Netherlands National Drug Monitor - Research and Documentation ...

• The sharp increase in treatment requests from the addiction care services from cannabis
users (§2.6) could be an indication of a rise in the number of problem cannabis users.
However, other explanations are also possible, such as improved availability of treatment,
quicker referrals from pri9mary care and youth care and a growing awareness
of the risks of cannabis, leading to more prompt seeking of help.
2.5 Usage: international comparison
General population
Data about drugs use in the EU member states and Norway are collected by the European
Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA, 2009). In the US, Canada
and Australia respectively, data on drugs use in the general population are collected
by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA, 2008),
the Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS, 2005), and the Australian Institute of Health and
Welfare (AIHW, 2008).
• It is difficult to conduct a precise comparison of the data, owing to differences in survey
years, measuring methods and sampling. The age group is the main variable. Table
2.7a shows usage data that have been (re)calculated according to the standard age
group of the EMCDDA (15 to 64 years). Data for the other countries are contained
in Table 2.7b. For Europe, only the EU-15 and Norway have been included.
• Between 9% and 49% of people in the general western population have ever used
cannabis (tables 2.7a and 2.7b). The lowest percentages are found in Greece and
Portugal. In Canada, almost one in two people have ever tried cannabis and in the
US four in ten. Of EU member states and Norway, Denmark tops the list with 37%
for ever use, but has an average score for the measures ‘recent’ and ‘current’ use. For
ever use, Romania has the lowest score, at 2%.
• An estimated 7% of all EU member state inhabitants, or 23 million people, have used
cannabis during the past year. At 5%, the Netherlands is ranked somewhat below
this European average.
• For the measure ‘recent use’, however, the percentages differ greatly. Of the EU-27
for which data are available, the percentage of recent users is lowest in Malta (1%).
Italy and Spain have the highest rate at 11%. Internationally, Canada tops the list at
15%.
• For current use, Spain stands out in front (9%). The lowest percentages are found in
Malta (0.5%) and Sweden (0.6%). At 3%, the Netherlands is close to the European
average of 4%.
2 Cannabis
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