Use of Cannabis and Attitudes towards Cannabis in the Nordic Countries

Abstract

The article presents some results of a comparative Nordic drug survey that was carried out in Finland and Norway in spring 1993, in Denmark in early 1994 and in Sweden in early 1995. The focus in this article is on the prevalence of cannabis use and on public attitudes towards cannabis.

The lifetime prevalence of cannabis use was clearly highest in Denmark (30.1 %). The other Nordic countries, Sweden (11.4 %), Norway (8.3 %) and Finland (7.3 %) were way behind Denmark. However, the six-month prevalence figures, which provide a more accurate description of current drug use, were about ten times lower than the lifetime prevalence figures in each country. Thus, for the most part, cannabis use in the general population was restricted to short-term experimentation. Danish people reported knowing drug users among their friends and acquaintances more often than respondents in other countries.

Not surprisingly, attitudes towards cannabis were most liberal in Denmark. Attitudes in Finland, Norway and Sweden were fairly similar to each other, although it may be noted that attitudes in Sweden were consistently the strictest of all. In addition to the national differences, the article shows that attitudes towards cannabis varied according to personal experiences with cannabis and cannabis users. Those who had never experimented with cannabis and had no friends or acquaintances who used drugs reported the most negative attitudes towards cannabis.