The purpose of this study has been to investigate attitudes towards cannabis of young men in their early twenties to gain a deeper insight and understanding of the attitude creation and normalization processes. The study's empirical data is based on six qualitative interviews with young men in the age 20-25 years. The informants were find with the help of convenience selection and snowball selection. The study's theoretical frame of reference is based on Erving Goffman's role theory using the terms: role, role-conflict, role-confusion, labelling, stigma, stigmatization and moral panic. The study's conclusions are that attitudes of the target group have been liberalized and are mainly positive. The current normalization process is seen as an effect of a general social acceptance which in turn leads to a positive attitude among young men.

No description available.

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is included in the DSM-5 as a condition warranting more clinical research. Problematic gaming may increase when substance use is present (e.g. cigarette smoking, alcohol use; Raiff et al., 2012; Wartberg & Kammerl, 2020). However, little is known about the relation between cannabis use (CU) and IGD. Thus, the current study hypothesized that individuals engaging in increased CU will exhibit higher rates of IGD. Participants (N=114) were recruited from a rural southeastern university (M age=20.27, SD=4.15). Frequency of CU was measured as past month days with use, IGD was measured by the Video Game Dependency Scale (VGDS; Rehbein et al., 2010). Eleven percent of the sample met criteria for probable IGD. The average frequency of past month CU was 7.26 days (SD=10.88). An independent samples t-test compared frequency of past-month CU among individuals with or without probable IGD. Individuals with probable IGD had decreased CU (M =2.25, SD=5.72). Those without probable IGD had increased CU (M=7.70, SD=2.25), t(107)=2.72, p=.012, d= 0.246. Our results are contrary to previous study findings on the co-occurrence of IGD and substance use. Frequent video gaming may act as a protective factor against increased frequency of CU. Future research should expand on this understudied area and further investigate whether IGD is in fact a protective factor or if the relation found here is accounted for by another unmeasurable variable.

On October 17, 2018, the Canadian Federal government legalized the recreational use of marijuana. This shift in the legal status of recreational drug use is far reaching and is generating interest within the research community. One unanticipated consequence of this new law is its effect on canines. This paper analyzes media coverage of the way in which the legalization of cannabis has newly changed the lives of animals, specifically dogs. Through a content analysis there were two broad themes identified: (1) the reduced opportunities for working dogs; (2) the negative health effects of cannabis on dogs. Using a One Health framework, the analysis discusses the potential policy and program development responses available to address the increasing interaction between humans, animals and legal marijuana. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Objective: To investigate the relation between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms in individuals with above average predisposition for psychosis who first used cannabis during adolescence. Design: Analysis of prospective data from a population based sample. Assessment of substance use, predisposition for psychosis, and psychotic symptoms was based on standardised personal interviews at baseline and at follow up four years later. Participants: 2437 young people (aged 14 to 24 years) with and without predisposition for psychosis. Main outcome measure: Psychotic symptoms at follow up as a function of cannabis use and predisposition for psychosis at baseline. Results: After adjustment for age, sex, socioeconomic status, urbanicity, childhood trauma, predisposition for psychosis at baseline, and use of other drugs, tobacco, and alcohol, cannabis use at baseline increased the cumulative incidence of psychotic symptoms at follow up four years later (adjusted odds ratio 1.67, 95% confidence interval 1.13 to 2.46). The effect of cannabis use was much stronger in those with any predisposition for psychosis at baseline (23.8% adjusted difference in risk, 95% confidence interval 7.9 to 39.7, P = 0.003) than in those without (5.6%, 0.4 to 10.8, P = 0.033). The risk difference in the “predisposition” group was significantly greater than the risk difference in the “no predisposition” group (test for interaction 18.2%, 1.6 to 34.8, P = 0.032). There was a dose-response relation with increasing frequency of cannabis use. Predisposition for psychosis at baseline did not significantly predict cannabis use four years later (adjusted odds ratio 1.42, 95% confidence interval 0.88 to 2.31). Conclusion: Cannabis use moderately increases the risk of psychotic symptoms in young people but has a much stronger effect in those with evidence of predisposition for psychosis.