Most illicit 'benzos' come from other people's prescriptions

Publicly released:
Australia; NSW; VIC; QLD; WA; TAS
Gotgot44, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Gotgot44, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

A survey of illicit drug users has found that most people illicitly taking benzodiazepines are obtaining them from someone they know's prescription, rather than from dealers or cryptomarkets, according to Australian research. The authors also found that a substantial group of illicit drug users were potentially unaware of counterfeits circulating. They say while one policy reaction might be to tighten prescription regulations, this could inadvertently increase risk by shifting the market towards more potent novel compounds.

Media release

From:

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Research Wiley, Web page Please link to the article in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends).
Journal/
conference:
Drug and Alcohol Review
Research:Paper
Organisation/s: Curtin University, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), The University of New South Wales, University of Tasmania, The University of Queensland
Funder: The Drug Trends program (including the Illicit Drug Reporting System and Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System), the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre and the National Drug Research Institute are funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Amy Peacock and Rachel Sutherland are supported by National Health and Medical Research Council Emerging Leader Fellowships.
Media Contact/s
Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.