How Much Does Drug Policy Matter?: Comparing drug use data, Netherlands-USA

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How Much Does Drug Policy Matter?Comparing drug
use data, Netherlands-USA

• Manja Abraham Kohnstamm Institute.,
  Universiteit van Amsterdam
• Peter Cohen Centruum voor
  Drugsonderzoek, Universiteit van Amsterdam
• Gerard Gmell Universite de Lausanne
• Lana Harrison University of Delaware
• Craig Reinarman University of California,
  Santa Cruz
• Sources
• Abraham, M.D., Cohen, P.D.A, De Winter, M.A.L,
  Van Til, R.J. (1999) Licit and illicit drug use
  in the Netherlands, 1997. Amsterdam
  CEDRO/MetsSchilt
• Abraham, M.D., Kaal, H.L., Cohen, P.D.A (2002)
  Licit and illicit drug use in the Netherlands,
  2001. Amsterdam CEDRO/MetsSchilt
• Office of Applied Studies, SAMSHSA (1998) 1997
  National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.
  Rockville, MD Substance Abuse and Mental Health
  Services Administration
• Office of Applied Studies, SAMSHSA (2002) 2001
  National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.
  Rockville, MD Substance Abuse and Mental Health
  Services Administration
• Reinarman, Cohen and Kaal, The Limited Relevance
  of Drug Policy Cannabis in Amsterdam and San
  Francisco, American Journal of Public Health
  94836-842, 2004

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Cannabis -- life time prevalenceUSA and NL, 1997
and 2001, by age group
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Cannabis -- age of first useUSA and NL, 1997 and
2001, by age group
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Ecstacy -- life time prevalenceUSA and NL, 1997
and 2001, by age group
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Ecstacy -- age of first useUSA and NL, 1997 and
2001, by age group
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Heroin -- life time prevalenceUSA and NL, 1997
and 2001, by age group
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Heroin -- age of first useUSA and NL, 1997 and
2001, by age group
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Ages at first cannabis use, first regular use,
and at start of heaviest use among experienced
cannabis users (25xgt)
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Experienced user samples Frequency of
cannabis use in 4 periods, by city ( of all
respondents)
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Experienced users Average quantity of cannabis
used per month for last-year and last-3-months
periods, percentages are of of respondents still
using
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Experienced users Intensity of intoxication
at typical occasion of cannabis use for
last-year and last-3-months periods, percentages
are of of respondents still using
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Experienced users Duration of intoxication,
typical occasion of cannabis use for last-year
and last-3-months periods, percentages are of of
respondents still using
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Drug use prevalence Amsterdam and San Francisco
(1998)source Reinarman, Cohen and Kaal, The
Limited Relevance of Drug Policy Cannabis in
Amsterdam and San Francisco, American Journal
of Public Health 94836-842, 2004
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Table 1 User rules for regulating cannabis use
( reporting)
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How often to you stick to your rules?
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Figure 1 Locations of use, last three months of
use mean frequency scores never0 seldom1
sometimes2 often3 always4
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Situations thought not suitable for cannabis use

• Amsterdam San Francisco
• Work (or study) 69.3 52.1
• With Parents 16.6 16.9
• In public or at events 15.6 15.9
• While driving 8.0 19.6
• While concentrating 11.1 11.4

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Emotional states thought suitable for cannabis
use

• Amsterdam San Francisco
• Feeling good, happy, joyful 59.3
  58.7
• Feeling relaxed 22.8 41.4
• Feeling sexual 13.8 6.8
• Feeling excited, euphoric 10.2
  5.3
• Feeling down, depressed 9.6 5.2

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Emotional states thought unsuitable for cannabis
use

• Amsterdam San Francisco
• Feeling down, depressed 42.4 29.1
• Feeling sad, upset 28.1 16.2
• Feeling anxious, paranoid 11.4
  32.4
• Feeling angry, aggressive, rageful 12.1
  23.4
• Feeling tense, stressed out 15.9
  12.8
• Feeling unsafe, insecure 10.6 16.2

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Types of people with whom users would not want
to consume cannabis

• Amsterdam San Francisco
• Parents 54.6 50.8
• Relatives 32.8 18.3
• Co-workers 19.5 28.8
• Strangers 8.6 20.8
• Children 9.8 16.3
• Non-users, people opposed 12.1
  10.0

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Persons users persuaded to not try cannabis
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Persons users persuaded to try cannabis