EMCDDA – Epidemiology, crime and markets
Towards a new EMQ Module – Questions on Availability of Illicit Drugs
Volume III
Annex – Complementary inventoryof surveys including questions on drug availability (2005)
September 2005
This report was prepared by Chloé Carpentier, EMCDDA, based upon contributions from (in alphabetic order):
-CzechRepublic–Pavla Lejckova
-Finland – Leena Metso
-France – François Beck, Stéphane Legleye
-Germany – Ludwig Kraus
-Greece – Anastasios Fotiou
-Ireland – Hamish Sinclair
-Italy – Stefano Salvadori
-Lithuania – Mantas Gurevicius
-Malta–Ioanna Yiasemi
-Netherlands – Manja Abraham
-Norway – Sturla Nordlund
-Poland –Artur Malczewski
-Portugal–Fernanda Feijão
-Slovakia – Anetta Patajova
-Spain – Gregorio Barrio
-Sweden –Bjorn Hibell
-United Kingdom – Stephen Roe
Contents
Volume III – Annex: Complementary inventory of surveys including questions on drug availability (2005)
Introduction
REVIEW OF SURVEYS CARRIED OUT
Czech Republic
Czech Republic / Drug problematics in public opinion 2002
Czech Republic / General population survey on health status and lifestyle 2004
Czech Republic / Substance use among university students in Hradec Kralove 2000-2002
Czech Republic / Social and heath assessment (SAHA) project 2003-2004
Finland
Finland / Drug survey 2002
Finland / Alcohol and drug survey 2004
Finland / Youth health survey (NTT) 2003
Finland / ESPAD 2003
France
France / ESCAPAD 2005
France / Health barometer 2005
France / ESPAD 2003
Germany
Germany / Epidemiological survey of substance abuse (ESA) 2003
Greece
Greece / National population survey on licit/illicit substance use 2004
Ireland
Ireland / Drug prevalence survey 2002/2003
Italy
Italy / IPSAD 2005
Lithuania
Lithuania / Prevalence of addictive habits 2004
Malta
Malta / General population survey 2001
Netherlands
The Netherlands / Nationaal prevalentie onderzoek (NPO) 2001
The Netherlands / Peilstationonderzoek 2003
Norway
Norway / Population survey 2004
Norway / Annual youth survey 2004
Poland
Poland / General population survey 2002
Portugal
Portugal / ESPAD - ECATD 2003
Slovakia
Slovakia / Prevalence of drug use and citizens’ opinion 2004
Spain
Spain / Household survey on alcohol and drug use
Spain / Secondary school survey on drug use 2004
Sweden
Sweden / Annual Swedish school survey 2005
United Kingdom
United Kingdom / Crime and justice survey (England and Wales) 2003
United Kingdom / Scottish crime survey 2003
United Kingdom / Drug use (in Ireland and) Northern Ireland 2002/03
Europe
Europe / ESPAD 2003
Other volumes
Volume I – Final report
Volume II – Annex: Initial inventory of surveys including questions on drug availability (2001-2002)
Volume IV – Annex: Reports of expert meetings (2002-2005)
Volume V – Annex: Translations of model questions on drug availability (Danish, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish)
Introduction
An initial inventory of population surveys including questions on drug availability was carried out in 2001-2002, in particular through contacting the National Experts from the General Population Surveys Key-Indicator Reference Group.They were asked to provide methodological information on population and school surveys where questions on availability or access to illicit drugs had been included. There were also asked, in as far as possible, to provide the EMCDDA with the exact wording of the questions asked and of the possible answers (if closed questions).
This initial inventory (2001-2002) showed that questions on availability to illicit drugs had been included in population and school surveys carried out in 10 EU Member States (Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom) and Norway in the last years.In addition, the Special Eurobarometer on attitudes and opinions of young people in the EU on drugs carried out in 2002 included also some questions on drug availability. The initial inventory also reviewed questions on drug availability used in some repeated surveys carried out in Australia and the United States, as well as some qualitative surveys on drug users and the Multi-city Study on local trends of the Pompidou Group from The Council of Europe.
