Prevalence and Drug Consumption Habits at the 2011 Peninsula Festival in Tîrgu Mureș

Introduction: In 2010 Romania was ranked fourth in the European Union regarding the prevalence of ethnobotanical drug use with psychotropic effect. The main purpose of our survey was to collect data on substance use and assess drug consumption habits among participants at the 2011 Peninsula Music Festival in Tîrgu Mureș, Romania.
Material and method: The study was carried out as a cross-sectional survey in a sample of 256 persons, using an anonymous, self-administered structured questionnaire, containing questions about the consumption patterns of illegal psychoactive drugs, as well as sociodemographic data which could influence drug consumption (age, gender, educational level, marital status of parents).
Results: Ethnobotanical drug consumption had the highest lifetime prevalence (37.7%), the second most often used drug was cannabis (marijuana) with a lifetime prevalence of 35.2%. Males and females differed significantly in the use of marijuana (p = 0.023) and ethnobotanical drugs (p = 0.008) in the last 12 months, male respondents used more of these psychoactive substances. In the case of children with divorced parents the last 12 months marijuana use (p = 0.032) and ethnobotanical drug use (p = 0.013) was significantly higher than in the case of children whose parents were not divorced.
Conclusions: The survey results show the importance of the development of health education programs and drug-prevention strategies for vulnerable goups (festival visitors, minors, children with divorced parents).