Illegal drug use and its correlates in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Data on the prevalence and correlates of illegal drug use in Puerto Rico are now almost 20 years old.

This study sought to estimate the 12-month prevalence of illegal and non-prescribed medical drug use in San Juan, Puerto Rico and identify sociodemographic correlates of use.

Data are from a random household sample of 1510 individuals, 18-64 years of age in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The 12-month prevalence of any illegal or non-prescribed drug use was 16.5%. Prevalence among men (20.7%) was higher than among women (12.9%; chi² = 16.308; df = 1; p < .01). Prevalence for specific drugs ranged from 11.2% for marijuana to 0.2% for methadone.

of the multiple logistic regression analysis showed that male gender (OR = 1.67, 95CI = 1.21-2.3; p < .01), age 18-29 (OR = 2.39; 95CI = 1.35-4.23; p < .01), age 30-39 (OR = 1.93; 95CI = 1.01-3.69; p < .05), low (OR = 2.03; 95CI = 1.36-3.02; p < .001) and medium (OR = 1.50; 95CL = 1.01-2.23; p < .05) family cohesion/pride, and no religious preference (OR = 1.99; 95CI = 1.23-3.22; p < .01) increased the odds of drug use. Annual family income of $40,000-$60,000 (OR = 0.45; 95CI = 0.21-0.93; p < .05) and $60,001 and more (OR = 0.35; 95CI = 0.13-0.94; p > .05) were negatively associated with drug use compared to annual income up to $10,000.

As in many other places in the U.S., drug use in San Juan, Puerto Rico is high, affecting about 1 in 6 adults in the population. The highest prevalence is for marijuana use, which cannot be medically prescribed and of which recreational use is illegal on the island.