Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal
Prevalence and patterns of drug use among the general population (GPS) 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
Monitoring drug use in recreational settings: challenges and opportunities
Elsa Lavado, Vasco Calado, Lúcia Dias
15-16 May 2018 - EMCDDA (Lisbon)
Since 2002, SICAD has been conducting qualitative and quantitative studies in
recreational settings, including music festivals.
• Boom (2002)
• Rock in Rio (every two years since 2006)
• NOS Alive (2017)
Topics of study:
• Drugs and alcohol use prevalence
• Risk perceptions
• Social representations
• Knowledge of the law
2
introduction
Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
3Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
4
conclusions
Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
Qualitative studies(ethnographic)
Boom 2002Rock in Rio 2006
Main conclusions:
� Rejection of heroin and, to a lesser extent, alcohol� Fascination with consciousness-expanding substances� Apology of natural substances, seen as harmless� Curiosity for new drugs� Relativization of health risks and harms� Risk practices (mixtures / high doses)
Drug use is linked to the urge to escape the daily life routine. The psychadelic experience is seen as a goal, as something that allows the «trip».Drug use is part of a rampant hedonistic culture.
Boom
5
conclusions
Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
Qualitative studies(ethnographic)
Main conclusions:
� Cannabis use in the open, not an hidden practice� Cannabis use in conviviality with friends� Drug use is higher in social leisure contexts� Drug normalization
In some recreational settings (namely raves and trance parties), drug use (cannabis) is no longer an exception to the rule, but rather the rule itself.
Rock in Rio
Qualitative studies(ethnographic)
Boom 2002Rock in Rio 2006
6Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
7
mixed studies
Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
Mixed Studies Rock in Rio 2008/2010/2012/2014/2016/2018NOS Alive 2017
NOS ALIVE
In the framework of NPS Euronet, in Portugal beside the collection for chemical analysis of wastewater treatment, a questionnaire wasapplied to the public of the music festival NOS Alive Lisbon, in July2017.
SICAD collaborated in the design and implementation of thequestionnaire and in the analysis of the results.
Main Goal: Characterize the public and their NPS use
Partnership between:
SICAD
Egas Moniz (Álvaro Lopes)
INMLCF (Mário João Dias)
ROCK IN RIO (RIR)
In the scope of the SICAD Program of Studies on Social Representations (that began in 2008), studies have been carried out focusing on the adolescent and young adult population present in each edition of the Rock in Rio - Lisboa (RIR), a music festival, held every two years in the Portuguese capital.
Main Goal: identify patterns of illicit substance use, as well as social representations and attitudes towards illicit substances, by young people.
A questionnaire concerning drugs was applied in three editions of Rock in Rio - Lisbon (2008, 2012 and 2016).
SICAD: General Directorate for Intervention on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (Serviço de Intervenção nos Comp. Aditivos e nas Dependências)Egas Moniz: Egas Moniz – Higher Education Cooperative, C.R. L.INMLCF: National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, I.P.
