Abstract

The evolution of the drug use epidemic in Greece (prevalence and incidence of use of illicit drugs and illicit use of psychoactive pharmaceuticals) over a 20-year period is presented taking into account the sociocultural context and policies. Data were drawn from face-to-face household surveys carried out in 1984, 1998 and 2004 on national stratified probability samples of approximately 4,000 participants aged 12-65 years. After a large increase in lifetime illicit drug use prevalence from 4.0% in 1984 to 12.2% in 1998, the phenomenon seems to have taken a downward turn, to 8.6% in 2004. The incidence of illicit drug use remained unchanged between 1998 and 2004 in adolescents, declined in the young adult group (18-24 years) and dropped sharply at older ages. Cannabis accounts for almost all the total prevalence of illicit drug use; other illicit drugs have lifetime prevalence below 1%. The large gender differences in illicit drug use have narrowed over the years, especially in the younger age groups, although males remain far more heavily involved in illicit drug use than females. The lifetime prevalence of unprescribed use of pharmaceuticals has decreased markedly over the last 20 years from 13.5 to 9.1% following a stricter policy on prescribing. A narrowing of gender differences was also observed here, although females continue to predominate. Findings from the Greek general population surveys have had an impact on drug policy in the past and continue to represent an important input to policy formulation.