People who use drugs may seek drugs for their stimulating or hallucinogenic effects, their analgesic or hypnotic properties, their potential to take away inhibitions, etc. The exact effects and potential harm depend on many factors such as personal characteristics and the environment in which the drugs are taken. These effects may change over time following e.g. repeated use or periods of abstinence, and can vary between substances of the same type. Besides voluntary intake, drugs – more particularly dissociative or depressant substances – may also be used in sexual assault cases.
The availability of drugs and the problems they pose are not static, nor is the profile of the people who use dugs. Therefore, Sciensano’s Drugs Unit uses a holistic approach to monitor drug use in Belgium. Initiatives such as Drug Vibes try to map drug use among people who use drugs. Other projects focus on specific subpopulations such as persons in need for treatment (e.g. the TDI project). Through the Belgian Early Warning System on Drugs (BEWSD) project, new and emerging drugs are identified, and the purity or dosages of established substances mapped over time.
The below figure offers an overview of the wide range of substances currently being monitored. This list is by no means exhaustive and subject to the latest changes in the Belgian drug scene.
Image ‘The Drugs Wheel’ by Mark Adley based on a work at www.thedrugswheel.com
For more information about our work on drug-related monitoring, research and support to policymakers, please visit our Unit illicit drugs page.