Mexico: systems for the epidemiologicaldiagnosis of drug abuse

The study of the demand for psychoactive substances in Mexico has a long history, with the earliest accounts dating from the eighteenth century. It was not, however, until the 1970s that epidemiological studies began to be undertaken. The strategies that have been adopted to assess the problem of drug abuse are similar to those used internationally: they include household surveys, studies of student populations and high-risk groups, the introduction of epidemiological observation systems and the analysis of mortality statistics. They have also included other methodologies suited to studying populations that are difficult to access and analysing the contextual factors surrounding drug consumption. These methodologies are employed from an anthropological perspective through qualitative methods, including ethnographic observations, interviews with key informants, focus groups and in-depth case studies. Through these studies, it has been shown that since the 1990s, there has been a significant increase in the illicit use of drugs in Mexico, primarily cocaine and certain amphetamine-type drugs (the most common being methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), known as “Ecstasy”) and a decrease in the abuse of inhalants. Existing data collection systems also show an increase in the consumption of heroin in the area bordering the United States of America, with a large proportion of the heroin