The Use of Drugs in Cypriot Higher Education

The Use of Drugs in Cypriot Higher Education Free Online Research Papers With the spreading of globalization peoples views of drugs are changing. Various countries are adopting these new circumstances and making policy changes accordingly. This is not the case for Cyprus, as Cyprus has one of the strictest anti drug policies in Europe. Is this called for? Is the exploitation and use of drugs in Cyprus really such a big problem? Motivation Various countries legalizing or relaxing laws surrounding the use of certain illicit substances leads us to believe that Cyprus’s strict anti-drug policy is out of date. Past generations believe in the stereotype that all drugs fall into one category. This category being that all drugs are dangerous and that their use will in turn lead to a life of crime feeding your addiction, and will eventually lead to death. The above view is usually arrived at due to the lack of education and information about drugs. Older people are often overly influenced by the media and overzealous politicians trying to avoid addressing real social and economic problems. People must be educated about the real dilemma in hand. We must look at the main problem here; the majority of illegal drugs use is harmless and merely recreational. The cause of problematic and hazardous drug use is typically the result of poverty and hopelessness within society. These are the core problems in this situation. Only by addressing these problems will the number of problematic drug users be reduced. The way forward is not by banning all drug use; the increased use of drugs over time proves that prohibition does not work. Why then do law makers continue to uphold anti-drug laws and legislation? Our motivation for this research is to prove that the use of soft drugs is widespread and that their negative effects are very limited. Furthermore we must point out that many other substances such as alcohol and cigarettes are a lot more hazardous and damaging to society then soft drugs in many situations. The inspiration of this research is not to advocate the use of soft drugs, or any drugs for that matter but to instead to educate the general public about certain aspects of drug use. Problem. The lack of the public’s knowledge on the issue of drug use in Cyprus, Particularly among younger generations and within higher education. Furthermore the unnecessarily strict laws and punishments, given out to the users of soft, illicit substances such as Marijuana, in Cyprus. Objective. The overall objective of this research is to inform people about the widespread use of soft drugs. This will be done by looking at the number of students attending Intercollege that have used illegal substances in the past. The type of substance they have used. How often they use the substance if they still do, and whether the use of these substances has a positive, negative or neutral effect on them. Research plan. Literature information will be based on a mixture of both primary and secondary sources. Many previous survey findings on issues of drug use were taken into consideration in the formation of the literature review. To add a variety of reports, government publications and other articles played a key role in the formation of the main body. A wide variety of sources most be used so as to maintain precision in literature findings. Research was conducted using a quantitative method. The grounds for the usage of this method are based on our perception that accuracy would me attained to a greater extent with a large survey sample. Thus large survey sample can only be achieved using a quantitative method. Regarding the research method a survey will be used. This as stated above is to allow for a sizeable population to be taken into consideration when conducting our research. Furthermore a survey’s structured collection of data will allow for an easy comparison between data collected and the literature review. The most appropriate form of research technique is that of a questionnaire. By using this method all people will be asked to answer a fixed set of questions in a well prepared sequence. Again this emphasizes the opportunity for comparability. Furthermore in a taboo subject such as that of drugs the sample will be able to remain anonymous and avoid the feeling of awkwardness. As a result accurate results will be achieved. Due to time constraints and the impracticality of researching the whole population, a sample will be taken. The sample method used will be convenience sampling. This method allows for the easy access and availability of a sample population and will be conducted by selecting students through ought the college at random. Within the college everyone has the same probability of being selected thus a picture reflecting the whole will be painted. Due to the time constraint and the narrow scope of the research, we believe a convenience sample will be sufficient. Furthermore due to the topic of the research, face to face research methods such as focus groups and interviews may not be appropriate. Due to sampling error a sample will almost never be completely representative of the population as a whole. This is the case in our research; this problem cannot be overlooked and must be taken into consideration when analyzing results. What’s more due to the time constraint in preparing this paper various other research methods cannot be used, for example participant observation, etc. Literature Review. By drugs we do no refer to legal substances such as alcohol and cigarettes, instead we refer to all illicit