Identification of cannabis user profiles and their engagement with polydrug use among respondents of the European Web Survey on Drugs: findings from Luxembourg

To date little is known about recreational cannabis users, their patterns of use and the factors associated with an increased, possibly high-risk or polydrug consumption. The European Web Survey on Drugs (EWSD) provides new opportunities for the analysis of drug use patterns in European countries, compared to prior data collection methods. The current study aims to identify cannabis user profiles from their patterns of use and to compare the identified profiles on socio-economic characteristics. The engagement of the user profiles in polydrug use will also be assessed.

Between April and May 2021, adult residents of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg who had experience with drug use in the past year were invited to participate in the European Web Survey on Drugs (709 valid responses). The EWSD consists of an online survey assessing drug use, user and purchasing habits, the impact of the COVID-19 sanitary crisis and socio-economic factors. Latent class cluster analysis and expert opinion will be used to detect cannabis user profiles based on scores for cannabis-related variables. User profiles will be compared on demographic and socio-economic factors using ANOVA and Chi-square tests. Logistic regression analyses will be used to identify correlates of polydrug use.

Data analysis ongoing, results not yet available (January 2022).

The study is subject to several shortcomings, including limited external validity due to the use of a web-based survey. The results are expected to contribute to the development of a classification of cannabis users, which has been lacking to date. Further validation will be required to test whether the classification allows to distinguish between different types of consumers in varying cannabis user populations. The implications for preventive interventions and drug treatment practices will be discussed.