15.01.2015 Views

Netherlands National Drug Monitor - Research and Documentation ...

Netherlands National Drug Monitor - Research and Documentation ...

Netherlands National Drug Monitor - Research and Documentation ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Trends<br />

It is difficult to determine the trends in cannabis use on account of a lack of repeat <strong>and</strong><br />

comparable measurements in <strong>and</strong> between countries.<br />

• In thirteen of the EU-15 plus Norway for which data are available, cannabis use<br />

has generally risen since 1990 in a majority of nine countries; it has declined in only<br />

one country; <strong>and</strong> has remained more or less stable in a minority of three countries,<br />

including the <strong>Netherl<strong>and</strong>s</strong>. In most cases, the rise in use occurred mainly in the 1990s,<br />

whereas in the past decade recent cannabis use declined in France, the U.K., Germany<br />

<strong>and</strong> Greece. In the <strong>Netherl<strong>and</strong>s</strong> recent cannabis use remained at more or less the same<br />

level between 1997 <strong>and</strong> 2005.<br />

• Likewise in the US, cannabis use declined at the start of this century. Between 2002<br />

<strong>and</strong> 2007, recent use in the general population aged 12 <strong>and</strong> older dropped from 11<br />

to 10 percent. The decline occurred chiefly among juveniles aged from 12 to 17.<br />

• In Australia recent cannabis use in the general population aged 14 <strong>and</strong> older rose from<br />

13% in 1995 to 18% in 1998, after which it declined to 9% in 2007.<br />

Juveniles<br />

The data from ESPAD, the European School Survey Project on Alcohol <strong>and</strong> Other <strong>Drug</strong>s<br />

lend themselves better to comparison. In 1999, 2003 <strong>and</strong> 2007, surveys were conducted<br />

among fifteen <strong>and</strong> sixteen year old secondary school pupils (Hibell et al., 2000, 2004,<br />

2008.<br />

Table 2.8 shows cannabis use in a number of EU countries, Norway, Switzerl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> the<br />

US. The US did not take part in the ESPAD but conducted similar research.<br />

• The percentage of school-goers that had ever used cannabis in 2007 was highest in<br />

Spain, followed closely by Switzerl<strong>and</strong>, the US France <strong>and</strong> the U.K.. Dutch schoolgoers<br />

were in sixth place.<br />

• Spain topped the list for current use, followed by Switzerl<strong>and</strong>, France <strong>and</strong> the <strong>Netherl<strong>and</strong>s</strong>.<br />

• The percentage of school-goers that had used cannabis six times or more in the past<br />

month was lowest in Greece <strong>and</strong> the Nordic countries Norway, Finl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Sweden,<br />

<strong>and</strong> highest in Spain, followed by Switzerl<strong>and</strong>, France, the <strong>Netherl<strong>and</strong>s</strong>, the US <strong>and</strong><br />

Italy.<br />

• In 2003 Dutch school-goers occupied a better position in the rankings. This is not<br />

because cannabis use in the <strong>Netherl<strong>and</strong>s</strong> has increased, but because between 2003<br />

<strong>and</strong> 2007 declines (some remarkable) took place in other countries such as the U.K.,<br />

Irel<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> France.<br />

• Regular cannabis use (10 time or more in the past year) is associated with low selfesteem,<br />

an increased chance of depression, anomia, anti-social behaviour, running<br />

away from home, self-harm <strong>and</strong> suicidality. These associations were, however, also<br />

found with other substances, such as alcohol <strong>and</strong> tobacco.<br />

2 Cannabis<br />

47

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!