Historique
Article de Périodique
Is cannabis use normalized, celebrated or neutralized? Analysing talk as action (2012)
Auteur(s) :
S. SANDBERG
Article en page(s) :
372-381
Domaine :
Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Thésaurus géographique
NORVEGE
Thésaurus mots-clés
ETUDE QUALITATIVE
;
CANNABIS
;
NORME
;
DENI
;
REPRESENTATION SOCIALE
;
USAGER
;
CULTUREL
;
DISCOURS
Résumé :
In qualitative interviews with 100 cannabis users in Norway, three discursive repertoires were particularly frequent. The first emphasized how users were ‘normal’ with statements, such as ‘everyone smokes cannabis’ or ‘cannabis users are not different from others’. The second discursive repertoire emphasized the fascinating difference of both users and the drug. Many cannabis users, stated that cannabis was used by ‘free-thinking, open people’ and triggered creativity. The third discursive repertoire was different techniques of risk denial, arguing that cannabis ‘is just a plant’ or that cannabis use did not have any harmful consequences. These three discursive repertoires are the empirical foundations for three conflicting theoretical traditions in studies of illegal drugs. Cannabis has been described as ‘normalized’, interpreted in a subcultural framework, or researchers have emphasized how illegal drug use is neutralized by users. The interdiscursivity of Norwegian cannabis users challenge all three theoretical frameworks and can only be understood by analysing talk as action. This article argues that all three discursive repertoires can be understood as responses to stigmatization. The conclusion is that the theoretical framework of ‘normalization’ is not the best way to understand cannabis use in Norway and possibly elsewhere.
Affiliation :
Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway