Responsible and controlled use: Older cannabis users and harm reduction.
Nicholas Lau, Paloma Sales, Sheigla Averill, Fiona Murphy, Sye-Ok Sato, Sheigla Murphy
The International journal on drug policy August 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2015.03.008 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Baby Boomer (born 1946-1964) cannabis users in the San Francisco Bay Area |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Harm reduction Normalization Older drug users Risk |
| Key findings | Most interviewees minimized cannabis-related harms to maintain social functioning, describing responsible use as moderating quantity and frequency, using in appropriate settings, and respecting non-users. The authors argue that users' rituals and sanctions ("normification") contribute to cannabis normalization and may prove more effective than formal legal prohibitions in reducing harms, and that access to a regulated market (medical cannabis dispensaries) better equipped users to practice harm reduction. |
Abstract
Cannabis use is becoming more accepted in mainstream society. In this paper, we use Zinberg's classic theoretical framework of drug, set, and setting to elucidate how older adult cannabis users managed health, social and legal risks in a context of normalized cannabis use. We present selected findings from our qualitative study of Baby Boomer (born 1946-1964) cannabis users in the San Francisco Bay Area. Data collection consisted of a recorded, in-depth life history interview followed by a questionnaire and health survey. Qualitative interviews were analyzed to discover the factors of cannabis harm reduction from the users' perspectives. Interviewees made harm reduction choices based on preferred cannabis derivatives and routes of administration, as well as why, when, where, and with whom to use. Most interviewees minimized cannabis-related harms so they could maintain social functioning in their everyday lives. Responsible and controlled use was described as moderation of quantity and frequency of cannabis used, using in appropriate settings, and respect for non-users. Users contributed to the normalization of cannabis use through normification. Participants followed rituals or cultural practices, characterized by sanctions that helped define "normal" or "acceptable" cannabis use. Users contributed to cannabis normalization through their harm reduction methods. These cultural practices may prove to be more effective than formal legal prohibitions in reducing cannabis-related harms. Findings also suggest that users with access to a regulated market (medical cannabis dispensaries) were better equipped to practice harm reduction. More research is needed on both cannabis culture and alternative routes of administration as harm reduction methods.
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|---|---|---|---|
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| Fascination and Social Togetherness-Discussions about Spice Smoking on a Swedish Internet Forum. Swedish internet forum users who posted reports about Spice intoxication | 2013 | Qualitative study | n = 40 |
| Cannabis as entheogen: survey and interview data on the spiritual use of cannabis. Participants recruited from seven online communities, median age 33, 81% male | 2020 | Mixed methods (qualitative interviews and quantitative survey) | n = 319 |