Department of Sociology, Purdue University, 700 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2059, USA.
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2013 Jul 1;131(1-2):149-56. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.12.012. Epub 2013 Jan 5.
Recent research has called upon investigators to exploit cross-national differences to uncover the cultural and structural factors influencing drug use. While the individual-level correlates are well-established, little is known about the association between cross-national variation in drug policies and young people's substance use. This study examines, net of individual-level predictors, the association between national-level drug policy and use of an illicit drug other than cannabis.
The study uses Eurobarometer repeated cross-sectional surveys in 2002 and 2004 of adolescents aged 15-24 drawn in multistage, random probability samples proportional to population size and density within regions of their country (N=15,191). Participants completed self-reported measures of last month drug use, attitudes toward drugs, school and work participation, and demographics. Gathered from several international bodies, national-level policy measures include drug offense levels, possession decriminalization, and presence and usage of harm reduction strategies.
Hierarchical logistic regression models demonstrate that, while controlling for important individual-level predictors, in countries where there is no restriction on possession of drugs for personal use, the odds of drug use in the last month are 79% lower (p<0.05). On the other hand, higher usage of treatment and drug substitution are associated with higher levels of drug use. These results are robust to several alternate specifications.
Among the strongest and most consistent findings, eliminating punishments for possession for personal use is not associated with higher drug use. The results indicate that researchers should take national-level context into account in individual-level studies of drug use.
最近的研究呼吁调查人员利用跨国差异来揭示影响药物使用的文化和结构因素。虽然个体层面的相关性已经得到很好的证实，但对于毒品政策的跨国差异与年轻人药物使用之间的关联知之甚少。本研究考察了个体层面预测因素之外，国家层面的毒品政策与除大麻以外的非法药物使用之间的关联。
该研究使用了 2002 年和 2004 年在欧洲民意调查中对 15-24 岁青少年进行的重复横断面调查，这些青少年是根据其所在国家/地区的人口规模和密度在多阶段、随机概率样本中抽取的（N=15191）。参与者完成了关于上个月药物使用、对药物的态度、学校和工作参与以及人口统计数据的自我报告。从几个国际机构收集的国家层面政策措施包括毒品犯罪水平、持有毒品非刑罪化以及减少伤害策略的存在和使用。
分层逻辑回归模型表明，在控制了重要的个体层面预测因素的情况下，在个人持有毒品不受限制的国家，上个月药物使用的可能性降低了 79%（p<0.05）。另一方面，更高的治疗和药物替代使用与更高水平的药物使用有关。这些结果在几种替代规范下都是稳健的。
在最强和最一致的发现中，取消个人持有毒品的惩罚与更高的药物使用无关。结果表明，在个体层面的药物使用研究中，研究人员应该考虑国家层面的背景。
