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Cannabis and Drug Helplines –

Data from the FESAT Monitoring System

Björn Hibell Presented at the conference

Taking a Call on Cannabis – Drug Helpline’s Response

Lisbon 1-2 October, 2007

FESAT Monitoring Project

• 13 data collections

• 2 data collections per year

• Changes during the last 6 months

• March 2007 covering the last 6 months of 2006

• Report distributed in June

• Extra questions related to cannabis

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Most frequent contacts

15 helplines

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Contacts: Average proportions

Cannabis 25 % (7-52)

Heroin 20 % (3-70)

Cocaine 14 % (0-44)

Alcohol 13 % (0-48)

Others 13 % (0-40)

Ecstasy 5 % (0-15)

Amphetamines 5 % (0-20)

Benzodiazepines 4 % (0-20)

GHB/GBL 1 % (0-6)

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Contacts: Number 1 rankings

Cannabis 8

Heroin 2 (Gr, Gr)

Others 2 (Au, Fi)

Cocaine 1 (It)

Alcohol 1 (La)

Amphetamines1 (Fi)

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Contacts: Average ranking (9 – 1)

Cannabis 8.2

Alcohol 5.9

Cocaine 5.8

Heroin 5.4

Others 5.0

Amphetamines 4.5

Ecstasy 4.1

Benzodiazepines 3.5

GHB/GBL 2.9

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Most important increases in 2006

13 helplines

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Increases: Ranking (3 – 1)

Cocaine (1.7)

Alcohol (1.2)

Cannabis (1.2)

Heroin (0.8)

Amphetamines(0.4)

Benzodiazepines (0.2)

GHB/GBL (0.2)

Others (0.2)

Ecstasy (0.1)

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Increases: Number 1 rankings

Cocaine 5 (Gr, Ir, It, No, Po)

Cannabis 3 (Be, Ge, Ne)

Heroin 2 (Fi, Gr)

Alcohol 1 (Be)

Amphetamines1 (Fi)

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Most important decreases in 2006

13 helplines

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Decreases: Ranking (3 – 1)

Ecstasy (1.5)

Cannabis (0.7)

Heroin (0.6)

Others (0.6)

GHB/GBL (0.5)

Amphetamines (0.3)

Benzodiazepines (0.3)

Cocaine (0.2)

Alcohol (0.0)

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Decreases: Number 1 rankings

Ecstasy 4 (Gr, It, Ne, Po)

Cannabis 3 (Be, Fi, Gr)

Heroin 2 (Cy, Ir)

GHB/GBL 1 (Ge)

Others 1 (No)

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Who calls about cannabis?

17 helplines

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Callers: Ranking (10 - 1)Parents (9.5)

Users (8.5)

Partners (7.4)

Relatives (7.1)

Friends (5.8)

Professionals (5.5)

Others (4.0)

Students (3.3)

Teachers (2.9)

Media (2.1)

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Callers: Number 1 rankings

Parents 11

Users 5 (Au, Ge, Ne, No, Po)

Partners 1 (Ma)

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Cannabis related subjects

15 helplines

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Cannabis subjects: Ranking (11 - 1)General effects (9.6)

Length of time it is detectable (8.5)

Mental health implications (8.3)

Advise/Support (8.1)

Seeking treatment (7.5)

Physical health implications(7.0)

Legal implications (6.2)

Cannabis as gateway drug (5.9)

Route of administration (5.0)

Contamination (4.2)

Others (1.9)

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Cannabis subjects: Number 1 rankings

General effects 4 (Fi, Ge, Gr, Ne)

Length of time it is detectable 4 (Gr, La, Ma, Po)

Advise/Support 3 (Cy, Ir, No)

Seeking treatment 2 (Be, It)

Mental health aspects 1 (Fi)

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Advise/Support 90 %, 55 %

Treatment 70 %, 31 %

Length of time it is detectable 36 %

Dominant cannabis questions

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Cannabis in general 8

Hashish and/or marihuana 8

No geographical pattern

Communication subjects (16 helplines)

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Cannabis attitudes

9 helplines

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a) Three years ago

b) Today

Average cannabis user

Average partner

Average parent

Average social worker

Average police officer

Cannabis attitude scale from 1 (very negative) to 10 (very positive) for average callers

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Average user 6.1 (10-3)

Average social worker 4.3 (5-2)

Average partner 4.1 (6-1)

Average parent 2.6 (4-1)

Average police officer 2.5 (4-1)

Attitudes on the “negative side” for all categories but users

Cannabis attitudes 2007 (10 - 1)

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Average user - 0.9 (7.0 - 6.1)

Average police officer - 0.6 (3.1 - 2.5)

Average parent - 0.6 (3.2 - 2.6)

Average social worker - 0.5 (4.8 - 4.3)

Average partner - 0.4 (4.4 - 4.1)

Attitudes have become more negative

Cannabis attitudes: Changes over 3 years

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Summary 1 (2)• Cannabis is the most common subject (25 %),

followed by heroin (22 %).• Heroin dominants in Greece.• Increased number of questions mainly about

cocaine, alcohol and cannabis.• Decreased number of questions mainly about

ecstasy, cannabis and heroin.• Most important callers are parents and users.• Most important cannabis subjects are general

effects and length of time cannabis is detectable in urine/blood.

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Summary 2 (2)

• Some subjects dominates (heavily) at some helplines.

• Cannabis users have the most positive attitudes to cannabis and police officers the most negative.

• Attitudes to cannabis on the “negative side” for all groups but users.

• Attitudes to cannabis have become more negative during the last three years.