P-18 - Ethno-botanical Preference in Drug Consumption Habits at Young Romanian Populations

Abstract

Romania is on the fourth place in the EU considering the consumption of ethno-botanical drugs with a psychotropic effect, which was far from safe, in 2009 more than 1300 persons, asked for medical help being seriously poisoned.

Material and methods

On a festival called “Peninsula Music Festival 2010” we examined the drug usage habit of 256 young participants with a questionnaire. We evaluate correlation with risk factors of preference of ethno-botanical drugs.

Results

Gender distribution: 59.37% man and 40.63 women. Age distribution: Sample size = 256, Mean age 21.60 years, Standard deviation 4.33. The individual's smoking habit influences the judgement of the dangerousness of smoking. Considering the consumed drugs the great majority of students (similarly to the international situation) tried out ethno-botanical drugs and marijuana. This is followed by the abuse of medicine and amphetamines consumption. The changes of both legal and illegal drug use habits conclude to the fact that the same happens in our country as in the western union countries.

Conclusions

The frequency of drug trials grows among the youth, the habits of drug use change, cannabis derivatives and ethno-botanical drugs dominate while the proportion of opiate users is decreasing.