Exploratory survey research on young people who use drugs  and their perception about existing drug-related services

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Exploratory survey research on young people who use drugs and their perception about existing drug-related services

21 August 2013

Despite cannabis and alcohol having a long history of use in Nepal, they did not traditionally cause any major social problems. Cannabis only became known as an “illegal drug” in the 1970’s. However, the major public health issues developed with the gradual increase in heroin use until it became an epidemic from the 1980s onward’s, coupled by a shift in the mode of use from smoking/ingesting to injecting

This shift has been attributed to various factors, including the relatively porous open borders, the influence of hippy era tourism, poverty, illiteracy drug availability and accessibility These factors have lead to a rapid increase in the levels of drug use among Nepalese youth.

This study was conducted in the largest 5 cities of Nepal: Kathmandu, Pokhara, Nepalgunj, Biratnagar and Bhairhawa and it primarily aims to address the issues of young people who use (inject) drugs (YPU D’s).

The specific objectives of the study are as follows:

  • To determine whether the available drug services are youth friendly from the perspective of YPUDs
  • To identify the initial age of drug use and main factors influencing a young person's drug use
  • To collect other information related to YPUDs such as their socio-demographic characteristics, types of drugs used, history of imprisonment and their needs and issues

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