Substance use among Venezuelan medical and pharmacy students

The frequency of substance use disorders and non-pathological use of drugs was assessed in a cohort of undergraduate medical (N = 1013) and pharmacy students (N = 426) from the University of the Andes (Mérida, Venezuela). The survey was conducted using a self-administered Spanish version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS-III-A). It was found that the lifetime frequency of substance use disorders was significantly higher in medical than in pharmacy students, but this difference disappeared when the sex was controlled. Substance use disorders were more common in single males and most cases were observed in subjects in their intermediate academic semesters. It was also found that the frequency of non-pathological use of drugs was higher in medical than in pharmacy students and in men than in women. The frequency of substance use disorders in our sample was smaller than that reported in American surveys of substance misuse among medical and pharmacy students. However, because of methodological differences these comparisons are questionable. Our results suggest that Venezuelan medical students are not at an unusually high risk of substance misuse when compared with pharmacy students whose reputedly low levels of substance use are often contrasted with those of the medical profession.