Download full text - amphoraproject.net

Age group comparison shows that the majority of Slovenian cocaine users are a bit youngerthan 30, while ecstasy and amphetamines are mostly used by people aged about 30 or a bitolder; Slovenian LSD or heroin users are slightly older, as most of them are aged between35 and 39 years.TrendsDue to different sampling and survey mode, it is very difficult to compare data on lifetime illicitdrug use in Slovenia obtained in past surveys; therefore it is currently not possible todetermine the trends. The trends determined in ESPAD 2011 and HBSC 2010 surveys showthat the prevalence of illicit drug use and the prevalence of cannabis use among adolescentshave stabilized (Stergar et al. in press, Jeriček et al. 2012).ConclusionThe Survey on the use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs shows that 16% of people livingin Slovenia aged 15-64 years have used illicit drugs at least once in their life. The mostprevalent drug among the general population is cannabis. A comparison with the EuropeanUnion shows that the prevalence of cannabis use in Slovenia is below the Europeanaverage, and so is the use of some other drugs. More men than women use cannabis, andthe prevalence of cannabis use is the highest among young adults. Even though cannabis isthe most prevalent drug in Slovenia, more than two thirds of Slovenians think that it shouldnot be legalized.The survey also brought attention to the phenomenon of polydrug use, which is mostprevalent among young adults. Polydrug use in young adults might be a sign of establishedpatterns of simultaneous use of several different drugs, which is often associated also withfrequent and excessive drinking of alcohol (EMCDDA 2009). Since polydrug use poses highrisks and brings long-term health and other consequences, this phenomenon should bemonitored more closely in the future.31Review of other past surveys in the field of drugs in the general populationIn the 2008 survey on the prevalence of illicit drug use among the Slovenian population agedbetween 18 and 65, 15.8% of respondents stated that they had used illicit drugs at least oncein their life; 15% of these respondents had used cannabis (Stergar 2010). According to theEHIS 2007 survey (European Health Interview Survey), 2.6% of people aged 15 years orolder used cannabis during 12 months before the survey, and 0.9% of respondents usedother illicit drugs in the past 12 months (Krek and Štokelj 2009). According to the dataobtained in the Slovenian Public Opinion Survey (SPOS), 4.3% of respondents reportedlifetime use of illicit drugs in 1994, while in 1999 lifetime drug use was reported by 10.6% ofrespondents (Toš et al. 1999, Toš et al. 1994) (Table 2.3).