In 2005, it was felt that the initial inventory had become outdated as many EU Members States had carried out additional population/school surveys including questions on drug availability since the initial inventory of 2001-2002. Importantly also, the EU had enlarged to 10 new Member States in 2004; thus, it had become essential to review surveys including questions on drug availability in these countries.
The present exercise revealed that questions on availability to illicit drugs have been included in population and school surveys carried out in recent years in 15 EU Member States – Czech Republic, Finland[1], France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain,Sweden, the United Kingdom – and Norway.
In addition, the ESPAD school survey was carried out in 2003 in 35 European countries, among which 24 EU Member States – Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Kingdom. Questions on drug availability remained identical to those already included in previous ESPAD surveys (1995 and 1999).
REVIEW OF SURVEYS CARRIED OUT
CzechRepublic
Czech Republic / Drug problematics in public opinion 2002
Survey/study name: Drug Problematics in Public Opinion
Contact person: Alice Glasova (Centre for Public Opinion Poll)
Year: 2002
Repeated/ad-hoc survey: repeated (last survey in 2002)
Population definition: adult population
Age range of participants: 15 years and older
Sample size: 1 083
Sampling frame/basis:
Sampling procedure: simple random
Geographical coverage: national
Data collection procedure: face-to-face interviews
Bibliographic reference(s): Centrum pro vyzkum verejneho mineni (Centre for Public Opinion Poll) (2002) Problematika drog ocima verejnosti. (Drug Problematics in Public Opinion.) Praha: CVVM. Tiskova zprava. (Press release, in Czech)
Questions on drug availability or access to drugs
Question wording: Do you personally know someone who uses cannabis?
Possible answers: yes/no
Response rate: n.a.
Main findings: yes = 34% of the respondents
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Question wording: Have you ever met someone who uses ”hard drugs”?
Possible answers: yes/no
Response rate: n.a.
Main findings: yes = 25% of the respondents
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Question wording: Have you ever been offered cannabis in lifetime?
Possible answers: yes/no
Response rate: n.a.
Main findings: yes = 25% of the respondents
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Question wording: Have you ever been offered a “hard drug” in lifetime? (“Hard drug” = e.g. heroin, pervitin (methamphetamine), cocaine)
Possible answers: yes/no
Response rate: n.a.
Main findings: yes = 12% of the respondents
CzechRepublic / General population survey on health status and lifestyle 2004
Survey/study name: General Population Survey on Health Status and Lifestyle (2004)
Contact person: Jana Brozova (Institute for Health Information and Statistics)
Year: 2004
Repeated/ad-hoc survey: should be repeated every 3 years – for the first time in 2004
Population definition: adult population
Age range of participants: 18-64 years
Sample size: 3526
Sampling frame/basis: population registry
Sampling procedure: stratified random (age, gender, region, level of education)
Geographical coverage: national
Data collection procedure: face-to-face interviews
Bibliographic reference(s): n.a. yet
Questions on drug availability or access to drugs
Question wording: Do you personally know someone who uses any of the following drugs?
List of drugs: sedatives, cannabis, ecstasy, pervitin (or other amphetamines), cocaine or crack, heroin (or other opiates), LSD, magic mushrooms or other natural hallucinogens, solvents/volatile substances
Possible answers: yes/no
Response rate: n.a. yet
Main findings: n.a. yet
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Question wording: How difficult or easy do you think it would be for you personally to get the following drugs within 24 hours, if you wanted some?
