Summary
This scientific article was one of the 2012 EMCDDA scientific award winners, which celebrates scientific writing and distinguishes high-quality research in the field of illicit drugs.
Abstract
Aims: To evaluate long‐term effects of a multi‐component community‐based club drug prevention programme.
Design: A pre‐ (2003) and post‐intervention study (2004 and 2008) design.
Setting: High‐risk licensed premises in central Stockholm, Sweden.
Participants: The intervention programme, ‘Clubs against Drugs’, included community mobilization, drug‐training for doormen and other staff, policy work, increased enforcement, environmental changes and media advocacy and public relations work.
Measurement: The indicator chosen for this study was the frequency of doormen intervention towards obviously drug‐intoxicated guests at licensed premises. Professional male actors (i.e. pseudopatrons) were trained to act impaired by cocaine/amphetamines while trying to enter licensed premises with doormen. An expert panel standardized the scene of drug intoxication. Each attempt was monitored by two male observers.
Findings: At the follow‐up study in 2008 the doormen intervened in 65.5% of the attempts (n = 55), a significant improvement compared to 27.0% (n = 48) at the first follow‐up in 2004 and to 7.5% (n = 40) at baseline in 2003.
Conclusion: The ‘Clubs against Drugs’ community‐based intervention programme, a systems approach to prevention, appears to increase the frequency and effectiveness of club doormen's interventions regarding obviously drug‐intoxicated guests.
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