Abstract
ABSTRACT Objectives: to analyze the perception of data on and benefits of cannabis, and its association with the use among Brazilian students in public high schools between the ages of 15 and 17, as well as to analyze the intention of these adolescents to use cannabis in the hypothetical context of regulatory changes in Brazil. Method: a quantitative cross-sectional study involving 268 students aged 15 to 17. The instruments of data collection were: Inter-American Drug Use Data System Secondary Students School Survey; Monitoring the Future; Benthin Risk Perception Measure; and an item on intent to use cannabis in the context of regulatory changes. Data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: 23.5% of the students use cannabis. The average age they started using was 14 years old (SD=1.802); 56.3% perceive a high risk of using cannabis regularly, 58.6% consider the risk to be greater than the benefit; and most of them have no intention of using cannabis. Conclusion: Prevention strategies that focus exclusively on the harmful effects of drugs are not effective, and a more realistic approach focused on health promotion is more likely to show positive results. Conclusion: The intention to use cannabis in case of regulatory change showed that the scenario would not change significantly, since the proportion of those who would use it is very similar to the one that has already used the drug.
Highlights
The drug issue is a worldwide concern due to its high frequency and the social, psychic, and biological harm it causes, especially among the most vulnerable population, such as children and adolescents
The objective of this study was to analyze the perception of damages and benefits of cannabis, and the association with its use, among students from public high schools in Brazil, aged between 15 and 17 years of age, as well as to analyze the intention of these adolescents to use cannabis in the hypothetical context of regulatory changes in the country
The results of this study confirm the higher prevalence of men than women who use cannabis. It was found a higher proportion of cannabis use in this study in comparison with others, which seems to confirm the trend of increased use of cannabis among students in Brasilia over the last few years, as shown by the surveys.[9]
Summary
The drug issue is a worldwide concern due to its high frequency and the social, psychic, and biological harm it causes, especially among the most vulnerable population, such as children and adolescents. During adolescence there is a rapid biological and psychosocial development, and problems arising from drug abuse can influence throughout life.[1] There seems to be a consensus among scholars that the earlier the onset of drug use, the greater the risk of psychic, physical, and social harm to human development.[2,3,4]. Frequent and heavy use of cannabis had a statistically significant increase in recent surveys in 2012.5
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