Silenced stories of illicit drug use in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico: experiences of healthcare providers, policymakers, and patients

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the experiences of healthcare providers (n = 10), policymakers (n = 5), and drug users (n = 5) in Puerto Rico (PR) after Hurricane Maria hit in September 2017. We draw upon ecosocial theory and theories of coloniality to interpret the findings from semi-structured interviews conducted between 2018–2020. The data from the study reveal the unacknowledged absence of illicit drug use in public policies on emergency management in response to the catastrophe and its association with barriers in the provision of health care services (i.e. mental health, opioid agonist therapy, and harm reduction) for drug-using patients. These individuals have been largely invisible in policy discussions on healthcare post-Maria. Our analysis highlights three intersecting factors that should be addressed in post-disaster policymaking addressing substance users. First, changes in the government’s medical plan one year after the Hurricane hampered the coordination of services for patients and providers. Therefore, the aid offered tended to be exclusively economic rather than addressing disparities in health service access. Second, policies have not addressed the mistreatment and prejudice toward substance users in hospital and emergency room settings. Third, there was evidence of relapses in the use of controlled substances and the replacement of routine drugs with fentanyl due to the interruption of regular transportation, affecting supplies and illegal substances. Failure to address addiction constitutes a real threat to the survival of a significant population in PR and embodies the historical oppression wrought by colonialism, discrimination, and stigma in a society that dismisses substance users in its public and budgetary policies.

KEYWORDS:

• Illicit drugs
• Puerto Rico
• social stigma
• coloniality
• Hurricane Maria

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their appreciation to the patients, healthcare providers, and policymakers who participated in the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health supported this work, under Grant [1R21AG063453-01].