The acceptability of illicit drug use in the
Netherlands and Norway: a comparative
study
[preliminary results]
Rosalie van der Sar1, Einar Ødegard2, Evelien Brouwers1,
Ien van de Goor1, Jostein Rise2, Henk Garretsen1
1 Tilburg
University, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences,
Tranzo, The Netherlands
2 Sirus, The Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drugs Research,
Norway
Alcohol and Drug Researcher’s Assembly, Reykjavik, August 2010
Overview
•
•
•
•
•
Introduction
Research question
Preleminary results
Discussion
Conclusion?!
Introduction
:
Acceptability
Why of interest?
Prevalence
Policy
Lifetime prevalence
Netherlands 1
Norway2
Cannabis
23%
16,2%
Other drugs
6,1%
3,8%
1 Rodenburg,
G., Spijkerman, R., van den Eijnden, R., & van de Mheen, D. (2007). Nationaal Prevalentie Onderzoek
Middelengebruik 2005 [National Prevalence Survey Substance Use 2005]. Rotterdam: IVO.
2
Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drugs Research. (2005). The drug situation in Norway 2005.
Annual report to the EMCDDA. Oslo:Sirus
Policy
Netherlands
Cannabis use is tolerated
Norway
Zero-tolerance
Dutch drug policy
• Possession, trade and production of drugs are illegal
• Drug use is not an illegal offence
• Prevention and health education are an essentional part
of Dutch public health policy: focus on youngsters.
• Distinction between hard and soft drugs based on health
risks
• Coffee shops are tolerated to protect citizins against the
use of hard drugs
Criteria coffee shops
•
•
•
•
No advertising
No hard drugs sales
No causing any nuisance
No access to coffee shops/sale of soft drugs under
18 years
• No sales of more than 5 grams per transaction per
person
Hypothesis
Expect a difference in acceptability
Acceptability of cannabis is
more pronounced in
Netherlands than in Norway
The acceptability of cannabis
use should be more in line
with the acceptability of
cocaine/heroin in Norway
than in the Netherlands
Methods
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cross-sectional internetsurvey
Fall 2008
Cases: N =5616 and N=2150
Opinion measured on 5 and 7 point Likert scale
Compared cannabis, cocaine and heroin
T-tests and Mann Witney U tests
How measured?
Beliefs about acceptability
The fact that …. is used, ought to be accepted in
Norway/Netherlands
2. […. is come to stay in Norway/Netherlands]
3. [Use of …. is accepted by many]
4. In my opinion it is acceptable when my friends use ….
once in a while
5. There is too strong regulation on in Norway/Netherlands
6. The legal system should (still) differentiate between
cannabis and stronger drugs
1.
How measured?
opinion policy measures
1. Drug use should be legal
2. Cannabis use must be prohibited
3. Use of other sorts of drugs must be prohibited
Sample characteristics
Netherlands (%) Norway (%)
Age
46.7
43.6
Men
45.8
51.5
19.0
3.4
0.7
16.0
3.4
0.6
Illicit drug lifetime use
Cannabis
Cocaine
Heroin
T-test
NL
NO
Mean (SD)
t
df
Sig.
Eta
27.25
4322.28
.00*
0.088
5187.49
.00*
0.051
The fact that cannabis is
used ought to be accepted
in Norway/ the Netherlands
3.37
(±1.93)
N=5560
2.14
(±1.72)
N=2138
The fact that cocaine/
heroin…
1.87
(±1.23)
N=5558
1.35 20.36
(±0.92)
N=2141
T-test
NL
NO
Mean (SD)
t
df
Sig.
Eta
The legal system should
(still) differentiate
between cannabis and
stronger drugs
4.66
(±1.97)
N=5545
3.32
(±2.15)
N=2137
25.16 3601.41
.00*
0.076
Drug use should be legal
2.48
(±
1.74)
N=5547
1.48
(± 1.22)
N=2133
28.29 5500.47
.00*
0.094
T-test
NL
NO
Mean (SD)
t
df
Sig.
Eta
Cannabis use must
be prohibited
3.06
(±1.33)
N=5579
4.17
(±1.16)
N=2145
-36.19 4405.02
.00*
0.145
Use of other sorts
of drugs must be
prohibited
3.84
(±1.16)
N=5576
4.66
(±0.79)
N=2141
-35.69 5698.18
.00*
0.142
Discussion
Prevalence
• There is a difference in prevalence rates between
these data and national data reports:
NL: lifetime use cannabis lower
NO: lifetime use cannabis higher
Discussion
Beliefs
• Strongest difference in opinion on drug policy
measures not on beliefs
???
 Acceptability is experienced differently than policy
measures
 Symbolic politics1
1 Ødegård,
542.
E. (1995). LEGALITY AND LEGITIMACY: On Attitudes to Drugs and Social Sanctions. Br J Criminol, 35(4), 525-
Discussion
Hypothesis
Acceptability of cannabis is
more pronounced in
Netherlands than in Norway
The acceptability of cannabis
use should be more in line
with the acceptability of
cocaine/heroin in Norway
than in the Netherlands
Yes, but slightly
Yes, though…
Discussion
….the scores on cannabis and
cocaine/heroin items are not
equal
Difference between acceptability between cannabis
and cocaine/ heroin is smaller in Norway than in
Netherlands
Thank you!
Rosalie van der Sar
r.vdrsar@uvt.nl