8
more female than male
young (15-24 years old)
mostly are students (university)
mainly with residence in the region of Lisbon
in NOS ALIVE almost all with Portuguese nationality (foreign countries=11%)
in RIR all Portuguese
Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal
sample
GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
37.1%
22.2%
14.3%
29.4%
18.7%
10.5%
51.5%
32.5%
19.7%
15.9%
8.3%6.3%
lifetime last 12 months last 30 days
RIR 2012 RIR 2016 NOS Alive 2017 GPS 2016/17
9
Illicit drug use prevalence (%)(15-34 years old)
Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal
results
GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
Balsa, et al., 2017. National Survey on Drug Use in General Population, Portugal 2016/17 (GPS 2016/17)
10Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal
36
.2%
21
.2%
13
.6%
28
.9%
17
.7%
9.9
%
48
.5%
32
.5%
19
.0%
15
.1%
8.0
%
6.4
%
lifetime last 12M last 30D
RIR 2012 RIR 2016 NOS Alive 2017 GPS 2016/17
Cannabis use prevalence(15-34 years old and Portuguese) (%)
3.8
%
1.7
%
0.7
%
3.6
%
1.9
%
1.1
%
4.5
%
2.5
%
1.1
%
1.1
%
0.3
%
0.2
%
lifetime last 12M last 30D
RIR 2012 RIR 2016 NOS Alive 2017 GPS 2016/17
Cocaine use prevalence(15-34 years old and Portuguese) (%)
results
Balsa, et al., 2017. National Survey on Drug Use in General Population, Portugal 2016/17 (GPS 2016/17)
11Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal
2.8
%
0.9
%
0.1
%
2.9
%
1.4
%
0.7
%
4.2
%
2.3
%
0.7
%
0.9
%
0.2
%
lifetime last 12M last 30D
RIR 2012 RIR 2016 NOS Alive 2017 GPS 2016/17
Ecstasy use prevalence(15-34 years old and Portuguese) (%)
3.0
%
0.9
%
0.3
%
2.7
%
0.7
%
0.2
%
3.4
%
0.7
%
0.3
%
0.5
%
0.1
%
0.0
%
lifetime last 12M last 30D
RIR 2012 RIR 2016 NOS Alive 2017 GPS 2016/17
LSD use prevalence(15-34 years old and Portuguese) (%)
< 0
,1%
results
Balsa, et al., 2017. National Survey on Drug Use in General Population, Portugal 2016/17 (GPS 2016/17)
12Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal
3.4
%
1.4
%
0.4
%
1.5
%
0.3
%
0.1
%
6.3
%
0.8
%
0.6
%0.5
%
0.4
%
lifetime last 12M last 30D
RIR 2012 RIR 2016 NOS Alive 2017 GPS 2016/17
NPS use prevalence(15-34 years old and Portuguese) (%)
< 0
,1%
results
Balsa, et al., 2017. National Survey on Drug Use in General Population, Portugal 2016/17 (GPS 2016/17)
13
15.1%
18.0%
6.6%
17.1%
27.3%
19.3%
19.5%
26.0%
30.5%
31.0%
day 1 day 2 day 3 day 4 day 5
Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal
Illicit drug use prevalence by festival date (%)
Last
12M
2012
2016
Metallica
B. Springsteen
Hollywood Vampires
GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
results
14Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal
29.0%
25.9%
32.1%
40.4%
48.0%
last 12 months
electronic hip hop indie pop rock
GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
Illicit drug use prevalence according to favourite musical genre (%)
results
2017
15
“What comes to mind when you think about «Drug»?”(%)
Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
2012 2016
9.7%
4.9%
2.0%
5.7%
6.1%
5.7%
24.7%
15.8%
2.6%
10.8%
5.2%
4.2%
5.5%
12.6%
14.8%
19.4%
fun
decadence
disease
drug use (types of)
drug users (types of)
bad choices
substances
addiction
non-users (L12M) (N=854)
drug users (L12M) (N=247)
4.7%
1.0%
0.5%
4.7%
5.2%
6.3%
27.1%
16.1%
1.8%
3.3%
5.2%
6.3%
7.1%
14.8%
14.2%
21.2%
fun
decadence
disease
drug use (types of)
drug users (types of)
bad choices
substances
addiction
non-users (L12M) (N=826)
drug users (L12M) (N=192)
results
party, adrenaline, relief, joy, night, festivals, social, summer, fun, …
night life, conviviality, enjoyment, fun, euphoria, happiness, parties, …
16
“What comes to mind when you think about «Drug Users»?”(%)
Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
2012 2016
12.8%
6.6%
0.4%
2.9%
18.9%
5.3%
3.3%
10.7%
6.7%
9.1%
3.9%
3.0%
10.4%
12.5%
1.3%
9.6%
fun
decadence
disease
drug use (types of)
drug users (types of)
bad choices
substances
addiction
