Illegal drug use and its correlates in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

BACKGROUND: Data on the prevalence and correlates of illegal drug use in Puerto Rico are now almost 20 years old.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to estimate the 12-month prevalence of illegal and non-prescribed medical drug use in San Juan, Puerto Rico and identify sociodemographic correlates of use.

METHODS: Data are from a random household sample of 1510 individuals, 18-64 years of age in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

RESULTS: The 12-month prevalence of any illegal or non-prescribed drug use was 16.5%. Prevalence among men (20.7%) was higher than among women (12.9%; chi2  = 16.308; df = 1; p < .01). Prevalence for specific drugs ranged from 11.2% for marijuana to 0.2% for methadone.

RESULTS: of the multiple logistic regression analysis showed that male gender (OR = 1.67, 95CI = 1.21-2.3; p < .01), age 18-29 (OR = 2.39; 95CI = 1.35-4.23; p < .01), age 30-39 (OR = 1.93; 95CI = 1.01-3.69; p < .05), low (OR = 2.03; 95CI = 1.36-3.02; p < .001) and medium (OR = 1.50; 95CL = 1.01-2.23; p < .05) family cohesion/pride, and no religious preference (OR = 1.99; 95CI = 1.23-3.22; p < .01) increased the odds of drug use. Annual family income of $40,000-$60,000 (OR = 0.45; 95CI = 0.21-0.93; p < .05) and $60,001 and more (OR = 0.35; 95CI = 0.13-0.94; p > .05) were negatively associated with drug use compared to annual income up to $10,000.

CONCLUSIONS: As in many other places in the U.S., drug use in San Juan, Puerto Rico is high, affecting about 1 in 6 adults in the population. The highest prevalence is for marijuana use, which cannot be medically prescribed and of which recreational use is illegal on the island.