For all those hailing Portugal’s decriminalisation of drugs in 2001 “a success”, a new study showing that psychiatric hospital internments associated with cannabis use have increased 30-fold in the same period shows the possible flip-side of the coin.
Published by the University of Porto, the study reveals that in total hospitalisations cost the State €11.3 million, an average of €3,500 and 19 days in hospital per episode.
Data collected shows that the crushing majority of hospital stays (90%) were for men, with an average age of 30.
Author of the study Manuel Gonçalves-Pinho explains: “If we take all hospitalisations for psychotic breakdown and schizophrenia, we can conclude that in 2015 more than 10% of the cases corresponded to patients with a secondary diagnosis of cannabis consumption. In 2000, that number didn’t reach 1%”.
The study also shows that 3.3% of cases registered “corresponded to patients aged 18 or younger”.
Said Gonçalves-Pinho: “The risk varies according to age. In younger age-groups the risk potential is much higher because the neural pathways are still developing and are thus more susceptible to influence from extraneous factors”.
Nonetheless, no-one is leaping to conclusions, says Lusa: “Although results show an exponential increase in numbers entering hospitals for psychotic breakdowns and schizophrenia associated with the use of cannabis, the research team is interpreting its findings with caution.
Manuel Gonçalves-Pinho says hospital records “are more rigorous” these days and “the secondary diagnosis of cannabis consumption is coded in a more complete way”.
“This study has been the first in national and international terms to describe the true reality of psychotic hospitalisations associated with cannabinoid use in Portugal”, he said – and as such the data now will be available for ‘decision-makers’ within the health sector.
Portugal’s ‘radical drugs policy’ – which involved decriminalising all kinds of substances, not just cannabis – was introduced in 2001, and has been internationally hailed for ‘dramatic drops in overdoses, HIV infection and drug-related crime”.
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