Long-term cannabis use: what do people say about it?: smokers reflect on their cannabis experiences

Abstract

Cannabis may well be the most popular recreational drug in New Zealand. It has been the subject of social controversy for a very long time and is a sensitive and polarising issue here in New Zealand and elsewhere. Despite thousands of international studies spanning decades, the findings on long-term cannabis use remain largely unclear. Misinformation and myths about this drug's effects on individuals still exist. This study emphasises the subjective aspects of the participants' conceptual world. Their 'insider' narratives are presented about their long-term cannabis use and this fills a gap in the qualitative literature about the subject. The medical and the alternative medical perspectives, together with an outline of a social constructivist approach, are explored within the literature review. The participants are functioning members of the community who have responsible occupations within mainstream organisations. This reinforces that smoking cannabis is no longer a fringe activity. The illegality of the drug meant that all facets of the study needed to be handled with great care. There are a number of factors or variables that can impact on any user, together with the varying strength of the drug, so there is no certainty about the long-term outcomes of use for any individual. As there are large differences in how individuals respond to cannabis, a study aimed at collating a number of individuals' personal knowledge, experience and perceptions about this drug is timely. Participants were all current very, long-term cannabis users, who had used the drug on a daily or near daily basis. Interview questions and a questionnaire were given to participants about learning and cognitive ability, work performance, compensatory skills and strategies, dependence, self-medication, policy and social interaction, strange and unusual effects, and youth. Group interviews were utilised to understand how and what meaning the participants construct around their cannabis use. The linchpin of the group interview approach, especially given the substance is illegal, is that the sharing of experiences and recognition that others may have had similar experiences, added to the cohesiveness of the groups, and participants were able to react to and build on others' responses. The group development and process of the two groups interviewed were explored to provide both background on the contexts within which the data for this study emerged, and also to assist in ascertaining the feasibility of group interview work with long-term cannabis users. This study highlights that cannabis can produce very individual responses in users, and indeed, individuality is a huge variable when it comes to long-term cannabis use. The plant's complicated chemical make-up does not benefit all who try it, and many of the effects of cannabis use are not easy to generalise as the drug does different things to different people. The narratives that have emerged from this study about long-term cannabis users show that there can be widely differing cognitive, emotional, behavioural and physical responses to the drug.