Prescription stimulants : Stimulants d'ordonnance

Long-term use can lead to the development of tolerance, which serves to reduce the effects of the drug and prompts users to increase the dose to reinstate the desired effects. [...] As is the case with illicit and other legal prescription drugs, the abuse of prescription stimulants can alter a person’s judgment and decision-making ability, which can increase the likelihood of engaging in risky behaviours, such as drug-impaired driving and unsafe sex. [...] Trafficking, importing, exporting or producing stimulants can result in 10 years imprisonment.1 Past-Year Use of Prescription Stimulants in Canada • General population (age 15+): The prevalence of the use of prescription stimulants among the general population was 0.9% in 2013 (representing over 256,000 people), and has remained relatively stable since 2008.2,3. [...] Because of methodological differences between the Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey (CADUMS)3 and the Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS),2 comparisons of prevalence estimates between CADUMS (2008–2012) and CTADS (2013) data should be made with caution. [...] Among the targeted sample of recreational drug users in 2013, the reported prevalence of methylphenidate use in the previous 12 months ranged from 0% in Halifax to 19.0% in Calgary (Figure 2).4 Among the sample of street-involved youth drug users, methylphenidate use in the 12 months prior to the survey varied from 0% in Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg to 23.1% in Halifax (Figure 2).4 In the sample