Prevalence of canabinoides compound by urinalysis in men referred to Kerman clinical laboratories, a pilot study, 2003

Introduction: Hashish and canabinoides compounds are not only the most illegally abused substances in the world but also have the most geographically extensive territory. Because of high proportion of young population in Iran, its neighborhood with Afghanistan and Pakistan, canabinoide abuse would be one of the prominent problems of Iran in the future. So this primary study was performed to determine the epidemiology of canabinoide compounds in Kerman. Methods: In this descriptive study, Urine samples of 700 males, referred to a clinical lab in Kerman city in 1382 were collected to determine canabinoid metabolites. Assessment analysis was a monophasic immunoassay rapid technique RSA (Rapid Situation Assessment). The study was completely blind and only age and residence place (rural, urban) were defined. All stages were confirmed and supervised by ethic committee. Results: The prevalence of canabinoid use was 0.6 percent. All four positive cases were urban, with ages 31, 36, 40 and 67. More than 90 percent of those referred were urban with mean age of 46.8+16 while the mean age of rural cases was 54.3+17 years. Conclusion: Considering the age range and possibility underlying disease in the study population, the prevalence of canabinoid use was more than expected. But the urinalysis as method for assessing the prevalence requires wide sample size in which the age distribution should match with study population. In addition, the entrance criteria should not include sick cases.