List of drugs: sedatives, cannabis, ecstasy, pervitin (or other amphetamines), cocaine or crack, heroin (or other opiates), LSD, magic mushrooms or other natural hallucinogens, solvents/volatile substances
Possible answers: 1 impossible, 2 very difficult, 3 fairly difficult, 4 fairly easy, 5 very easy, 6 I don’t know
Response rate: n.a. yet
Main findings: n.a. yet
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Question wording: How many times in lifetime have you been offered an illicit drug either for free or to buy? (Illicit drug not specified)
Possible answers: 1 never, 2 once or twice, 3 3-5 times, 4 6-9 times, 5 10-19 times, 6 20 times or more
Response rate: n.a. yet
Main findings: n.a. yet
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Question wording: On the last occasion you were offered an illicit drug, where was it? (Illicit drug not specified)
Possible answers: 1 at your own place, 2 at somebody else place, 3 at a private party, 4 at the workplace, 5 at school, college or university, 6 in the street or park, 7 in a bar or restaurant, 8 in a club or disco, 9 in a music concert or festival, 10 in another place (specify)
Response rate: n.a. yet
Main findings: n.a. yet
Note: No survey results were available by 13 June 2005.
CzechRepublic / Substance use among university students in Hradec Kralove 2000-2002
Survey/study name: Substance use among university students, Hradec Kralove
Contact person: Hana Klusonova (Faculty of Pharmacy, CharlesUniversity in Hradec Kralove)
Year: 2000-2002
Repeated/ad-hoc survey: repeated survey
Population definition: university students
Age range of participants: 18-36 years
Sample size: 1 312
Sampling frame/basis:
Sampling procedure: simple random
Geographical coverage: students in Hradec Kralove
Data collection procedure: structured questionnaire
Bibliographic reference(s): Kavalirova, A., Stohr, J., Venderova, K., Visnovsky, P. (2003) Experience of Czech University Students with Cannabis: Interfaculty Comparison. Folia Pharm. Univ. Carol. XXIX-XXX: pp. 71-76.
Questions on drug availability or access to drugs
Question wording: Have you ever been offered cannabis/other illicit drugs in lifetime?
Possible answers: yes/no
Response rate: n.a.
Main findings: yes = 60.2% (cannabis), 22.4% other illicit drugs
CzechRepublic / Social and heath assessment (SAHA) project 2003-2004
Survey/study name: SAHA (Social and Heath Assessment) Project
Contact person: Marek Blatny (Institute of Psychology, Academy of Science)
Year: 2003-2004
Repeated/ad-hoc survey: ad-hoc survey
Population definition: primary and secondary school students in urbanized areas
Age range of participants: age cohorts: 12, 14 and 16 years old
Sample size: 4 876
Sampling frame/basis: registry of primary and secondary schools in the CR
Sampling procedure: stratified random
Geographical coverage: urbanized areas – regional metropolises
Data collection procedure: self-administered questionnaire
Bibliographic reference(s):
Blatny, M., Hrdlicka, M., Kveton, P., Voboril, D., Jelinek, M. (2004) Vysledky ceske casti mezinarodniho projektu SAHAI.: deskriptivni analyza rizikoveho chovani a rizikovych a protektivnich faktoru vyvoje mladistvych z mestskych oblasti. (Czech Results of the SAHA InternationalProjectI.: Descriptive Analysis of the Risk Behaviour and Risk and Protective Factors of the Development of Young People in Urban Areas.) Zpravy - Psychologicky ustav AV CR 1, pp. 1-35. (In Czech)
Blatny, M., Hrdlicka, M., Kveton, P., Voboril, D., Jelinek, M. (2004) Vysledky ceske casti mezinarodniho projektu SAHA II.: deskriptivni analyza rizikoveho chovani a rizikovych a protektivnich faktoru vyvoje mladistvych z mestskych oblasti z hlediska vekovych kohort. (Czech Results of the SAHA International Project II.: Descriptive Analysis of the Risk Behaviour and Risk and Protective Factors of the Development of Young People in Urban Areas by Age Cohorts.) Zpravy - Psychologicky ustav AV CR 2, pp. 1-89. (In Czech)
Questions on drug availability or access to drugs
Question wording: How easy it would be for you to get the following substances if you wanted? (List of substances: cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, pervitin, magic mushrooms)
Possible answers: 1 very easy, 2 fairly easy, 3 fairly difficult, 4 very difficult
Response rate: n.a.
