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Cannabis Normalization and Stigma: Contemporary Practices of Moral Regulation

NCJ Number
237484
Journal
Criminology and Criminal Justice Volume: 11 Issue: 5 Dated: November 2011 Pages: 451-469
Author(s)
Andrew D. Hathway; Natalie C. Comeau; Patricia G. Erickson
Date Published
November 2011
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This paper sheds light on extra-legal forms of stigma based on in-depth interviews with marijuana users (N = 92) randomly recruited in the city of Toronto.
Abstract
Cannabis (marijuana) has undergone a normalizing process as indicated by high use rates, social tolerance, and broader cultural acceptance of its use in many countries. Yet, consistent with its status as a banned drug, users still face the threat of legal sanctions and experiences of stigma that challenge the assumptions of the normalization thesis. In this paper the authors shed light on extra-legal forms of stigma based on in-depth interviews with marijuana users (N = 92) randomly recruited in the city of Toronto. Notwithstanding indications of a normalizing process in respondents' understanding and experience of use, mainstream conventional perspectives about cannabis as risky, even marginal or deviant, were prominent as well. The findings are interpreted with reference to Goffman's (1963) theoretical distinction between normalization and the more apt description of normification reflected in the attitudes of marijuana users. Consistent with the latter term, these data indicate that stigma is internalized by users which results in the active reinforcement and performance of established cultural requirements emphasizing self-control. (Published Abstract)