Cannabis use: What's law got to do with it? Perceptions and knowledge of cannabis policy from the user perspective in Northern Ireland

摘要

Aims: The past several years have seen changes and additions to drug policy in the UK; however, the opinion and attitude of those who use the drug is rarely discussed. The aim of this article is to examine attitudes to cannabis policy among adults who use the drug in Northern Ireland. The article also aims to consider these opinions in the context of the UK generally and draws parallels with other international regions. Methods: Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 38 adults aged 1859 with a range of levels of cannabis experience. The sample included 22 males and 16 females. Respondents were recruited using a snowball sampling procedure from both urban (city and small town) and rural locations in Northern Ireland. Findings: The findings illustrate that the majority of the sample had some knowledge of cannabis policy but were unaware of the implications of possession for users. The results showed that people who used cannabis were relatively unconcerned about legal penalties. Conclusion: Cannabis users tend to consume the drug irrespective of policy. The reclassification of cannabis resulted in confusion as to what the penalties were, users continued to use cannabis irrespective of the law prior to and following reclassification and they felt that policy was irrelevant to use.