Main findings:
Age cohort% of answers “very easy” or “fairly easy” (boys/girls)
Cigarettes Alcohol Marijuana Cocaine Pervitin Mushrooms
1275/69 61/5322/168/4 8/4 20/12
1492/89 87/8354/459/10 10/9 28/19
1699/98 98/9679/7115/12 20/17 42/32
Total sample 89/87 84/8053/4811/9 13/12 30/22
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Question wording: How difficult it would be for you to say NO if you were offered the following substance by your best friend and you did not want to use it? (List of substances: cigarettes, marijuana, any illicit drug)
Possible answers: 1 very easy, 2 fairly easy, 3 fairly difficult, 4 very difficult
Response rate: n.a.
Main findings:
Age cohort% of answers “very easy” or “fairly easy” (boys/girls)
CigarettesMarijuanaAny illicit drug
1282/8585/9086/91
1488/8889/9296/97
1687/9088/9496/98
Total sample 85/8888/9294/96
CzechRepublic / ESPAD 2003
Survey/study name: ESPAD survey – 18 years old students
Contact person: Ladislav Csemy (Prague Psychiatric Centre), Pavla Lejckova (Czech NFP)
Year: 2003
Repeated/ad-hoc survey: repeated
Population definition: 18 year old students (students born in 1985)
Age range of participants: 17-18 years
Sample size: 3 388
Sampling frame/basis: registry of secondary schools in the CR
Sampling procedure: stratified random
Geographical coverage: national
Data collection procedure: self-administered questionnaire
Bibliographic reference(s): Csemy, L., Lejckova, P., Sadilek, P. and Sovinova, H. (2005) Evropska skolni studie o alkoholu a jinych drogach (ESPAD). Vysledky pruzkumu v Ceske republice v roce 2003. (EuropeanSchool Survey on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). Survey Results in the CzechRepublic in 2003.) Praha: Pripravuje se k tisku. (Prague: being prepared for press. In Czech)
Questions on drug availability or access to drugs
Question wording: How did you get this substance? (Refers to the first drug used)
Possible answers: 1 I have never used any illicit drug, 2 given to me by older brother or sister, 3 given to me by a friend older than me, 4 given to me by a friend of my age or younger, 5 given to me by someone I have heard of but did not know personally, 6 given to me by a stranger, 7 shared in a group, 8 bought from a friend, 9 bought from someone I have heard of but did not know personally, 10 bought from a stranger, 11 given to me by parents, 12 took it at home without parents permission, 13 none of these (specify how)
Response rate: 98.5%
Main findings: of those who have used an illicit drug:
34.9% shared it in a group (code 7)
28.4% were given by a friend of the same age (4)
22.7% were given by an older friend (3)
3.2% were given by older brother or sister (2)
2.5% bought the drug (8, 9, 10)
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Question wording: In which of the following places do you think you could easily buy marijuana or hashish if you wanted to?
Possible answers: 1 I don’t know such place, 2 street or park, 3 school, 4 disco or bar, 5 house of a dealer, 6 other (specify where)
Response rate: 100%
Main findings: 15.7% does not know, 41.7% would easily buy on the street, 59.6% would easily get in school, 21.0% would easily get at disco or bar, 11.4% would easily get from a friend (based on “other” answers)
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Question wording: How difficult do you think it would be for you to get each of the following substances, if you wanted?
List of substances: cigarettes, beer, wine, distillates, cannabis, LSD or other hallucinogens, pervitin or other amphetamines, tranquillisers or sedatives, crack, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin or other opiates, magic mushrooms, GHB, inhalants/volatile substances, anabolic steroids.
