THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF COCAINE USE IN SPAIN

Trends and patterns of cocaine use in Spain are described with the aid of different information sources such as population surveys, the Stat e Information System on Drug Abuse, and anthropological studies. In re cent years the magnitude of cocaine supply indicators has increased gr eatly. High levels of last-month prevalence of cocaine use have been d etected among the general population - consistently higher than those for heroin - and cocaine consumption among heroin users has increased. Although the frequency of some health problems related to cocaine use - treatment admissions, hospital emergency admissions - has increased , it is still 30 times less than for heroin. Various hypotheses to exp lain these discrepancies are discussed.