Use of psychoactive substances by goods carriage drivers associated with Kerala, India.
M S Siva Prasad, C V Priyatha, Jayesh K Joseph, E M Aneesh
Traffic injury prevention 2023 DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2023.2246163 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 249 |
| Population | Goods carriage drivers in Kerala, India |
| Keywords | New psychoactive substances Bio-chip array technology Drivers Point-of-collection testing Drug testing Road safety Occupational screening Biomedical diagnostics |
| Key findings | 21.29% of goods carriage drivers tested positive for one or more drugs of abuse, with THC being the most common and drug use increasing with travel distance. |
Abstract
This study aimed to measure the prevalence of drugs of abuse (DOA) among the goods carriage drivers associated with the southern State of India, Kerala. Point-of-collection testing (POCT) of oral fluid collected from the participants (n = 249) was done using the Evidence MultiSTAT DOA Oral Fluid II Assay kits and the Evidence MultiSTAT analyzer. Out of the total samples, 53 (21.29%) were positive for one or more DOA. A high prevalence of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (10.04%) and synthetic cannabinoids were detected in the samples. The use of ketamine, alpha-PVP, LSD, methamphetamine, opiate, 6-MAM, benzodiazepines I, methadone, PCP, tramadol, and amphetamine was also detected and their frequency of use ranged between 4.02 and 0.80%. An association between drug abuse and distance of travel was found in drivers in this study, χ2 (5, N = 249) = 123.5, p < 0.001. Confirmatory analysis using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry showed excellent agreement with the results of the screening test. This was the first study conducted among drivers in India for the detection of DOA. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was used more by the goods carriage drivers associated with Kerala State, India. The use of psychoactive substances significantly increased with the distance of travel. Point-of-collection testing (POCT) by the biochip array technology is an efficient method for the detection of these substances.