Netherlands National Drug Monitor - Research and Documentation ...

5.3 Usage: juveniles and young adults
School-goers
• From 1992 to 1996 there was a rise in the percentage of Ecstasy and amphetamine
users among pupils in mainstream secondary schools (Figure 5.1) (Monshouwer et
al., 2008).
• For both drugs, the percentage of ever users dropped significantly between 1996 and
1999. Differences between successive survey years in 1999, 2003 and 2007 were not
significant (Figure 5.1).
• The percentage of current users of Ecstasy and amphetamines dropped significantly
between 1996 and 1999 and subsequently stabilised (Figure 5.1).
Figure 5.1 Use of Ecstasy and amphetamine among school-goers aged 12 to 18 from 1992
7 % Ecstasy
7 % Amphetamine
6
5
5.8
6
5
5.3
4
3
2
1
3.4
1
2.3
3.8
1.4
2.9
1.2
2.4
0.8
4
3
2
1
2.2
0.6
1.9
2.8
1.1
2.2
0.8
1.9
0.8
1992 1996 1999 2003 2007
1992 1996 1999 2003 2007
Ever
Current
Ever
Current
Percentage of ever users and current users (past month). Source: Dutch National School Survey, Trimbos
Institute.
Special Education
• Table 5.2 shows that Pupils attending REC-4 schools have considerably more experience
of both Ecstasy and amphetamine, compared to their peers in practical education
(pro), learning support education (lwoo) and mainstream education (Kepper et
al., 2009). The differences are significant for the age groups 14-15 and 16 years.
Incidentally, pupils attending REC-4 schools account for only one to two percent of
the entire secondary school population (see Appendix F).
• No differences were found in ever use of Ecstasy and amphetamine between pupils
receiving practical education, lwoo education and mainstream education.
108 Netherlands National Drug Monitor - NDM Annual Report 2009