Foundation Antidote Bulgaria

Results from the anonymous inquiry

To the first question “Your picture of drug addict” inquired give most resent following answers “weak, irresolute person with labile mentality” – 55 %, “sick man, that need medical treatment” – 48 % and “person with personal problems and problems with attitudes with others” - 42 %.The more extreme version "incurable, doomed person " choose 14 % from students. Answer “criminal that has to be punished” gave only 4 percent from the participants in the inquiry. Three percent share in opinion of that addicted person is "healthy and normal person ". Ten percent choose an answer something "else". At the second question “If someone offer you a drug, from which you would try? “65 % from asked students answer“I wouldn’t try”. From this ones that would experiment on drugs the biggest part choose marihuana - 28 %.At the second place in student’s preferences are stimulants / including ecstasy/ - 8 %.There are not many that want to test cocaine /5 %/ and heroin /almost 2 %/. Preferences to other drugs are declared 6 % from asked students. At the third asked question “Do you know someone that takes drugs?“ only 32 percent answers, “no, I don’t know that kind of people”. It appears that familiars with problem with drugs are mostly from the neighborhood - 42 % and friends – 31 %, but classmates are less - 18 %. Answer "others" choose 9 percent from inquired people. At the last question, “Who have to counteract to the threat of the drugs?” most used answer is “all the people” – 69 %. The people that want drugs to be legalized are not much – hardly 7 %. From the representatives of separated groups and institutions the biggest expectations are from parents /36 %/ and police /27 %/, less to doctors /16 %/ and teachers /13 %/. Preferences to other potential participant in the process show 10 percent of the students. / Note: the total from the percents are bigger than 100 because some of the inquired often choose more than one answer. /

Some conclusions from the inquiry:

• The differences between students from different schools in the capital are thinly marked about the vision of the drug-addicted person, the friends drug addicted and about who have to counteract to the threat of drugs. There are bigger differences about wish to taste drugs.
• There is strong domination of humanely and no repressive gear to drug addicted - concept that is like modern purposes in European union. With small exceptions inquired think about addicted not as criminals, but as people with problems, which have to be heal and to be supported.
• Very auspicious for the preventive initiatives is the attitude that effective prevention is possible if there are included all representatives of the society
• There is no doubt that young citizens grow up in environment in which approachability and use of drugs is very big.
• Encouraging conclusion from an inquiry is that almost two-thirds from the students do not want to taste drugs.
• Preferred to experimentation is the cannabis /marihuana/ -choice of every third student.
• In the attitude to drugs special attention have to be separated to underrate of the problems connected with the cannabis. The reliable information and facts have to become accent in the future preventive seminars.
• In spite of the campaign from some media for legalization of drugs there are not many students that see the solving of the problem in removing the prohibition.