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Policy and natural shocks are exogenous factors, which may disrupt patients’ ability to access recommended health care. My dissertation investigates the effect of recent natural and policy shocks in health care provision on different patient outcomes. The first chapter studies the effect of the 2014 Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa on maternal health care utilization and infant health in Sierra Leone. The Epidemic resulted in the diversion of the limited health care resource away from other services to care for Ebola patients. It also led to maternal stress from fear of infection and community breakdown. The results show the outbreak led to significant decline in maternal health care utilization and infant birth weight. The second chapter examines whether physician practices that are vertically integrated with hospitals provide healthcare at higher costs than non-integrated practices in a Medicare patient population. The degree of integration is exogenously assigned to a patient following a geographical move. The study finds that switching to integrated practice increases health care utilization and spending. Although integration may increase quality of care, the increase in spending suggests the need for a continuing attention to policies and incentives that are associated with integration. Finally, the third chapter documents the impact of the recent changes in state medical and recreational cannabis access laws in the United States on health care utilization. The liberalization of access to cannabis may enable patients to substitute cannabis for another prescription and non-prescription health care services. The results show a significant decline in the utilization of emergency and outpatient services among patients with chronic pain for the states that legalized cannabis. The effect is mainly due to medical cannabis laws, whereas the effect of recreational cannabis is ambiguous. The three chapters, taken together, show that exogenous shocks, such as natural shocks and government policy, affect health care utilization and the health of individuals. Health policies should, therefore, target developing a resilient health care system that withstands natural shocks and promote policies that provide better treatment alternatives.

Den svenska narkotikamarknaden är mer omfattande än vad som tidigare bedömts. Majoriteten av cannabisen som konsumeras i Sverige är insmugglad och är den substans som brukas mest globalt. Trots Covid-19 pandemin med tillhörande restriktioner, har både användningen och smugglingen varit fortsatt hög. Tidigare forskning har indikerat att sambandet mellan cannabisanvändningen och cannabissmugglingen inte är enkelriktad. Såväl som en ökad cannabisanvändning kan leda till en ökad smuggling, kan även en ökad smuggling leda till en ökad användning. Den kriminologiska forskningen på ämnet är dock fortfarande begränsad, där inga studier är genomförda i en svensk kontext. Det är därför av vikt att inrikta mer kriminologisk relevant forskning på de två narkotikamarknaderna i Sverige. Föreliggande studie syftar därför till att undersöka och bidra med djupare förståelse för förhållandet mellan cannabissmugglingen och cannabisanvändningen med förhoppningen att förbättra det brottsförebyggande arbetet. Studiens syfte och frågeställningar har besvarats genom semistrukturerade intervjuer, Tullverkets beslagsstatistik samt självrapporterad cannabisanvändning från Folkhälsomyndigheten. Resultatet indikerade på att både användningen och smugglingen av cannabis har ökat från år 2008-2020. Den ökade användningen berodde på en minskad riskuppfattning och positiva attityder bland allmänheten, där legaliseringen av cannabisbruket runt om i världen har ansetts vara bidragande. Genom intervjuerna kunde ett ömsesidigt förhållande mellan narkotikamarknaderna fastställas. Allmänhetens cannabisanvändning motiverar kriminella grupper att bedriva smugglingen av cannabis. Samtidigt som cannabissmugglingen leder till att cannabis görs tillgängligt i landet, vilket ökar användningen av drogen. Vidare anses en kombination av både social och situationell prevention vara betydelsefull för ett framgångsrikt preventivt arbete mot smugglingen och användningen av cannabis. Resultat från denna studie kan därmed användas för att utforma åtgärder som kan implementeras och riktas mot både cannabissmugglingen och cannabisanvändningen. / The Swedish drug market is more extensive than previously assessed. The majority of the drugs consumed in Sweden are trafficked from other countries and cannabis is the most used substance globally. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic with associated restrictions, both use of cannabis and smuggling of cannabis have remained high. Previous research has indicated that the link between cannabis use and cannabis smuggling is not one-sided. As well as an increase in cannabis use can lead to an increase in smuggling, an increase in smuggling can also lead to an increase in use. However, criminological research on the subject is still limited, where no studies have been conducted in a Swedish context. It is therefore of importance to focus more criminologically relevant research on the two drug markets in Sweden. The present study therefore aims to research and contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between cannabis smuggling and cannabis use with the hope of improving crime prevention work. The methods used in this study consist of semi-structured interviews, the Swedish Customs’ seizure statistics and self-reported cannabis use from the Swedish Public Health Agency. The results indicated that both the use as well as the smuggling of cannabis has increased from 2008-2020. The increased use is due to a reduced risk perception and positive attitudes, where legalization around the world has been considered a contributing factor. Through the interviews, a reciprocal relationship between cannabis smuggling and cannabis use could be established. Increased cannabis use encourages criminal groups to smuggle cannabis. Simultaneously, cannabis smuggling increases availability in the country, which in turn leads to higher usage. Furthermore, a combination of social and situational prevention is considered important for successful preventative work against smuggling and use of cannabis.  Results from this study can thus be used to design measures that can be implemented and directed at both markets.

Le chemin menant à la légalisation du cannabis au Canada en 2018 semble aussi sinueux que celui menant à sa prohibition en 1923. De nombreux acteurs ont contribué à la réforme, mais les données disponibles ne permettent pas toujours de comprendre l’influence que ceux-ci ont pu avoir. Ce mémoire de maitrise se compose de deux études scientifiques complémentaires visant le même objectif principal: contribuer à la compréhension de la légalisation du cannabis, et particulièrement à la compréhension des rôles joués par l’opinion publique et par les médias. D’emblée, une étude de la portée de la littérature (scoping review) rassemble les connaissances scientifiques actuelles à propos de l’opinion publique et des drogues au Canada. Elle présente 161 références sélectionnées parmi 29 260 études, dont la plus ancienne remonte à 1956. Elle montre que l’opinion publique par rapport au cannabis est sous-étudiée au Canada en comparaison avec l’alcool et le tabac. Elle montre aussi la faible présence des auteurs et des théories en sciences sociales. Enfin, elle révèle la complexité de tracer l’évolution de l’opinion publique avec le peu de données disponibles, et donc de comprendre son impact sur la légalisation. Une seconde étude examine ensuite par analyse textuelle automatisée le traitement médiatique du cannabis au Canada et au Québec dans 29 955 articles tirés de six médias de 1985 à 2020. Cette étude offre une double contribution théorique en mesurant d’abord la normalisation du cannabis selon la théorie de Parker et al. (1998), pour ensuite clarifier le rôle des médias dans l’évolution du cadrage du cannabis selon le modèle de l’activation en cascade de Entman (2004). Les résultats montrent un traitement médiatique du cannabis plus neutre, voire plus positif depuis 2015. En 2019, la probabilité est plus élevée qu’un média aborde le cannabis sous un angle économique plutôt que judiciaire. L’étude expose l’apparition de discours alternatifs dans les médias dès les années 1990, faisant compétition au cadrage prohibitionniste défendu par les gouvernements. Ensemble, ces deux études offrent des indicateurs supplémentaires sur les influences de l’opinion publique et des médias, et appellent à davantage de recherches afin de peindre le portrait complet de la route ayant mené à la légalisation du cannabis au Canada en octobre 2018. / The road to the legalization of cannabis in Canada in 2018 seems as winding as the road to its prohibition in 1923. Many actors have contributed to the reform, but the available data do not always allow to understand the influence they may have had. This master’s thesis consists of two complementary