Possible answers: 1 impossible, 2 very difficult, 3 fairly difficult, 4 fairly easy, 5 very easy, 6 I don’t know
Response rate: 99%
Main findings: % of answers “very easy” and “fairly easy”
Cigarettes – 98.7%, beer – 98.8%, wine – 98.4%, distillates – 96.1%, marijuana – 70.3%, LSD – 23.7%, pervitin – 18.0%, sedatives – 31.2%, crack – 7.9%, cocaine – 8.4%, ecstasy – 37.6%, heroin – 9.0%, magic mushrooms – 32.3%, GHB – 5.1%, anabolic steroids – 18.7%, volatile substances – 55.6%
Finland
Finland / Drug survey 2002
Survey/study name: Drug survey 2002
Contact person: Pekka Hakkarainen, Leena Metso
Year: 2002
Repeated/ad-hoc survey: repeated
Population definition: general young and adult population
Age range of participants: 15-69
Sample size: 2541
Sampling frame/basis: population registry
Sampling procedure: a simple random sample of 3000 from the whole 15-69-year-old population plus a simple random sample of 1000 from 15-34-year-olds. (Thus 15-34-year-olds were overrepresented and weights were used to correct this.)
Geographical coverage: national
Data collection procedure: mailed self-administered questionnaire
Bibliographic reference(s): Hakkarainen, Pekka & Metso, Leena: Huumeiden käytön uusi sukupolvi (Drug use: the new generation). Yhteiskuntapolitiikka 68 (2003):3, 244-256.
Questions on drug availability or access to drugs
Question wording: Have You ever been offered any drugs, either free of charge or for buying?
Possible answers: 1 No, 2 Yes, free of charge, 3 Yes, for buying, 4 Yes, both free of charge and for buying
Response rate: 63
Main findings: 29 % of men and 21 % of women had been offered drugs, either free of charge or for buying.
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Question wording: Have You, during the last 12 months, been offered any drugs, either free of charge or for buying?
Possible answers: 1 No, 2 Yes, free of charge, 3 Yes, for buying, 4 Yes, both free of charge and for buying
Response rate: 63
Main findings: 8,5 % of men and 4,4 % of women had been offered drugs, either free of charge or for buying, during last 12 months.
Finland / Alcohol and drug survey 2004
Survey/study name: Alcohol and Drug survey 2004
Contact person: Pekka Hakkarainen, Leena Metso
Year: 2004
Repeated/ad-hoc survey: repeated
Population definition: general young and adult population
Age range of participants: 15-69
Sample size: 2526 (= 1348 from the panel data + 1178 from the additional sample)
Sampling frame/basis: population registry
Sampling procedure: An alcohol panel study was conducted in 2003 and 2004 in Finland. Sampling method for this study was simple random sampling. In 2004 also an additional random sample was drawn from population registry of 15-69-year-olds. 15-34-olds were overrepresented in this sample. Weights were used to make the data representative for whole 15-69-year old population. In 2004 the questionnaire contained more drug questions, in 2003 only cannabis use was asked.
Geographical coverage: national
Data collection procedure: mailed self-administered questionnaire
Bibliographic reference(s): Hakkarainen, Pekka & Metso, Leena: Märkä pilvi ja vuosi 2004. (Wet high and the year 2004). Yhteiskuntapolitiikka 70 (2005):3, 252-265.
Questions on drug availability or access to drugs
Question wording: Have You ever been offered any drugs, either free of charge or for buying?
Possible answers: 1 No, 2 Yes, free of charge, 3 Yes, for buying, 4 Yes, both free of charge and for buying
Response rate: 63 % altogether (76 % for the second part of the panel study and 53 % for the additional sample)
Main findings: 28 % of men and 22 % of women had been offered drugs, either free of charge or for buying.
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Question wording: Have You, during the last 12 months, been offered any drugs, either free of charge or for buying?