The epidemiology of licit and illicit substance use among high school students in Greece

Findings on self-reported adolescent licit and illicit substance use are presented based on a nationwide 1984 probability sample of 11,058 Greek adolescent students ages 14-18 years old. Regular smoking and use of alcohol in the 30 days prior to the survey were reported by 22.3 percent and 82.8 percent, respectively. Nearly one-third of the students (30.3 percent) reported lifetime use of psychotropic drugs without prescription, without ever having used any illicit drug. Illicit drug use is less common in Greece than in other European and North American countries with a lifetime prevalence rate of 6 percent. Regular use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs was more common in males, while unprescribed use of licit psychotropic drugs prevailed in females. Regular smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use were associated with urbanization but not socioeconomic status. Between 1984 and 1988 in an Athenian subsample of schools there was a 20 percent increase in illicit drug use among males. Use of psychotropic drugs without prescription decreased much more than use of tobacco and alcohol.