The Czech Republic Annual Report 2010 Drug ... - Drogy-info.cz

The M-CIDI questionnaire, containing 8 items measuring cannabis abuse and 11 items testing for cannabis
dependence, was used as a comparative module in validating the CAST scale. Developed on the basis of the 5 th
edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the questionnaire may be used to
assess cannabis abuse and dependence.
When evaluated against the DSM-5 criteria, the M-CIDI results suggest that 67.8% of users of cannabis (those who
had used it in the last 12 months) show no signs of dependence or abuse of the substance, while 21.4% and 10.8%
of the users meet the criteria for cannabis abuse and dependence respectively. When this methodology was used,
because of the very small sample again, cannabis users in the 35–44 age group also accounted for the largest
proportion of people meeting the dependence criteria; see Table 2-4.
Table 2-4: M-CIDI scale results, in % (Národní monitorovací středisko pro drogy a drogové závislosti, 2010b)
Table 2-3: CAST scale results – levels of risk (probability of cannabis-related problems) among current cannabis users,
in % (Národní monitorovací středisko pro drogy a drogové závislosti, 2010b)
Gender
Age groups
CAST levels of risk
15–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 15–64
Male Female
years years years years years years
Oversamplesampled
Over-
General General
General General General General
population population
population population population population
population population
(n=164) (n=101) (n=158) (n=109) (n=44) (n=20) (n=28) (n=265)
No or low risk 66.5 79.2 75.9 71.6 65.9 65.0 89.3 71.2
Moderate risk 21.3 15.8 15.8 22.0 18.2 30.0 10.7 19.3
High risk 12.2 5.0 8.2 6.4 15.9 5.0 0.0 9.5
Total Gender Age
M-CIDI
15–64
15–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64
Male Female
years
years years years years years
Oversamplesampled
Over-
General General General
General General General
population population population
population population population
population population
(n=265) (n=164) (n=101) (n=158) (n=109) (n=44) (n=20) (n=28)
No signs 67.8 63.6 74.8 66.9 73.1 61.5 78.6 70.1
Cannabis abuse 21.4 26.0 13.8 24.1 15.6 18.5 14.1 29.9
Cannabis
dependence
10.8 10.4 11.4 9.0 11.3 20.0 7.3 0.0
2.1.4 Use of New Synthetic Drugs
In the spring of 2011 the National Focal Point, in association with the Median Agency, carried out a questionnaire
survey among internet users looking into the use of new synthetic drugs (legal highs) and the market practices
associated with them (Národní monitorovací středisko pro drogy a drogové závislosti and Median, 2011a). These
substances produce effects similar to those caused by illegal drugs, but are not controlled as narcotic and
psychotropic substances under Act No. 167/1998 Coll., on addictive substances. 1091 respondents aged from 15 to
34, which constitutes a representative group of internet users, participated in the survey.
Out of the total number of respondents, lifetime cannabis use was reported by 56.3% (61.9% and 50.3% of men and
women respectively). A total of 10.6% reported that they had used ecstasy (12.3% and 8.9% of men and women
respectively) and 10.8% had used hallucinogenic mushrooms (13.9% and 7.5% of men and women respectively).
7.3% of the respondents reported experience with pervitin or amphetamines, and 7.9% had used LSD; see Table
2-5. The last-year use of cannabis, hallucinogenic mushrooms, LSD, and ecstasy was reported by 20.5%, 2.7%,
2.6%, and 2.4% of the respondents respectively. In the last month, cannabis had been used by 9.5% of the
respondents, while last-month ecstasy use was reported by 1.2%; see Table 2-5. The lifetime use of inhalants,
ketamine, Subutex ® , GHB, and poppers was reported by 3.1%, 1.4%, 0.9%, 1.1%, and 4.4% of the respondents
respectively.
Similarly to the general population, men in the internet user population were more likely to have used illegal drugs.
The results indicate that internet users show higher prevalence rates than the general population, which, to a varied
extent, applies to all the drugs, in particular to cocaine.
A total of 50 respondents (4.5%) reported that they had used any one of the new synthetic drugs (6% and 3% of
men and women respectively). A similar level of experience with the use of the new synthetic drugs among young
adults in the Czech Republic was also recorded by the Eurobarometer survey (see below).
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