Smoke signals : cannibas moral panics in the United States, Australia Britain

摘要

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States, Australiaudand Britain. It is also the drug surrounded by the most controversy. While theudcannabis plant was once an innocuous plant present in all three countries, usedudas a reliable commodity and valuable medicine, its use as a psycho-activeudsubstance has seen the debate over the drug polarised between absolute fearudand loathe, and its total acceptance as a harmless, recreational activity. Thisudthesis investigates the condemnation and moral panics surrounding cannabis,udand proposes that the discourse surrounding the drug has experienced four mainudphases: 'racialisation'; 'criminalisation'; `popularisation'; and, `medicalisation'.udThe first of these moral panics led to the racialisation of cannabis. The commonudrecreational use of the drug by members of certain 'races', who were seen asudinferior to the dominant, white, Anglo culture, was used as a target against them.udTheir use of cannabis, and the resulting legislation that was introduced as audreaction to their use, was employed as a form of control over these groups whoudwere disliked for their differences. Racial minorities were again targeted in theudcriminalisation of cannabis, as were jazz musicians and sections of the whiteudcriminal class, and the drug was portrayed as having the ability to lead users toudserious, violent crimes and perverse sexual acts. Legislation continued to beudpassed against the drug in the United States, Australia and Britain, even thoughudonly a small proportion of their populations indulged in the use of the drug. Theudpopularisation moral panic occurred in the decade of the 1960s due to the rapidudgrowth in the use of cannabis among large sections of the youth population.udInstigated due to the fact that its use had become a popular recreational activityudamongst white, middle-class youth, the moral panic suggested that the use ofudcannabis led to `antimotivational syndrome'. As a result of the popularisation ofudcannabis, users of the drug became differentiated subjects. The fourth moraludpanic surrounding cannabis was associated with the medicalisation of the drug.udHarm minimisation was a key issue in this cannabis discourse, and legislationudwas changed to distinguish between sale and possession of the drug. Moreudrecently, the debate over whether cannabis is a cause of mental illness fits withinudthe medicalisation discourse of the drug.udIt is concluded that, while there are both similarities and differences within theudfour cannabis discourses in the United States, Australia, and Britain, the moraludpanics that occurred have led to a distortion of the reality of the drug in each ofudthe countries. While cannabis does not turn its users into serial killers, as onceudsuggested, or irreversibly destroy their brains, it is a powerful intoxicant andudought to be a matter of public concern, if not moral panic. The issue is however, 'udhow the drug is used, and abused, not whether it ought to be used, and theudmedia should be used to promote safe use of cannabis rather than creating panicudover the drug.