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Published on: February 5, 2018
Recreational substance use among international travellers
Sakarn Charoensakulchai1, Manasvin Onwan2, Sukrit Kanchanasurakit3,4,5,6
1Thai Travel Clinic, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
International travelers engage in recreational substance abuse, a significant issue with diverse health and legal consequences. This review highlights the need for travel health professionals to counsel travelers on associated risks.
Area of Science:
- Travel Medicine
- Public Health
- Substance Abuse Research
Background:
- Drug tourism is linked to the expanding illicit drug market and poses health risks to international travelers.
- Knowledge regarding substance use among international travelers is limited and has not been previously reviewed.
- This review addresses recreational substance abuse in international travelers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the prevalence, patterns, and characteristics of recreational substance abuse among international travelers.
- To identify the health- and non-health-related problems associated with substance abuse in this population.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus.
- Keywords included terms related to recreational substances and international travelers.
- A total of 11,021 articles were reviewed, with 58 ultimately included in the analysis.
Main Results:
- Substance abuse prevalence varied widely (0.7%–55.0%), with specific rates for cannabis, alcohol, MDMA, cocaine, psychedelics, and methamphetamine.
- Prevalence differed based on traveler characteristics and destinations.
- Problems included direct health issues (neuropsychiatric), indirect consequences (accidents, crime, infections), and non-health-related issues (deportation, legal violations).
Conclusions:
- Substance abuse among international travelers is an underrecognized problem requiring intervention.
- Travel health practitioners should counsel travelers on the risks of substance abuse.
- Addressing this issue is crucial for traveler well-being and promoting safer travel.
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