Acceptance of illicit drug use in the Netherlands and Norway: A cross-national survey

• Published in: Drugs : education, prevention & policy Vol. 19; no. 5; pp. 397 - 405
• Main Authors: van der Sar, R., Ødegård, E., Rise, J., Brouwers, E. P. M., van de Goor, L. A. M., Garretsen, H. F. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Informa UK, Ltd 01-10-2012; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Acceptance; Age differences; Drug abuse; Netherlands; Norway; Regression analysis
• ISSN: 0968-7637; 1465-3370
• DOI: 10.3109/09687637.2012.671859

Aim: This study aims to explore differences between Dutch and Norwegian adults in the acceptance of illicit drug use in relation to the normalization thesis.
Methods: Data were collected in November 2008. In total, 2150 Norwegian and 5616 Dutch respondents were included and the samples were weighted. The level of acceptance was assessed by measuring beliefs and opinions among Dutch and Norwegian people of 16 years and older and among different user groups in the Netherlands and Norway. t-Tests, 2-tests and multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the differences between both countries.
Findings: Norwegian and Dutch respondents were somewhat reserved concerning the acceptance of illicit drug use. However, the acceptance of illicit drugs among Dutch respondents was significantly higher compared to Norwegian respondents. Regarding different user groups, even non-users in both countries showed a significant difference, with Dutch non-users accepting illicit drug use to a larger extent than Norwegians.
Conclusions: According to the findings of this study, the acceptance of illicit drug use seems to be larger in the Dutch society than in the Norwegian one.