substances that are prohibited by law. The last few years the number of drug users (soft and hard) has increased dramatically especially among younger ages. Of course this phenomenon does not occur only in Cyprus, but in a small society like that of Cyprus’s the after-effects are something more than noticeable. All the tables that they are going to discuss below are official statistical records obtained from the Cypriot police force. According to the following tables during the last 9 years there has been a stable increase in the incidents that have to do with drugs. Despite the prohibition, drugs are spreading rapidly from year to year. It also obvious that a great number of the persons involve in drug cases are foreigners. This fact indicates that the mass entry of people from abroad either these are students or people who come here to work or to live permanently, have created dramatic changes concerning drug use. The entry of Cyprus into the European Union and the opening of the boarders with the occupied areas of Northern Cyprus are also considered important factors for the increase in drug related cases. TABLE 1. Moving on, we consider our research as a good way in order to enter deeper into our aim which is to find out about drug use in higher education and to clarify all the substances used in Cyprus. The most commonly used drugs are: cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, heroine, and morphine. Other kinds of drugs have started entering the market like LSD. Some of them are considered to be soft drugs and do not cause serious damage to the user; like marijuana which is the most common drug that it is used in Cyprus. Some others like cocaine and heroine are considered hard drugs and belong to the category that may cause serious dangers for the health of the user. A key figure that we will clarify further is the scene behind the use of drugs in higher education, as shown in the table that follows. The most important conclusion coming out of this table is that in 2005 the greater amounts of people that make use of drugs are between the ages of 20 to 29. People of that age are usually students that are performing their studies from the first degree (bachelor) to the highest level (Masters, PhD, etc). What we must emphasize is the decrease in the number of users after those at that age group. Again, the foreigner’s involvement in drug cases are in many times more than half, in comparison to Cypriots. TABLE 2. Evidently, the tables shown above are of great importance and have given us a clear picture of how the situation is in Cyprus. The main issue arising from the tables shown above are the increased trend for drugs the last few years. Consequently, we can proceed further and develop some thoughts regarding our topic which concerns people of younger age and specifically drugs in higher education. The most frustrating factor is that these people receive education from the very early stages of their life. They are taught to avoid drugs but instead of avoid them, many of students fall into the trap. Of course, the uses of soft drugs like marijuana are not immensely dangerous or harmful to health as long as they are not abused and used frequently. Whats more cigarettes are proven to be more harmful than marijuana and are widely used, the same goes for alcohol. Additionally, the number of males and females involved in drug cases will give to us a direction in order to acquire a more clear view of the situation. From the following table we can gain a large amount of info about the sex and nationality of those involved with drugs. Fortunately, on the one hand it seems that the involvement of Cypriot women in comparison to men cases are very limited but, if we compare the number of the cases of Cypriot females and foreign females we will observe that the disproportion is very clear. This fact implies that Cypriot females do not use drugs to the extent of foreign females. Unfortunately, on the other hand the involvement of men in drug cases is at high levels and as it is mentioned earlier the amount of males involved with drugs is increasing from year to year. TABLE 3. Evidently, the tables shown above are of great importance and have given us a clear picture of how the situation is in Cyprus. The main issue arising from the tables shown above are the increased trend for drugs the last few years. Reasons people start/use drugs: Through ought history humans, universally have made use of various psychoactive substances. Of around 4000 psychoactive substance yielding plants known today; around 60 have been constantly used somewhere in the world by humans. The earliest known use of drugs was the use of opium by the Sumerians around 5000 B.C. (sky.org/data/politiikka/drughist.html). Humans have used drugs for different reasons over time. In ancient times the use of drugs was more often for medicinal and ritual/ceremonial purposes rather than recreational exploitation as is the case today. Although some drugs are used today for medical purposes, the majority of illicit drugs do not have a function within society. The long term abuse of some substances often creates negative consequences. Why then is the use of illicit materials widespread. Arguments state that a differentiation should be made between the recreational use of drugs and the abuse of drugs. Recreational use of drugs can be defined as the use of psychoactive drugs for recreational purposes rather than for work, medical or spiritual purposes, this usually takes place within a socializing environment. