How the recreational mediators use of drugs has preventative implications

Abstract

We studied the influence of alcohol consumption and other drug use by professionals related to the weekend recreational context on their attitudes and opinions on drugs. The sample includes 246 professionals in five Spanish regions from four sectors: 1) recreational industry (24.8%), 2) the media expressly targeting the young (19.1%), 3) social services and preventive programmes (44.3%), and 4) juvenile association leaders (11.8%). The majority are young with a university background. The majority (62%) of these professionals are inebriated from time to time, 38.5% are users, at least occasionally, of cannabis and 25% use other illegal drugs at least occasionally. There is a lower probability of those from the social services and juvenile associations using these drugs in comparison with those in the media. The perception of the danger inherent in drug use is significantly less among those who use. On occasion, the beliefs of these professionals on important issues for prevention are not in line with scientific evidence (38.4% of all these professionals believe that cannabis is not harmful and this percentage rises to 58.2% among those who do use cannabis.). It is important that preventive programmes take into consideration the training of the professionals who work in the immediate environment of the young in their search for enjoyment their own uses, should be approached during this training.