{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]],"date-time":"2026-09-12T20:29:36Z","timestamp":1789244976391,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":13,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,2]],"date-time":"2020-12-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1606867200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Drug Testing and Analysis"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:p>A lot has been published on the anticipated effects of the current COVID\u201019 pandemic on users of illegal drugs. In this study, we present evidence\u2010based data on such effects, namely, the increased number of drug findings in post\u2010mortem investigations. All post\u2010mortem toxicology cases positive for at least one of the following: buprenorphine, amphetamine or cannabis, were investigated in the first 8 months of the year 2020, and the monthly numbers were compared to those in the previous 5 years from 2015 to 2019. These substances served as indicator analytes that could reveal changes in the drug using population. Right after the government restrictions came into force in March 2020, the numbers of buprenorphine, amphetamine and cannabis findings increased. The increase was most noticeable for amphetamine and was evident in all age groups. Our findings indicate that the assumptions on the increased risk of drug\u2010related harm (including death) have become reality. Reduced access to harm\u2010reduction services seems to have increased the mortality among individuals that use buprenorphine, amphetamine or cannabis. Significant and prompt actions need to be taken in order to find new ways in helping this vulnerable group of people.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/dta.2982","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,21]],"date-time":"2020-11-21T00:48:31Z","timestamp":1605919711000},"page":"867-870","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":18,"title":["Increase in drugs\u2010of\u2010abuse findings in post\u2010mortem toxicology due to COVID\u201019 restrictions\u2014First observations in Finland"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Claudia","family":"Mariottini","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Medicine University of Helsinki  Helsinki Finland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5790-1473","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ilkka","family":"Ojanper\u00e4","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Medicine University of Helsinki  Helsinki Finland"},{"name":"Forensic Toxicology Unit Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare  Helsinki Finland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5721-2827","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pirkko","family":"Kriikku","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Medicine University of Helsinki  Helsinki Finland"},{"name":"Forensic Toxicology Unit Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare  Helsinki Finland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_5_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2020.00700"},{"key":"e_1_2_5_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12954-020-00370-7"},{"key":"e_1_2_5_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/jia2.25583"},{"key":"e_1_2_5_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2020.102851"},{"key":"e_1_2_5_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/dar.13079"},{"key":"e_1_2_5_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2020.102880"},{"key":"e_1_2_5_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/add.15080"},{"key":"e_1_2_5_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2020.00767"},{"key":"e_1_2_5_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psychres.2020.113047"},{"key":"e_1_2_5_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pnpbp.2020.110070"},{"key":"e_1_2_5_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2020.102895"},{"key":"e_1_2_5_13_1","unstructured":"EMCDDA.Trendspotter briefing: impact of COVID\u201019 on patterns of drug use and drug\u2010related harms in Europe. EMCDDA Lisbon2020 https:\/\/www.emcdda.europa.eu\/system\/files\/publications\/13130\/EMCDDA-Trendspotter-Covid-19-Wave-2_1.pdf(accessed 25 August 2020)."},{"key":"e_1_2_5_14_1","first-page":"1389","article-title":"An increasing number of fatal drug poisoning victims are under the age of 25: opioid substitution treatment can also benefit young people","volume":"136","author":"Kriikku P","year":"2020","journal-title":"Duodecim"}],"container-title":["Drug Testing and Analysis"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1002\/dta.2982","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1002\/dta.2982","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1002\/dta.2982","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,13]],"date-time":"2025-10-13T13:20:08Z","timestamp":1760361608000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/dta.2982"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,2]]},"references-count":13,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,4]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1002\/dta.2982"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/dta.2982","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["1942-7603","1942-7611"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1942-7603","type":"print"},{"value":"1942-7611","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,2]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2020-10-05","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2020-11-16","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2020-12-02","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}]}}