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recreational_drug_use). The difference between recreational and abuse of drugs are not entirely clear, abuse of drugs is usually when excessive amounts are used and/or when a users mental or physical health begins to suffer, this can result or be the result of the dependence on a substance. As the above definitions imply there is a difference between drug use and drug abuse. Thus a differentiation must be made between the reasons why people use drugs and why they abuse drugs. Recreational use of illicit substances usually takes place within a social environment. The main cause for recreational use is simply down to experimentation and curiosity. People are driven by the urge to feel the high and sense of exhilaration that comes with the use of a drug (http://addiction.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Causes_of_Drug_Addiction). This form of use usually never leads to addiction, once their curiosity is satisfied they may never use drugs again. A second reason for recreational use is a result of peer pressure and trying to blend into ones social surroundings. Often in a situation where the majority of a social group are trying/using drugs someone may believe that it is necessary to do the same in order to blend in and feel a sense of belonging. Thirdly people may leisurely use drugs due to the widely held belief that they are harmless, this usually relates to softer drugs such as marijuana. Due to the widespread mediation of drug use in films, etc, people may believe that drug use is generally acceptable and harmless (http://www-health.concordia.ca/pdf/healthinfo/drugs.pdf). A final and also very important reason why people might use drugs is due to the easy access to them. Drugs have become widely available, not only in dark alley ways but in the workplace and even in schools, etc. We cannot eliminate the connection between recreational use and abuse of drugs. In many cases the trying of drugs leads to the person becoming addict and thus abusing drugs. This is most often the case for hard drugs such as Heroin. We must add here that although the above is sometimes the case, more often a problem already exists in the user to cause her/him to be more vulnerable to addiction, i.e. depression. Together with the link between recreational use and abuse there are numerous other reasons why people may abuse drugs: the most significant basis for drug abuse can be rooted to the shortfalls of society. These for example can be unemployment, lack of education, homelessness and many others. Governments don’t do enough to eliminate these problems. As a result people may feel a sense of hopelessness, despair and depression, thus leading to drugs as a means of escape. This very quickly turns into a vicious circle in which the user’s situation is made worse by their addiction but also worsens the situation of society by their negative contributions. Personal problems may also be a route of drug use; these may include family and relationship problems, school problems, stress, etc. Again people may become users for a means to escape reality. Another problem may be that of mental problems. Mentally ill people may use drugs as a means to disguise their disorder, for ex ample â€Å"depressed people frequently use drugs to escape their sad feelings and Schizophrenics find that some street drugs can control their hallucinations† (http://addiction.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Causes_of_Drug_Addiction). Finally we must add the argument that prolonged drug abuse is due to the lack of treatment and rehabilitation. Often those who are most likely to be users are those who do not have easy access to treatment (i.e. homeless) thus their problem goes unnoticed and untreated and their addiction prolonged. To conclude, looking at the above causes of drug abuse the most problematic users are not usually created by there own will but instead are influenced society as a whole. The main problem in hand is to deal with the shortfalls and problems of society to stop people abusing drugs. Furthermore recreational users very rarely become addicts without some other driving force behind their addiction. Thus harassment against these kinds of users should be relaxed. The outcomes of drug use: Amid the various outcomes of illicit substances; again a differentiation must be made between drug addicts and recreational users. To the average recreational user the outcomes are minimal compared to an addict. If they are truly a recreational user the worst situation would be a run in with the law and/or temporary sickness. This in most circumstances is only in the short run and as for the law it usually only results in a warning or fine. Although a recreational user also runs the risk of becoming addicted and thus becoming an abusive user. Abusers and addicts suffer worse consequences, as are the following. Firstly and most obvious are the effects to the users health. This all depends on the substance in question, for example users of hard drugs such as Heroin are at a much greater risk of death then say a cannabis addict. In fact for the case of heroin users â€Å"recent informal estimates are that perhaps 200,000 drug-injecting-related deaths may occur per annum based on the estimated size of the current world population of injecting drug abusers of approximately 5.3 million†. (unodc.org/pdf/technical_series_1995-03-01_1.pdf). The prolonged use of an illicit substance frequently causes the user to become more resistant and thus need a greater hit to obtain a high. This in turn creates a much greater risk of an overdose. Since the subject area of