Perceived availability of substances, substance use and substance-related problems: a cross national study among French and Dutch adolescents (2005)

ENGLISH :
Aim. A cross-national comparison of perceived availability of alcoholic beverages and cannabis, and of the influence of availability on consumption of and problems due to alcohol and cannabis. Method. National surveys of school-going adolescents (1418 years) in France and the Netherlands were used. The questionnaire was comparable for all measures used in this study. We distinguished between problems with peers, with socializing agents and adverse events (e.g. fights). Cross-tabulations and logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results. Compared with the French, Dutch adolescents perceive alcoholic beverages and cannabis as more easily available. Among the youngest (up to 17 years) the country difference is very small (34%). Perceived availability is of influence on alcohol and cannabis consumption, and on problems attributed to alcohol or cannabis consumption. In the Netherlands, the influence of perceived availability on alcohol consumption is stronger. When controlling for other variables, French adolescents are more likely to report problems due to cannabis use. Conclusions. The difference in cannabis policy between the two countries has a limited influence on perceived availability. Perceiving a substance as difficult to get prevents (frequent) use of alcohol and cannabis and prevents cannabis-related problems. A stronger enforcement of existing alcohol laws is recommended for the Netherlands. There are differences between France and the Netherlands in problems attributed to alcohol and cannabis which cannot be interpreted in the context of differences in policy (Review' s abstract)