studies with the same main objective: to contribute to the understanding of the legalization of cannabis and particularly to the understanding of the roles played by public opinion and the media. First of all, a scoping review brings together current scientific knowledge about public opinion and drugs in Canada. It presents 161 references selected from 29,260 studies, the oldest of which dates back to 1956. It shows that public opinion about cannabis is under-studied in Canada compared to alcohol and tobacco. It also shows the low presence of authors and theories from the social sciences. Finally, it reveals the complexity of tracing the evolution of public opinion with the limited data available, and thus of understanding its impact on legalization. A second study then examines by automated textual analysis the media treatment of cannabis in Canada and Quebec in 29,955 articles drawn from six media from 1985 to 2020. This study makes a double theoretical contribution by first measuring the normalization of cannabis according to the theory of Parker, Aldridge, & Measham (1998), and then clarifying the role of the media in the evolution of the framing of cannabis according to Entman’s (2004) cascade activation model. The results show a more neutral or even positive media treatment of cannabis since 2015. In 2019, there is a higher probability that the media will approach cannabis from an economic rather than a judicial perspective. The study also shows the emergence of alternative discourses in the media as early as the 1990s, competing with the prohibitionist framework put forward by governments. Taken together, these two studies provide additional indicators of public and media influences, and call for more researches to paint a complete picture of the road to cannabis legalization in Canada in October 2018.

Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 19 octobre 2023) / Les produits de Cannabis sativa L. comestibles tels que les teintures alcooliques et les huiles contenant des cannabinoïdes sont en vogue. Ces extractions liquides sont souvent fabriquées avec des inflorescences de cannabis à partir d'éthanol et d'huile alimentaire, car les cannabinoïdes sont solubles dans ces solvants. Cependant, l'utilisation d'inflorescences pour fabriquer ces produits n'est pas idéale en matière de valeur ajoutée. Ce mémoire propose donc des méthodes d'extraction des cannabinoïdes valorisant les sous-produits de l'industrie du cannabis. Les sous-produits consistent en un mélange d'effeuillures, de feuilles, de tiges et de branches de cannabis. L'objectif principal de ce mémoire est de développer des procédés d'extraction de cannabinoïdes des sous-produits du cannabis par macération à température ambiante dans l'alcool et par macération à chaud dans l'huile végétale. Le premier objectif spécifique est de déterminer s'il est possible d'atteindre une concentration seuil définie de 6 mg/mL en cannabinoïdes totaux dans les teintures alcooliques et les huiles de cannabis obtenues respectivement par la macération à température ambiante des sous-produits du cannabis dans l'éthanol 70% et par la macération à chaud des sous-produits dans l'huile végétale. Le deuxième objectif spécifique de cette étude tente de démontrer quelle méthode d'extraction entre celle à base d'éthanol 70% et celle à base d'huile végétale possède le meilleur pouvoir d'extraction des cannabinoïdes. Pour atteindre les objectifs, les cannabinoïdes présents dans les sous-produits à valoriser sont caractérisés ainsi que les cannabinoïdes extraits à l'aide de l'éthanol et de l'huile végétale. Leur caractérisation est effectuée par HPLC et les résultats sont analysés statistiquement. D'après les résultats, la moyenne du marqueur des cannabinoïdes totaux avec le facteur de conversion (Total CANNAB) est de 0,97 mg/mL ± 0,13 pour la teinture de cannabis et de 1,57 mg/mL ± 0,21 pour l'huile de cannabis et ces moyennes sont significativement différentes et inférieures à la concentration seuil définie de 6 mg/mL à α = 5%. Cela signifie qu'il est possible de développer des procédés d'extraction de cannabinoïdes des sous-produits du cannabis par macération à température ambiante dans l'alcool et par macération à chaud dans l'huile végétale. Cependant, il n'est pas possible d'atteindre une concentration seuil définie de 6 mg/mL en cannabinoïdes totaux dans les teintures et les huiles de cannabis étudiées. Également, les résultats révèlent qu'il y a une différence significative à α = 5% entre la moyenne de Total CANNAB de la teinture et de l'huile. Ainsi, dans ce projet de recherche, la méthode d'extraction à partir d'huile végétale possède un meilleur pouvoir d'extraction des cannabinoïdes comparativement à celle à base d'éthanol 70%.