prolonged drug abuse is vast and it’s leading to health problems and often death is universally recognised and proven, we will not go into the subject in much depth. Simply here I would like to add that the most common, lon g run drug related problems are those of heart, lung and brain damage. These problems also include users of cigarettes and alcohol. In the year 2004 Cyprus reported a total of 14 drug related deaths on its shores. A second effect which may occur to a drug user, as mentioned in the first paragraph, is conflict with the law. Despite prohibition of the majority of drugs, law offences linked to the possession and dealing of drugs are on the up. In Cyprus statistics show that drug law offences have increased from 442 in 2002, to 475 in 2003, to 515 in 2004. Of these offences 68.3% relate to the possession of illicit substances while 31.7% relate to dealing or trafficking. Furthermore the fact that in the year 2004 65.5% of drug related crimes were cannabis related and thus may be classed as softer drug relate offences. (http://stats06.emcdda.europa.eu/en/elements/dlotab01a-en.html). It is helpful to point out that if cannabis related offences were eliminated the total number of drug related offences would be dramatically reduced. Furthermore the systematic increase in drug use of the past three years proves that prohibition does not entirely work since people are not deterred from using illici t substances. A third negative effect of illicit materials is the negative impact it may have on education. Since using education is probably the best method known to educate people about the potential hazards of drug abuse and lead them away from the risks of trying drugs. It is particularly important to protect the schooling system and conserve education for all. The results of educating people about the perils of drug use may not be so visible in the short run but show their value in the long run. This may be one of the reasons why education as a method of drug prevention is often overlooked and sacrificed for other more immediate but less efficient methods, such as the illegalizing of drugs. There are various effects that may be relevant to the educational process. For example: â€Å"Use of cannabis may result in preoccupation with the immediate present, an impairment of short-term memory and other mental functions, impaired tracking ability in sensory and perceptual functions, adverse e motional and social development of children and adolescents, and impaired classroom performance.† Furthermore â€Å"drugs can decrease cognitive operations, making it difficult for the youth to develop a functional set of values and ideals. Reduced cognitive efficiency also leads to poor academic performance and a resulting decrease in self-esteem, contributing to instability of the individuals sense of identity† (unodc.org/pdf/technical_series_1995-03-01_1.pdf). Thus various negative effects may take place during any stage of education as a result of drug exploitation. A final negative effect must be pointed out. This is the consequence of drugs on a person’s employment. This takes place after education but is equally as important since with work suffering many worse consequences may be produced. The most common work related problems include â€Å"impaired performance, absence from work, disciplinary problems, Intoxication at work and dismissal† (unodc.org/pdf/technical_series_1995-03-01_1.pdf). The above problem must be assessed since a great deal of productivity is lost through them and also longer term outcomes are a lot more critical. For example the long term effects an employment related drug problem may have, in the long run, on a family, etc. Hypothesis: H1: We hypothesize that drug use among students is widespread especially the use of soft drugs. Furthermore, drug use is more frequent among males from the ages of 20-29 years of age. H2: environmental factors and social situations play a substantial role in the use and abuse of drugs. H3: Prolonged drug use and addiction are universally believed to lead to negative consequences. Comparison Between Hypothesis and Empirical Findings: After conducting a survey the results obtained coincide to quite a great extent with the literature review and our four hypotheses. Fifty questionnaires were given out randomly among students of intercollege. The results support the hypotheses as follows: Hypothesis 1: As the table below shows; out of our sample, 46% of students have tried or use drugs, thus this shows and supports our hypotheses (1) that drug use is widespread among students of the college. Despite the relatively high amount of drug users within the college, only 31% of the sample stated that they still currently use drugs. Furthermore only 9% saying they use drugs on a daily basis, 18% weekly and 9% on a monthly. Out of the 46% of students that have used drugs, 82% were male students while merely 18% were female. Out of the research findings, we observe that males are more likely to use or try drugs. The range of age covered by the questionnaire was touching the youngest age that people tend to start studying (17), and the age that most of the people finish their studies (29+). The main question was; when they first try/use drugs? The results were as follows: 40% during college, 31% during school years and 29% other most of which specified during the army. Taking into consideration the 54% that have not use/try drugs, when asked about what age they believe that people tends to try/use drugs, 69 % responded during school years and 27% at college. Having in mind the hypothesis (1) the