INTRODUCTION The transition from high school to university can be a very stressful experience. The new experience for some students – living on their own with reduced parental control – places them at heightened risk of substance use/abuse (1, 2). Also, university campus life is often a culture all to itself with numerous opportunities to experiment with various sub- stances which students may not have been exposed to before. Such exposure comes at parties or “raves”, both on campus and off. University culture also often promotes the heavy use of alcohol and other substances as stress relief and for fun (1). Students of the Faculty of Medical Sciences are of particular concern to researchers, as they are involved in the helping professions, which may be more stressful and demanding than other areas of study. According to Maddux et al, many individuals (students and/or graduates) from medical sciences career are substance users/abusers. They found that from a sample of 133 medical students in the United States of America (USA), nearly all used alcohol, 57% used cannabis, 20% used cocaine and 40% used opioids (3). McCabe et al noted that many medical students began using substances prior to medical school, with alcohol being the most frequently used substance. Some of the reasons cited for use were recreational, performance enhancement and self-medication for stress, anxiety and pain (4). Upegui, as quoted in Urrego, found that among medical students in Bogota, Colombia, stress, triggered by increased workload during the last year of internship, produced a significant increase in the incidence of anxiety symptoms, depression, somatic complaints, consumption of psychoactive substances and deterioration in the quality of life of some of these students (5). Additionally, this group tends to be under-represented in studies of this nature and is not often thought of as substance users (3). These students need special attention as it relates to alcohol and psychoactive drug consumption, as they are the persons who impart health knowledge at the community level (6). The use of licit and/or illicit psycho- active substances by individuals in the medical science professions can be detrimental for others, as their responsi- bility and judgment as service providers may be com- promised and result in harm to others. This study therefore sought to explore the drug use practices of undergraduate students within the Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. Psychoactive Substance Use among Medical/Health Faculty Undergraduate Students P Whitehorne-Smith 1 , C Mitchell 2 , WD Abel 1 , J Harrison 1 ABSTRACT Objective: This study sought to explore the drug use practices of undergraduate students within the Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. Method: This study was a multicentre study carried out in Jamaica and six Latin American countries. The study utilized a cross-sectional design using a survey method of data collection. A list of compulsory classes for first- and second-year undergraduate students in the Faculty of Medical Sciences was retrieved by researchers and then cluster sampling was used to choose lectures to carry out data collection. The instrument utilized for the study was a self-report questionnaire which consisted of 58 questions which enquired about sociodemographic information, psychoactive substance use and associated consequences. Results: A total of 380 students (78 males, 302 females) participated in the study; 115 (30.3%) reported a past year prevalence of psychoactive substance use. Roughly half (50.8%) reported that they first used substances when they were 15−19 years old. Students also reported a past month prevalence of alcohol use (16.6%), prescription drugs without a prescription (4.5%), tobacco (2.4%) and cannabis (2.1%) use. Conclusion: These preliminary results on substance use patterns among students in the Faculty of Medical Sciences indicate urgent need for further research among this population. Such research should be used to inform prevention and treatment programmes that will directly target this student population. Keywords: Medical students, substance use, university students WIMJ Open 2015; 2 (1): 11 From: 1 Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, The University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica and 2 Faculty of Behaviour Science, International University of the Caribbean, Kingston 5, Jamaica. Correspondence: Mrs P Whitehorne-Smith, Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, The University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica. E-mail: patrice.whitehorne@yahoo.com DOI: 10.7727/wimjopen.2014.268 WIMJ Open 2015; 2 (1): 11