Historique
Article de Périodique
Report on an initiative to separate the market for 'soft' and 'hard' drugs in Germany (1999)
Auteur(s) :
MICHELS, I. I.
Année
1999
Page(s) :
305-308
Résumé :
In Germany, there are an estimated two to four million consumers of cannabis/marijuana; nearly 300?000 of them are frequent users. About 10-15% of the adult population have used cannabis. Estimates suggest that 10% of 18-20-year-olds, 7.5% of 21-24-year-olds, 5.5% of 25-29-year-olds, 2% of 30-39-year-olds and 1% of 40-49-year-olds currently use cannabis (Hamburgische Landesstelle gegen die Suchtgefahren, 1994; Kleiber and Soellner, 1998). In a 1997 survey of 14-year-old students in Bremen, 11% had used cannabis within the last 4 weeks. These findings suggest that although cannabis use in Germany is not dramatically high, it is a relatively common activity, particularly among young people. Paraphanalia, seeds and booklets about cultivation and use are sold in more than 400 'head shops' or 'hemp shops' in nearly all major cities. Moreover, medical associations and patient groups are increasingly asking for the right to use marijuana for medical purposes, although the government has yet to acknowledge the effectiveness of the substance in reducing pain or improving the health status of severely ill people, e.g. AIDS or cancer patients (Neumeyer, 1996; Schneider, 1995; Zimmer and Morgan, 1997). [Extract]