Netherlands National Drug Monitor - Research and Documentation ...

Preface
This is already the tenth Annual Report of the Netherlands National Drug Monitor
(NDM).
The central task of the NDM is to collect and integrate data on developments in
substance use and drug-related crime. These reports have thus accumulated a wealth
of knowledge throughout the years.
This tenth report highlights a number of issues. One of these is the steady increase in the
number of addiction clients with a cannabis problem. Likewise, the number of alcohol
and amphetamine clients is increasing, although the latter group remains small. Perhaps
a somewhat worrying finding is the fact that juveniles in state care and pupils in the
so-called REC-4 schools for special education are using all substances to a (much) greater
extent than pupils in mainstream secondary schools. However, these are relatively small
groups of youngsters. It is also worth noting that dilutants/mixers are increasingly being
found in ecstasy and cocaine.
As is customary, the 2009 Annual Report has been compiled by Bureau of the National
Drug Monitor (NDM), which is incorporated in the Trimbos Institute and the Scientific
Research and Documentation Centre (WODC) of the Justice Ministry.
Many thanks are due to the staff of these agencies. Once again they have completed
a great deal of hard work during the past year. Indeed, the same people produced the
document entitled “Evaluatie van het Nederlandse drugsbeleid” [Evaluation of Dutch
drug policy] in 2009, which provided a thorough analysis of Dutch policy on drugs since
1972. The Scientific Council of the NDM, to which a number of new members have
been added also acted as advisory committee to this evaluative report and was highly
impressed by the level of effort undertaken by all the staff involved.
Prof. dr. Henk Garretsen
Chairman, Scientific Committee of the National Drug Monitor
Preface
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