main quantity of people who tried or make use of drugs, tend to make more use of the so called soft drugs. Marijuana receives the highest mark with 100% of our sample drug users having used or tried it. Followed by ecstasy with 14% and scarily enough cocaine with 14 %. Consequently our hypothesis (1) is correct. A major number of people who have at least once use/try a soft drug like marijuana was during the college times. This fact implies that all people who make use of drugs have full sense of what they do because they are old enough to think and taking care of themselves. Hypothesis 2: As seen in the literature there are many reasons why people either try or use drugs. Again here the findings from our survey support Hypotheses (2) to a great extent. Referring to the data already mentioned 31% of drug users took drugs for the first time during school, 40% during college and 29% in other circumstances, mainly in the army for the case of Cypriot males. Thus this plays a role in showing that drug use is affected by social surroundings. When asked where they tried drugs, most students (91%) stated this was done with friends. No answers (0%) were received for using drugs while clubbing and being alone, while 9% stated other situations for first time drug use. Thus the above proves that social factors play a large role on people trying drugs with the vast majority trying drugs with friends. We may also add that the wide use of marijuana (100% of drug users), and marijuana being one of the least harmful drug shows that people may use it as a recreational drug that gives opportunities for socializing. When people were asked why they tried drugs the following answers were given: 46% replied out of curiosity, 18% during socializing, 14% due to personal problems, and 22% because of other reasons. Despite the fact that the majority of people stated drug use was out of curiosity (46%) and only 18% during socializing. The fact that as much as 91% of people tried drugs with friends again proves that â€Å"curiosity Trying† was again done with friends and thus was done with friends. When asking non users why people tried drugs the majority (41%) answered during socializing and 32% because of curiosity. Therefore this also stresses social pressures. Another point to make here is that 82% of students stated that they obtained drugs from their friends, with only 22% ob taining from dealers. Thus emphasizing social interaction further. To conclude this Hypothesis we must add that 82% of people that have tried drugs believe that; the trying of a drug will not lead to an addiction. This again shows that most people are simply recreational users influenced by their social setting and numbers of people that believe usage of drugs will lead to an addiction are limited. I thus conclude that are findings support this hypotheses. Hypothesis 3: As stated above the majority of those who have tried drugs believe that the chances of an addiction developing are very limited (82%). Thus as the assertion of hypotheses (3), the chances of â€Å"prolonged drug use† are limited. Nevertheless various interesting findings can be found in our research about the effects of drugs. When people that have tried/used drugs were asked how drugs affected them 45% stated that drugs affected them positively, only 14% negatively and the remaining 41% stated they were not affected by their use of drugs. The above contradicts with the following findings in which people were asked how drug use affected society. Only 9% stated that society was affected positively, 69% stated society was affected negatively and 22% stated there was no affect on society. The above contradiction about negative affects on the user compared to society may be a result of lack of education or the belief of the user that they are always in control. When asking similar questions to non drug users 96% answered that drug use is a problem within society and affects society negatively. When drug users were asked if drug use affected their education 71% of users stated that there was no effect on their education while only 29% believed that there was. This again refers to the above conflict. When asked whether drug use would cause a greater risk of committing a crime 71% replied that it wouldn’t compared to 29% stating that it would. Non drug users expressed a different opinion with 73% stating that drug use would create a bigger chance of you committing a crime. In addition when asked about matters concerning health 55% of drug users stated that their drug use had no affect on their health, 31% stated it affected them negatively and 14% stated it affected them positively. Again this conflicts with non drug users who 92.3% believe that the use of drugs affects your health negatively. To conclude when drug users were asked whether they would carry on using drugs 29% replied yes, 31% no and 40% didn’t know. Thus this shows the picture about the negative/positive impact of drugs is not entirely clear. The view of non users is a lot more negative than the view of those who have tried or use drugs. It is also interesting to point out here that 54% of non users believe the punishment of drug users is justified compared to 18% of drug users. Hence Hypotheses 3 is not entirely clear with a difference in opinion between those who have never tried drugs and those who have. Recommendations and Conclusions: To conclude a lot of interesting information has been gained through this survey on the drug habits of students. Due to the subject being a taboo the relative validity of results may be affected. Despite this, we believe that the fact results remained constant (to a great extent) through ought the survey, thus the results are reasonably dependable. It was very interesting to compare the results between non users and users in the college and quite a large contrast was observed. Due to the fact that very few problematic users were observed and that the majority were merely recreational users. That the problem is minimal, thus recommendations on our part would concentrate more on education about drugs at younger ages (school) and the possible targeting of less privileged people were we believe a greater problem lies. References. 