AI Article Synopsis
- - Fentanyl-related posts on Reddit surged by 1292% from 2013 to 2021, indicating a growing concern in the drug landscape, especially within opioid-related subreddits.
- - The analysis of the Pushshift Reddit dataset showed the highest concentration of fentanyl conversations in opioid subreddits, but significant increases were also noted in multi-drug, sedative, and stimulant categories.
- - The study concludes that addressing fentanyl's impact should extend beyond opioid users to include comprehensive harm reduction strategies for individuals using various drugs.
Article Abstract
Background: Fentanyl is a pressing concern in the current drug supply. Social media data can provide access to near real-time understanding of drug trends that may complement official mortality data.
Design: The total number of fentanyl-related posts and the total number of posts for eight drug subreddit categories (alcohol, cannabis, hallucinogens, multi-drug, opioids, over the counter, sedatives, stimulants) were collected from 2013 to 2021 using the Pushshift Reddit dataset. The proportion of fentanyl-related posts as a fragment of total subreddit posts was examined. Linear regressions described the rate of change in post volume over time.
Results: Overall, fentanyl-related content increased across drug-related subreddits from 2013 to 2021 (1292% increase, linear trend p ≤ 0.001). Opioid subreddits (30.62 per 1000 posts, linear trend p ≤ 0.001) had the most fentanyl-related content during the examined time period. Multi-drug (5.95 per 1000; p ≤ 0.01), sedative (3.23 per 1000, p ≤ 0.01), and stimulant (1.60 per 1000, p ≤ 0.01) subreddits also had substantial increases in fentanyl-related content. The greatest increases occurred in the multi-drug (1067% 2013:2021) and stimulant (1862% 2014:2021) subreddits.
Conclusion: Fentanyl-related posts on Reddit trended upward, with the fastest rate of change for multi-substance and stimulant subreddits. Beyond opioids, harm reduction and public health messaging should ensure inclusion of individuals who use other drugs.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10255938 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11606-023-08256-7 | DOI Listing |
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