Sociodemographic and educational characteristics of cannabis users attending outpatient treatment centres: implications for psychoeducational intervention

Cannabis use is becoming a growing social and public health problem, due, among other reasons, to its early use in the adolescent population. The personal characteristics of young people, their context (family and social) as well as the predisposition to substances are influential factors in the onset and subsequent evolution. Objective. To know the socio-familiar and educational characteristics of the people who access the Ambulatory Treatment Centres that require some type of psychoeducational intervention, attending to the consumption of cannabis. Method. The data from the 2016 Psychoeducational Intervention File were accessed from the Information System of the Andalusian Plan on Drugs and Addiction belonging to the Andalusian government (Spain). The sample consisted of 240 records of people who went to these centers without presenting abuse or dependencies but who are susceptible to psychoeducational intervention by showing problematic consumption (Head of Social Inclusion and Knowledge Management, 2017). For the analysis, the data were depurated and the variables were recoded and the explanatory variables for cannabis consumption were identified through a multiple correspondence analysis. Results. Among the substances consumed, the highest consumption comes from cannabis, comprising 28% in the population under 15 years of age, 57% between 16 and 20 and 14% over 21 years of age. A consumer population profile was determined, ranging from 16 to 20 years of age, who live with their parental family for the previous 30 days and are students. Discussion. These results offer a closer look at the characteristics of cannabis users and serve as a reference for the development of detection and prevention programs in their use.