The impact of the tobacco law on hospitalizations due to the abusive consumption of psychoactive substances

Introduction: The abusive consumption of psychoactive substances, such as cocaine, cannabis, and heroin, often leads to hospital treatments due to a variety of complications and adverse effects. Some studies have revealed a dose-dependent relationship between tobacco consumption and the use of psychoactive substances. The Portuguese Tobacco Law of 2007, Law No. 37/2007 of August 14th, had as its main objectives the prevention of smoking and the protection from exposure to tobacco smoke. Taking into account the harmful effects not only of the abusive use of psychoactive substances but also of tobacco consumption, it is important to assess whether the mitigation attempts imposed by tobacco consumption laws ultimately lead to changes in patterns of psychoactive substance consumption.
Objective: Compare the incidence of hospitalizations for mental disorders and addictive behaviors due to the abusive use of psychoactive substances, before and after the enactment of the Tobacco Law of 2007, in the population of individuals aged 15 and 65 years old residing in Portugal.
Methods: The present research is based on the analysis of the impact of the enactment of Law No. 37/2007 of August 14th on the patterns of psychoactive substance consumption among Portuguese residents aged 15 and 65 years old. To do so, a interrupted time series, a type of quasi-experimental study, will be conducted. The variable under study will be the incidence of hospitalizations due to abusive consumption of psychoactive substances. This variable will be adjusted based on data collected from the GDH database, individually by age, gender, and municipality of residence. A comparison will be made between the observed values after the implementation of the law and the values projected based on the selected regression model in order to assess the percentage difference between the two.
Expected Results: Based on the literature on the subject under study, it is expected that hospitalizations due to abusive consumption of psychoactive substances will show a decreasing pattern after the implementation of the Tobacco Law of 2007. This is because it is anticipated that the reduced accessibility to tobacco and the decrease in places for its consumption will lead to a decrease in the consumption of psychoactive substances.
Discussion: Because of the lack of literature addressing the investigated issue, it is highly relevant to conduct medical research and scientific production in order to enable the formulation of more effective policies with greater support from scientific evidence.