Problematic cannabis users in the danish drug treatment system

1. Problematic cannabis users in the danish drug treatment system

2. The presentation is based on: Draft from national data bases about substance abusers enrolled in treatment.Information from 50 records about clients enrolled in cannabis treatment. The question is What knowledge does the databases and the records produce about heavy users of cannabis?

3. What quantitativedata? • In Denmark we got 3 different databases – made for different reasons in different historic contexts. They use different observation distinction. • SIB (Drug addicts in treatment) National Board of Health - public health risk / no public health risk • DANRIS – registration and monitoring system at institutions – CFR – Help/ no help • VBGS- waiting time for treatment guaranty - to be right or wrong

4. Communication – what’s in the records • What questions are written in the enrollment forms from treating institutions? • What does the treatment provider chose to ask about? • How does the client understand the questions? • With what information do the clients choose to respond? • What does the treatment provider understand of clients' response? • What does the treatment provider chose to write down?

5. Primary Drug of abuse among new clients entering drug abuse treatment program in Copenhagen 1994-2009

6. Employment situation DANRIS • Employed 22% • Students 5% • Unemployed 45% H&K projektet • Employed 42% • Students 24% • Unemployed 34%

7. Age and sex DANRIS: Men 27,3 and women 26,8 H&K projekt: Men 32,4 and women 32,7

8. How much cannabis do they smoke in a day? Persons Gram cannabis

9. Why do They seek treatment? 19 out of 50 records mention no reason for seeking treatment .. The 22 records about male clients: 12 say the reason is that, their partner will leave them otherwise. 2 economy, 2 to get a job or 2 requirements from prison, 3 to get a psychiatric diagnosis; 2 complete their education The 9 records about female clients; 2 personal development, 2 their child’s wellbeing; 2 to complete their education; 1 to get a psychiatric diagnosis

10. Male reasons: - Flemmings overall motivation to stop using cannabis is – because if he does not – he will lose his wife. The cannabis use is not worth it - and not so important - compared to losing his wife. Flemming knows it is the consequence, ifhedoes not stop now. Furthermore, the dream of having children is not realistic as long Flemming still smoke a lot of cannabis - he says. - Ib says, he is somehow undecided about what he hopes will happen with his marijuana use. He knows that now when he has been fired, the lower income makes forces him to cut down on consumption, but if he had money he would continue smoking at the same level.

11. Femalereasons • Silke says that she would like to stop smoking cannabis because she experienced using a lot of negative energy on it and she thinks it is a daily struggle. At the same time she is affected psychologically by the fact that she is irritable, emotional unstable. • Moreover, it goes against her moral She does not want her son to find out – that he has a cannabis dependent mother….

12. Other issues mentioned in the records? 6Depressions 3OCD / compulsions 3ADHD 3Domestic violence 2Gambling 2Violent offender 2Eating Disorders 1Sexual abuse in childhood 1Kleptomania 1Flasher 1 Rape

13. Astrid tells that she have a tendency to steal. Nothing but petty, it gives her a satisfaction and a kick. Alternative to her pettythefts, she have a tendency and desire for destructiveactsagainstother persons orthingsrelated to them.When Jytte was about 22 years old, she began to gain a lot of weight. She was always a chubby girl, but soon she came up to weigh 130 kg. The husband thought it was lovely.Bill can no longer live at home because he several times exposed himself to his wife daughter. Bill says he never considered himself as sexual normal.