The "Clubs against Drugs" program in Stockholm, Sweden: two cross-sectional surveys examining drug use among staff at licensed premises

Abstract

BackgroundThe objective of this study is to examine self-reported drug use among staff at licensed premises, types of drugs used, attitudes towards drugs, and observed drug use among guests. Results are presented from two measurement points (in 2001 and 2007/08). This study was carried out within the framework of the "Clubs against Drugs" program, which is a community-based multi-component intervention targeting licensed premises in Stockholm, Sweden.MethodsTwo cross-sectional surveys were conducted, the first in 2001 and the second in 2007/08. Staff at licensed premises attending server training were asked to participate in the anonymous survey. A survey was administered in a classroom setting and consisted of four sections: 1) demographics, 2) respondents' own drug use experience, 3) respondents' attitudes towards drug use, and 4) observed drug use among guests at licensed premises.ResultsData were collected from 446 staff in 2001 and 677 staff in 2007/08. The four most commonly used drugs among staff were cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, and ecstasy. The highest rates of drug use were reported by staff in the two youngest age groups, i.e., those younger than 25 and those between the ages of 25 and 29. In 2007/08 staff reported significantly lower rates of drug use than staff in 2001. Last year drug use for the sample in 2007/08 was 19% compared to 27% for the 2001 sample. While drug-using staff compared to non drug-using staff reported more observations of drug use among guests, they were less inclined to intervene. Overall, staff reported restrictive attitudes towards drugs.ConclusionsThe prevalence of life-time and last year drug use among staff at licensed premises is high compared to the general population in Sweden. Lower rates of self-reported drug use among staff were reported in 2007/08. The results of this study highlight that staff at licensed premises represent an important target population in club drug prevention programs.

Measuring substance use in the club setting: a feasibility study using biochemical markers

“…Additionally, the overall population in Sweden is perceived to have more restrictive attitudes towards illicit drug use as compared to the U.S.. For instance, although staff at licensed premises in Stockholm report high levels of drug use, almost 70% agree with Swedish drug laws stating that it should be illegal to be drug-intoxicated [12]. …”

Long-term effects of a community-based intervention: 5-year follow-up of ‘Clubs against Drugs’

“…municipality, trade unions). Because prevalence studies at project initiation revealed that not only guests but also staff at licensed premises had high rates of drug use [31,32], a central part of the intervention has been to reduce drug use both among staff and guests through policy work [18]. One component of the intervention was therefore to use a comprehensive drug policy approach that included written policies, training for managers, staff education, drug‐testing and rehabilitation [33,34].…”

“…During the course of this RBS programme, stakeholders expressed concern of the increased problems related to illicit club drug use, and attention was therefore expanded to include illicit club drugs. Initial prevalence studies conducted by our group reinforced this concern, as illicit club drug use was found to be high both among guests and staff [18]. As a result, a new illicit club drug community intervention programme, ‘Clubs against Drugs’, was initiated in 2002.…”

“…Similar to the RBS programme, the illicit club drug intervention was based on a systems approach to prevention [19,20]. The programme included community mobilization, drug training, increased enforcement, policy work, environmental changes and media advocacy and public relation (PR) work [18,21].…”

“…These stimulants are perceived as causing the most serious violent crimes in Stockholm nightlife. Use has caused increasing concern as indicated by our surveys with staff at licensed premises [18].…”