“It’s Really No Big Deal”: The Role of Social Supply Networks in Normalizing Use of Cannabis by Students at Canadian Universities

ABSTRACT

Cannabis (marijuana) has undergone a normalizing process as indicated by high use rates, social tolerance, and broader cultural acceptance of its use in many countries. Users also maintain access through extended friendship networks that facilitate the cultural diffusion of the practice. The social nature of supply is herein theorized in terms of Goffman’s understanding of activities that function to preserve a sense of normalcy as a collective achievement enabling predictable constructions of reality. Based on in-depth interviews with undergraduate students, we explore how social networks of supply—characterized by casual access, reciprocity, and sharing—contribute to shared meanings about using marijuana as an unremarkable or “normal” thing to do.

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Notes on contributors

Andrew D Hathaway

ANDREW D. HATHAWAY is an Associate Professor of Sociology who teaches in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Amir Mostaghim

AMIR MOSTAGHIM is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology at the University of Guelph.

Patricia G Erickson

PATRICIA G. ERICKSON is a Professor of Sociology and Adjunct Professor of Criminology at the University of Toronto.

Kat Kolar

KAT KOLAR is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto.

Geraint Osborne

GERAINT OSBORNE is an Associate Professor of Sociology who teaches in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Alberta, Augustana campus.