A nuanced view of normalisation: Attitudes of cannabis non-users in a study of undergraduate students at three Canadian universities

Hathaway, Andrew D.; Mostaghim, Amir; Kolar, Kat; Erickson, Patricia G.; Osborne, Geraint B.

doi:10.3109/09687637.2015.1112362

Cited by 39 publications

(39 citation statements)

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“…O’Gorman [ 49 ] argues that normalization of substance use not only occurs within geographic and socio-cultural contexts but also results from the intersectional context of class, race, and gender. It is through these complexities that substance use can be simultaneously normalized and positioned as deviant [ 50 ]. In The North, one participant’s expression of distress at “becom[ing] one of those reserve Indians” highlights the ways in which pervasive colonial narratives of substance use in First Nations communities have positioned contextually normalized patterns and types of substance use as deviant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing harm reduction in the context of youth substance use: insights from a multi-site qualitative analysis of young people’s harm minimization strategies

2017

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BackgroundYouth substance use programming and educational strategies are frequently informed by prevention approaches that emphasize abstinence goals, which often do not resonate with youth in their lack of acknowledgment of young people’s social context and how young people perceive positive effects of substance use. Further, approaches to drug prevention have been critiqued as adopting a one-size-fits-all approach and therefore inadequate in addressing substance use in the context of population variation and inequities. In response to the limitations of current approaches to prevention, programming informed by harm reduction principles that aims to minimize harms without requiring abstinence is emergent in school settings. However, youth perspectives informing harm reduction are limited in both research and program development.MethodsThis paper draws on data from the Researching Adolescent Distress and Resilience (RADAR) study, which utilized an ethnographic approach to bring youth voice to the literature on mental health and substance use. Qualitative data collection included individual interviews (n = 86) with young people aged 13–18 across three communities—representing urban, suburban, and rural geographies—in British Columbia, Canada. A multi-site qualitative analysis of interview data was conducted to identify themes across and within each research site.ResultsAcross all three sites, young people’s individual experiences of substance use were shaped by geographic, socio-cultural, and political contexts, with youth describing their use in relation to the nature of substance use in peer groups and in the broader community. To manage their own substance use and reduce related harms, youth employed a variety of ad hoc harm minimization strategies that were reflective of their respective contexts.ConclusionsThe findings from this study suggest the importance of harm reduction approaches that are contextually relevant and responsive to the lived experiences of youth. Youth perspectives in the development of harm reduction programming are needed to ensure that approaches are relatable and meaningful to young people, and effective for promoting the minimization of substance-related harms.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing harm reduction in the context of youth substance use: insights from a multi-site qualitative analysis of young people’s harm minimization strategies

2017

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“…Throughout Europe, eight in every 100—that is, a total of 400 000—16 year olds use cannabis monthly 5. It’s reasonable to assume that some 16 year olds will be tipped from non-use into use by the absence of any risk of a criminal consequence 67. Qualitative research indicates that many young people report the illegal status of cannabis as a deterrent 67.…”

Section: Yes—bobby Smyth Mary Cannon Andrew Molodynskimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It’s reasonable to assume that some 16 year olds will be tipped from non-use into use by the absence of any risk of a criminal consequence 67. Qualitative research indicates that many young people report the illegal status of cannabis as a deterrent 67. Even if only two in every 92 current non-users were tipped into use this would mean an extra 100 000 of Europe’s 16 year olds using cannabis monthly, resulting in thousands of additional cases of dependence, depression, anxiety, and psychosis 23…”

Section: Yes—bobby Smyth Mary Cannon Andrew Molodynskimentioning

confidence: 99%

Would decriminalising personal use of cannabis lead to higher rates of mental illness?

Smyth

Cannon

Molodynski

et al. 2020

BMJ

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“…Informal rules reflected in advice to novice users vary, as would be expected, to indicate the wide array of social circumstances in which the drug is used. Despite the variability observed, there is considerable consistency, however, in advising moderation and exercising due discretion about where and when to use (see also Hathaway et al ).…”

Section: A Sociological Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence‐based policy development for cannabis? Insights on preventing use by youth

Hathaway¹

2019

Can Public Adm

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This article challenges the assumptions underlying the shared federal, provincial, and territorial goals of reducing criminal involvement in the drug trade and preventing substance use by youth. These official government objectives, it is argued, reflect a harmful tendency that continues the tradition of neglecting decades of sociological research on the efficiency of informal sources of control. Rather than continue to prioritize prevention, consistent evidence-based policy development for cannabis requires articulation of more informed and realistic goals of harm reduction. New educational initiatives need to build on informal controls that more effectively regulate responsible substance use behaviour.Sommaire : Cet article remet en question les hypothèses sous-tendant les objectifs communs des gouvernements fédéral, provinciaux et territoriaux qui consistent à diminuer l'activité criminelle dans le trafic de la drogue et à prévenir la toxi comanie chez les jeunes. Nous soutenons que ces objectifs gouvernementaux officiels reflètent la tendance néfaste qui persiste dans la tradition de négliger des décennies de recherche sociologique sur l'efficacité de sources de contrôle informelles. Plutôt que de continuer à faire de la prévention une priorité, l'élaboration d'une politique sur le cannabis cohérente et fondée sur des données probantes requiert la définition d'objectifs de la réduction des méfaits qui soient mieux informés et plus réalistes. De nouvelles initiatives éducatives doivent s'appuyer sur des formes de contrôle informelles qui régissent plus efficacement un comportement de toxicomanie responsable. et al. 2018). These research findings are consistent with each other and cast doubt on the coherence of the primary objectives of the government.This article builds on classic contributions to the literature about the relative effectiveness of formal and informal sources of control among illicit drug consumers. The analysis presented raises questions in particular about the feasibility of displacing the illicit market and the public health objective of reducing use by youth. The article's primary contribution is to further the advancement of sociological perspectives informing policy discussions about cannabis legalization as a regulatory measure targeting reduction of drug use-related harm. Formal bureaucratic forms of governance are hampered by their failure to account for the efficiency of networks of informal interaction in regulating norms of conduct.The goals of legalization from this standpoint, it is argued, are based on faulty premises about the characteristics of the illicit market and related patterns of supply and use behaviour. As cannabis has moved from the margins to the mainstream, informal social practices long recognized by users remain the most effective ways of regulating use. The potential for effective harm reduction and prevention would be significantly enhanced, for young adolescents in particular, through further recognition and support for interaction between formal and informal m...

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A nuanced view of normalisation: Attitudes of cannabis non-users in a study of undergraduate students at three Canadian universities

Cited by 39 publications

References 47 publications

Developing harm reduction in the context of youth substance use: insights from a multi-site qualitative analysis of young people’s harm minimization strategies

Developing harm reduction in the context of youth substance use: insights from a multi-site qualitative analysis of young people’s harm minimization strategies

Would decriminalising personal use of cannabis lead to higher rates of mental illness?

Evidence‐based policy development for cannabis? Insights on preventing use by youth

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