Fed: Cannabis users say friends, colleagues approve of habit

AAP General News (Australia)
12-20-2007
Fed: Cannabis users say friends, colleagues approve of habit

By Jane Bunce

CANBERRA, Dec 20 AAP - People who smoke marijuana overwhelmingly believe their friends,
siblings and co-workers would condone their drug use, a new study has found.

A study of Gold Coast university students found marijuana users had a generally positive
view of their drug-taking, and thought the benefits outweighed the potential dangers.

They believed cannabis would help them fit in with their friends, feel relaxed, forget
their worries and enjoy themselves.

Griffith University psychology researcher Dr Fran O'Callaghan said the most surprising
result was the belief that close friends, partners, siblings and work mates would approve
of their using cannabis.

"I think if you looked within their (social circle), there would be people who would
strongly disapprove - but their perception is that, overall, most people are OK with it,"

Dr O'Callaghan said.

Dr O'Callaghan said such feelings of acceptance meant that users were unlikely to seek help.

"One of the things that often leads people to seek help is because their partner or
someone else in their family are so concerned and so upset about the user's behaviour,"

she said.

In comparison, non-users generally responded that their social circle would be unlikely
to approve.

Dr O'Callaghan said the people surveyed were generally mild users who did not have
severe problems associated with their drug use.

The researchers asked almost 200 students aged 17 to 29 about their thoughts on cannabis,
and followed up two weeks later to find out if they had used the drug over the past fortnight.

Overall, about six in 10 students had used cannabis in their lifetime, and two-thirds
of these had used it in the past 12 months.

About one in five used cannabis in the two week period between surveys, but Dr O'Callaghan
said the result may underestimate the real use because regular users may be less likely
to attend their university classes.

Users and non-users both recognised the possible costs of cannabis, such as addiction,
health damage, financial cost and loss of self control.

But users believed benefits such as fitting in with their friends, enjoying themselves
and feeling relaxed were more likely.

The findings suggested that interventions and campaigns that highlighted negative aspects
of cannabis use would have little affect in changing users' behaviour, Dr O'Callaghan
said.

Instead, she said, positive programs such as community and sporting activities that
showed people it was possible to have fun without drugs were likely to have more effect.

Marijuana users also said that force of habit, feeling stressed and wanting to relax
and being around other users would encourage their use.

Dr O'Callaghan said the finding highlighted the importance of intervention before people
became compulsive users, and the need for people to learn other means of dealing with
stress.

The study has been published in the latest issue of the Journal of Applied Biobehavioural
Research.

AAP jb/sb/sp

KEYWORD: CANNABIS

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