An examination of the normalisation of cannabis use among 9th grade school students in Sweden and Switzerland

Abstract

This article attempts to improve the models and theories researchers use when investigating drug use in the normal population. The study systematically investigates two dimensions of the normalisation thesis, namely behavioural and cultural normalisation. Whilst the former is measured based on national prevalence rates, the measurement of the latter dimension is based on parameters used in social control theory. More concretely, cultural normalisation is measured based upon the comparative strength of social bonds of cannabis users vs. non-users.

The regression analysis, conducted on a Swedish and Swiss student sample, suggests that cannabis users in both the countries are reasonably bounded to conventional society, yet total cultural normalisation does not exist as social bond factors successfully separate users from non-users. Furthermore, the study shows that cultural cannabis normalisation does not necessarily follow behavioural cannabis normality. As such the study brings light to the fact that the normalisation concept may be useful to the investigation of drug-taking in very different drug-taking contexts.

• Normalisation thesis
• social control theory
• cannabis
• comparative study

Notes

Notes

[1] The data reanalysed in this article was collected as part of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs of 2003 (ESPAD; Hibell et al. 2004).

[2] According to Parker et al. (1998), normalisation of drugs in the UK includes first of all cannabis, but also Ecstasy, amphetamines and LSD. Heroin and cocaine are excluded.

[3] Hirschi (1969) also included “belief” and “involvement”, in his theory. These constructs will, however, not be used in the present study.

[4] In Switzerland the target population was 8th, 9th and 10th graders. For this study all respondents not born in 1987 were excluded in order to create a corresponding sample with the Swedish sample in which all the students were born in 1987. In order to check reliability of the responses, respondents were asked questions regarding personal use of a non-existing drug: “relevin”. The proportion of respondents claimed to have used this drug, was low in both countries (0.5% in Switzerland and 0.4% in Sweden). In order to improve reliability, and to remove false positive answers, all respondents who claimed to have taken “relevin” were excluded from the material.

[5] All the variables’ cut-off points were chosen in order to ensure that enough cases were included in each category and in order to achieve an even distribution of cases across categories.

[6] Much research has questioned the direction of the relationship between commitment to school and cannabis use. Researchers have argued that cannabis use leads to an amotivational syndrome. Following this line of thought, cannabis use constitutes a causal factor for low commitment to school. Research has, however, failed to provide evidence for an amotivaitonal syndrome caused by cannabis. Instead, research indicates that anti-conventional lifestyles and school difficulties constitute causal factors for poor school commitment and cannabis use (Mellinger et al. 1976; Lynskey and Hall 2000; Fergusson et al. 2003; Lynskey et al. 2003).

[7] The variable might underestimate school skippers as responses were obtained from students present at school at the time the study was done. Hence, students who skip school are also at greater risk for being excluded from the material than non-skippers.

[8] The following behaviours are included in the index: participation in a group teasing an individual, participation in a group beating up an individual, participation in a group starting a fight with another group, having started a fight with another individual, having stolen something, having broken into a place to steal, having damaged public or private property on purpose, having sold stolen goods, having bought stolen goods.

[9] Odds ratios were calculated from maximum likelihood estimates of regression coefficients and p-values were based on the likelihood ratio tests.

[10] Figure 1 was reprinted with permission from the ESPAD report 2003 (Hibell et al. 2004: 155). The table shows the whole Swiss ESPAD sample which includes 8th–10th graders. For all countries it also includes daily users and those who admitted to having used the “fake” drug “relevin”. When those not born in 1987, daily users and “relevin” users were excluded from the samples for the present analysis. Switzerland had a cannabis prevalence rate of 37% and Sweden 7%.