Netherlands National Drug Monitor - Research and Documentation ...

Figure 2.5 Trends in age distribution of primary cannabis clients of (outpatient) addiction care from 2001
9000
Number
8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
55+
40-54
25-39
20-24
15-19
23 26 39 44 58 64 92 110
332 377 473 626 713 830 1058 1142
1735 1854 2208 2625 3050 3240 3821 4098
867 951 1138 1376 1410 1477 1837 1878
462 473 617 766 851 900 1169 1162
Number of clients per age group. Source: LADIS, IVZ (2009).
General Hospitals; incidents
In 2007, the Dutch Hospital Registration (LMR) recorded about 1.8 million and in 2008
approximately 1.9 million clinical admissions to general hospitals.
Drug-related problems did not figure strongly in these numbers. IN 2008, There were
642 cases of drug misuse and drug addiction as the primary diagnosis and 2,386 cases
as a secondary diagnosis.
• In 9% of the main drug-related diagnoses in 2008, the drug involved was cannabis
(figure 2.6). Misuse of cannabis was more often to blame than dependence (67%
versus 32%). It is not known what the symptoms were that led to the hospital admission
(mental or physical). The number of main diagnoses related to cannabis misuse or
dependence has been low for years, although there appears to have been an increase
between 2000 and 2008.
• As a secondary diagnosis, cannabis plays a more prominent role. In 2008 there were
476 secondary diagnoses involving cannabis (26% dependence, 74% misuse). In
recent years there has been a rise in this respect, albeit with fluctuations. Between
2007 and 2008 the number of cannabis secondary diagnoses rose by 19%.
• In 2008 the most common main diagnoses that accompanied the secondary diagnoses
were:
- psychoses (26%)
50 Netherlands National Drug Monitor - NDM Annual Report 2009