Illicit Drugs in the Nightlife Setting: Changes in Employee Perceptions and Drug Use over a Fifteen-Year Period

Abstract

Background

Illicit drug use is common in nightlife settings and associated with various public health-related problems, making this an important arena for prevention. Purpose/objectives: To assess perceived prevalence of illicit drug use in the Stockholm nightlife setting, use of and attitudes toward illicit drugs among employees at licensed premises. Also, to make comparisons with two identical measurements from 2001 and 2007/08, and to explore potential differences related to own drug use, type of licensed premise, age or gender. Methods: Cross-sectional surveys were conducted at three time-points: 2001, 2007/08, and 2016/17, comprising employees at licensed premises in Stockholm participating in STAD’s Responsible Beverage Service training program. A total of 665 persons (mean age 28 years, 53% women) were included in the 2016/2017 measurement. Results: A majority of the respondents reported having observed patrons intoxicated by illicit drugs in the last six months, and agreed that patrons intoxicated by illicit drugs should be asked to leave licensed premises. The belief that one had observed patrons intoxicated by illicit drugs was more common among respondents who had themselves been using illicit drugs during the last year, and also among employees at nightclubs. Furthermore, comparisons with previous time-points showed a significant increase in the proportion of employees using illicit drugs. Almost half of the respondents in the youngest age group (18–24 years) reported illicit drug use during the last year. Conclusions/importance: Observation and use of illicit drugs are common among employees in the Stockholm nightlife setting and has increased significantly during the past decade.

Keywords:

• Illicit drugs
• prevention
• clubs against drugs
• licensed premises
• marijuana
• amphetamine
• ecstasy
• attitudes
• employees

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the course coordinators at STAD’s RBS training for assistance with data collection.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Data statement section

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the Center for Psychiatry Research, a collaboration between the Karolinska Institute and Stockholm County Council, but restrictions apply to their availability, as they were used under ethical permission for the current study, and so are not publicly available. However, data are available from the authors upon reasonable request and with permission from the Center for Psychiatry Research.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Stockholm County Council.