1. sky.org/data/politiikka/drughist.html This is a history of drug use/prohibition based on the Appendix of Ceremonial Chemistry by Thomas Szasz. The book is published by Doubleday/Anchor Garden City, New York, 1975. 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recreational_drug_use recreational drug use by Wikipedia. 3. http://addiction.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Causes_of_Drug_Addiction causes of drug addiction Amy Hoover 2006. 4. http://www-health.concordia.ca/pdf/healthinfo/drugs.pdf The university student guide to drugs. 5. unodc.org/pdf/technical_series_1995-03-01_1.pdf the social impact of drug abuse – prepared by UNDCP – 1995. 6. police.gov.cy/police/police.nsf/dmlstatisticalArchive_en?OpenFormStart=1Count=1000Expand=3.1Seq=2 Drug statistical data obtained from the official Cypriot police website. Drug use within the higher educational setting. NOTE: 1. For those who have tried or used any kind of drugs please complete the left column of questions. 2. For those who have never tried or used any form of drug please answer the questions in the right column. Please confirm your gender: A. female B. male Please confirm your age: A. 17-20 B. 21-24 C. 25-28 D. 29+ 1. At what stage did you first try drugs? A. During school years B. College/university C. Other 2. When was the last time you used drugs? A. Over the past week B. Over the past month C. Past year D. More than a year 3. Do you currently use drugs? A. yes B. No 4. If so how often do you use drugs? A. daily B. weekly C. monthly D. other 5. What kind of drug have you used/tried? More than one answer can be given. A. marijuana B. ecstasy C. cocaine D. other 6. Why did you try/use drugs? A. out of curiosity B. during socializing C. personal problems D. other 7. Where did you try drugs? A. with friends B. clubbing C. alone D. other 8. Were did you find the drugs? A. friends B. dealers C. growing for your own use D. other 9. How do drugs affect you? A. Positively B. Negatively C. Neutrally 10. How do drugs affect society? A. Positively B. Negatively C. Have no affect on society 11. Do you believe drug use is a problem within society? A. Yes B. No 12. Do drugs affect your education? A. Yes B. No 13. Does the use of drugs make you more likely to commit crime? A. Yes B. No 14. How does drug use affect your health? A. Positively B. Negatively C. Makes no difference 15. Will you carry on using drugs? A. Yes B. No C. Don’t know 16. Do you believe the trying of a drug would lead to addiction to it? A. yes B. No 17. Do you believe the punishment of soft drug users by the law is justified? A. Yes B. NO 1. Would you ever try or use drugs? A. yes B. NO C. Maybe 2. At what age do you believe people try or start to use drugs? A. During school years B. College/University C. Other 3. Which of the following do you most class as a problematic drug user? A. Someone who has tried drugs B. A monthly user C. A weekly user D. A daily user 4. Why do people try drugs? A. out of curiosity B. during socializing C. personal problems D. other 5. Are drugs easily available A. yes B. No 6. In your opinion what percentage (%) of the population have tried or used drugs? A. 0-10% B. 10-20% C. 30-40% D. 40-50% E. 50% + 7. In your opinion what percentage of the population currently uses drugs? A. 0-10% B. 10-20% C. 30-40% D. 40-50% E. 50% + 8. Have drugs affected you in any way? A. Yes B. No 9. If so how did drugs affect you? A. Positively B. Negatively C. Have not affected me 10. Do you believe drug use is a problem within society? A. yes B. No 11. How do drugs affect society? A. Positively B. Negatively C. Have no affect on society 12. Do drugs affect your education? A. Yes B. No 13. Does the use of drugs make you more likely to commit crime? A. Yes B. No 14. How does drug use affect your health? A. Positively B. Negatively C. Makes no difference 15. Do you believe the trying of a drug would lead to addiction to it? A. Yes B. NO 16. Do you believe the punishment of drug users is justified? A. Yes B. No Interesting Findings from our Research: 46% of our sample had previously tried drugs while 54% hadn’t. 81% of non drug users stated that they would never use drugs. 69% of non users shared the opinion that drug use starts during school years while only 31% of drug users stated they first tried drugs during school years. 31% of people that have tried drugs currently use drugs. Marijuana is the drug of choice with 100% usage rate by people that have tried/use drugs. No-one (0%) of our sample admitted to trying/using drugs alone. 12% of non drugs users class someone who has tried drugs as a problematic drug user. 96% of non drug users believe drugs are easily available. 30% of non drug users believe that more than 50% of the population has tried drugs. 23% of non drug users believe between 40-50% of the population currently use drugs. 58% of non users believe that by trying a drug you would become addicted to it. 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