ABSTRACT: A chart on consumption of cannabis derivatives in Italy and the U.S.

CONFISCATIONS OF CANNABIS IN ITALY

from 1 Jan to 31 Oct: KG 12,605 in 1987 6,916 in 1988

(SOURCE: PANORAMA, 13 November 1988)

average 1987-1988 = 9,760 in ten months + 976 Kg a month

rounding up = ONE TON A MONTH

for further elaborations refer to REPRESS:

an average of 13,285 between 1980 and 1987

1989 UPDATE: 23,231 Kg confiscated (Tirreno 12/04/90)

TWO TONS A MONTH (approximated)

UPDATE THE OTHER FIGURES ACCORDINGLY

CANNABIS CONSUMPTION IN ITALY (based on confiscations to 1988)

calculating that the confiscated goods do not exceed 10% of the market (there has been no relevant increase in the price), it can be said that the average consumption is TEN TONS A MONTH considering a habitual consumer a person who uses cannabis at least once a week (Refer to CONSUMPTION PATTERNS IN CALIFORNIA in Erba Proibita, p.161), and an evaluation on the number of consumers can be attempted

parameters of reference: it is given for granted that the confiscated substances are half marijuana and half hashish

it is taken for granted that an average-sized joint contains 1/10 gr. of hashish or 1/2 gr. of marijuana; on an average basis therefore a joint contains 1/3 of a gramme of confiscated substance

8% more than once a day: (three joints a day) = average consumption 30 grammes a month (coefficient 2,4)

18% about once a day: (one joint) = average consumption 10 grammes a month (1,8)

20% more than once a week: (three joints) = average consumption 4 grammes a month (0,8)

14% about once a week: average consumption 1,5 grammes a month (0,21)

19% 2 or 3 times a month: average consumption 1 gramme a month (0,19)

18% once a month or less: average consumption 0,2 grammes a month (0,05)

Total number of consumers would be 1,839,588

calculated multiplying the monthly consumption by the relative percentage value, adding the coefficients obtained and dividing the global value of the consumption (10 m of gr.) by the sum obtained

the categories of consumers would be thus divided:

147,000 consumers at a frequency of more than once a day

331,000 once a day

368,000 several times a week

257,000 once a week

349,000 2-3 times a month

331,000 once a month or less (repeat the calculations)

another figure is the one provided by ISPES, according to which the yearly turnover amounts to 17 thousand billion - a clear overestimation. With the above data (and an average price of 10,000 lire per gramme) the global yearly expense amounts to 1,200 billion, that is less than a tenth.

The ISPES figures would point to a yearly consumption of 17,000 tons, that is 100 times more than the figure taken from the confiscations. In this case we would have a number of consumers equivalent to the whole of the Italian adult population!!!

It seems however that the calculation of two million consumers is the more reliable one - of which 60% regular consumers (at least once a week)

CORRECTION BY GUIDO RICCI: taking into account the different figures (the category more than once a day on the basis of 1,5 joints), we obtain a total of approximately 2,430,000

CRIMINALPOL EVALUATION AND LABORATORY FOR SOCIAL POLICIES:

habitual marijuana consumers: 1,000,000 in 1987, 1,800,000 in 1988 (first three months of the relative years) (Cf. Messaggero 30/10/88)

CENSIS SURVEY IN TRIESTE AND SIRACUSA

Characteristics of the sampling unknown

The survey talks about "youths". 11% of the subjects surveyed in Trieste answered they had smoked marijuana, 7,6% of those surveyed in Siracusa said they had smoked it

(source: L'Europeo, 5 September 1987)

SELIS RESEARCH IN SARDINIA

on 618 youths aged 16-21

15% had used drugs occasionally (for the main part soft drugs)

(source: ASPE 15/2/1986) (filelb)

PREVALENCE OF THE LEVELS OF USE IN THE U.S.

NIDA survey of 1982 on youths aged 18-25.

64& has used marijuana at least once;

42% has used it at least ten times;

27% has used in the previous month;

21% had used it in the past for 20 or more days a month;

7% used it for 20 or more days a month;

4% used it in the measure of two or more joints a day.

(cit. Nadelmann: "The case for legalization",p.26, zzpapers n.802)

PREVALENCE OF CONSUMPTION IN THE U.S.

1982 life use 60,7m current use 20m (11% of the population)

1985 life use 62m (33%) current use 18,2m (10%)

life use - youth 5m (24%) young adults 20m (60%) older adults 37m (27%)

the figures on regular users are clearly unreliable

(1985 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse - NIDA) n.617

QUESTIONING OF THE FIGURES OF THE SURVEY

According to Mathre of the NORML, in the current climate of repression in the U.S., it is unlikely that the persons surveyed would have admitted to using cannabis. A 1985 survey on members of the NORML showed that only 32,7% would have revealed the use of cannabis to his or her physician, and that 8,4% would have never revealed it (Cf. High Times Oct. 1989, p.23)

PREVALENCE OF THE LEVELS OF USE IN CALIFORNIA (1976, after the decriminalization) ON REGULAR CONSUMERS:

more than once a day: 13%

once a day 6%

a few times a week 22%

approx. once a week 14%

2-3 times a month 12%

once a month or less 31%

(quoted from Arnao 1978, p.161)

this chart shows that among so-called "habitual" consumers, more than 2/3 (67%) makes a use of it that can be called regular (twice a month or more), 36% uses it at least every week but not every day, 19% at least once a day.

PREVALENCE OF LEVELS OF USE IN HOLLAND

youths aged 17-18 (1984)

12,2% has used it at least once

6,5% still uses it (53% of those who tried it)

0,1% uses it every day (1,5% of those who use it)

(Reuter: "The pragmatic Dutch approach", 1988 zzpapers n.809)

YOUTHS AGED TWELVE AND OVER IN AMSTERDAM

occasional consumption 23,6% habitual consumption 5,7%

One subject out of four who tries cannabis continues to use it

(Mustard et al.: "Drug Use in Amsterdam", cit. Reuter, cit.)

PREVALENCE OF USE IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY

illegal drugs used at least once by 24% of youths aged 12-24

cannabis used in 85% of cases = by 20,4% of youths aged 12-24

habitual use (non defined) of illegal drugs in 9,5% by youths aged 12-24

(personal deduction) habitual use of cannabis in 1,9% of youths aged 12-24

(Heckman in: CEWG -Proceedings June 1989, p. III-7)