by the proportion of those who wish to continue to consume but a) would like to know the composition of the drugs consumed (19%); (b) would like to be better informed about the risks associated with their consumption (2%); (c) would like to consume less (13%); (d) would like to have greater control over their consumption (8%). Finally, 7% would like to stop consuming. These 6 groups have some distinct characteristics in terms of prevalence of consumption, with particular emphasis on those of users who would like to stop consuming, in which the prevalence of heroin, cocaine and benzodiazepine are particularly higher. They are significantly distinguished (in bivariate analysis) also in the usefulness attributed to services, in which those who want to stop consuming or who intend to have greater control over their consumption tend to value more a set of support services, crisis, therapeutic or social in nature, while the group that would like to know better the composition of drugs that consumes stands out for the valorization of the Drug Checking service.

This first experience of applying this national module has allowed to identify some aspects to be improved in its formulation, but reinforces its potential as one more tool for adapting interventions to the diversity of experiences of drug users.