non-users (L12M) (N=823)
drug users (L12M) (N=243)
4.4%
0.0%
2.7%
6.6%
19.8%
7.1%
1.1%
13.7%
1.8%
1.2%
4.9%
1.7%
14.0%
15.6%
2.0%
16.6%
fun
decadence
disease
drug use (types of)
drug users (types of)
bad choices
substances
addiction
non-users (L12M) (N=814)
drug users (L12M) (N=182)
results
party, friends, entertainment, fun, happiness, adrenaline, music, night,…
night life, rave, joy, well-being, festivals, recreational, rock music, socialize, …
17
“What comes to mind when you think about «Drug Addicts»?”(%)
Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
2012 2016
0.0%
6.5%
12.2%
1.2%
3.7%
8.6%
2.9%
20.4%
0.2%
4.7%
13.5%
0.6%
2.7%
13.3%
3.9%
21.6%
fun
decadence
disease
drug use (types of)
drug users (types of)
bad choices
substances
addiction
non-users (L12M) (N=844)
drug users (L12M) (N=245)
0.5%
4.8%
8.6%
1.1%
5.4%
11.8%
6.5%
22.0%
0.3%
2.2%
10.8%
1.3%
4.1%
12.9%
4.9%
23.4%
fun
decadence
disease
drug use (types of)
drug users (types of)
bad choices
substances
addiction
non-users (L12M) (N=790)
drug users (L12M) (N=186)
results
18Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal
Category "additive behavior" in the open question“What comes to mind when you think about «Greater Problems of Portuguese Society» (%)
2008(n=94)
(9,5% of the total sample)
2012(n=53)
(4,7% of the total sample)
2016(n=40)
(3,9% of the total sample)
17.0
3.2
67.0
12.8 26.4
1.969.8
1.9
alcohol tobaccoillicit substances addictions
52.5
20.0
17.5
10.0
GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
results
19
Cannabis use motivations according to lifetime users(15-34 years old) (%)
Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
2.2%
15.1%
2.0%
4.1%
1.2%
3.7%
17.3%
5.6%
41.5%
0.7%
12.5%
1.0%
4.4%
0.7%
2.7%
21.3%
4.1%
46.6%
8.3%
10.8%
11.2%
13.3%
14.8%
20.3%
21.7%
26.0%
physical energy for leisure activities
be sociable
social/peer pressure
forget about problems
reduces inhibitions
curiosity
relax
feel high
fun
GPS 2016/17 * RIR 2016 RIR 2012
* Considered the category “very important”
results
Balsa, et al., 2017. National Survey on Drug Use in General Population, Portugal 2016/17 (GPS 2016/17)
20Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal
conclusions
GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
21Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal
Between 2008 and 2016, there were fewer respondents who considered illicit substances as a serious
social problem, and by 2016, alcohol was considered a major problem.
Illicit substances are less associated with crime, poverty and social exclusion.
According to the respondents, problematic drug use is less visible than it used to be, young people show less familiarity and contact with drug addicts. According to this study of Rock in Rio, the heroin user/abuser figure, who was a central figure of popular culture in the 80s and 90s, is absent in the
discourse of the young people.
Respondents tended to associate the word "drugs" more with cannabis rather than with heroin, as was common in the past. They also associate the word "drug users" more with friends and young people than
with drug addicts.
However, drug use is seen primarily as a life style, albeit something bad, an unhealthy lifestyle that can
lead to health problems and addictions.
Considering Rock in Rio…
conclusions
GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
22Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal
MAIN CONCLUSIONS…
conclusions
GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator
Drug use is higher among partygoers and music festival participants.
Drug use is lower in the general population, even considering the same age group.
Drug use varies according to musical preferences and recreational settings.
Strong link between drug use and leisure among young people.
23
studies available at: www.sicad.ptThank you for your attention
Drug use surveys in music festivals in Portugal GPS: 2018 Expert meeting on the indicator