[pt] A Cannabis é um insumo medicinal histórico e em atual expansão para as mais diversas aplicações medicinais, cosméticas, recreativas e têxteis. O mercado medicinal de Cannabis se encontra em destaque no cenário global, principalmente na forma de apresentação de extratos oleosos. Os extratos herbais de Cannabis (CHE) são um dos produtos de maior interesse e mais procurados para abordagens terapêuticas de uma diversidade de condições clínicas. Parâmetros de controle de qualidade regulados e métodos padronizados de avaliação de risco são atualmente demandados para produtos à base de Cannabis. O potencial medicinal da Cannabis é atribuído principalmente à biossíntese de uma classe especial de metabólitos: os fitocannabinoides. O canabidiol (CBD), o tetrahidrocanabinol (THC) e o canabinol (CBN) são destacados como os principais fitocanabinoides alvos de preocupação farmacêutica. Além disso, o monitoramento de impurezas e adjuvantes, como o teor de metais e metaloides, também é fundamental para garantir a segurança e a integridade destes produtos. Técnicas analíticas avançadas retratam alternativas poderosas para o monitoramento de produtos à base de Cannabis. No entanto, etapas analíticas adicionais precisam ser otimizadas criticamente para acompanhar o desempenho instrumental e o Design de Experimentos (DoE) fornece uma abordagem rápida, simples, confiável e eficaz para alcançar otimizações multivariadas bem-sucedidas. Neste trabalho apresentamos o desenvolvimento de dois métodos otimizados por DoE para análise de CHE: um método de quantificação de CBD, THC e CBN por UHPLC-HRMS/MS e três métodos de determinação multielementar por ICP-MS. Para a quantificação de fitocannabinoides, as condições instrumentais foram otimizadas frente a um planejamento do tipo Plackett-Burman para 7 variáveis, buscando-se otimizar a reprodutibilidade do fenômeno de ionização. Valores de desvio-padrão relativo de 2 por cento, 2 por cento e 5 por cento foram alcançados para CBD, THC e CBN, respectivamente. Além disso, planejamentos do tipo Fatorial Completo e Box-Behnken foram utilizadas para propor um protocolo otimizado de extração líquido-líquido assistida por ultrassom com 6,9 mL de metanol:hexano 9:1 v/v, 18 min de tempo de agitação e 25 min de tempo de sonicação. O modelo preditivo construído foi validado, apresentando valores de acurácia entre 86 e 120 por cento. O desempenho analítico foi validado por diretrizes farmacêuticas brasileiras de referência (ANVISA RDC 166/2017) frente a três diferentes abordagens de calibração: calibração externa, adição-padrão e Matrix Matching. Valores satisfatórios de exatidão, precisão, sensibilidade, linearidade e efeito de matriz foram alcançados com a utilização deste último, sendo representativo de uma alternativa eficiente, de maior custobenefício e de maior frequência analítica. A aplicação desta metodologia em um lote de 4 amostras reais revelou uma preocupação significativa em relação à avaliação de risco desses produtos, sendo observada uma discrepância significativa entre a descrição do rótulo e o conteúdo quantificado de CBD (mais de 10.000 vezes menor). THC e CBN não foram encontrados acima do Limite de Quantificação para nenhuma das amostras. Fenômeno que compromete não só seu potencial terapêutico, mas também revelando um ponto cego da segurança do consumidor. Para a determinação multielementar, parâmetros instrumentais atrelados ao plasma e à introdução de amostra foram otimizados por planejamentos do tipo Composto Central para maximização de sensibilidade e minimização de interferências, alcançando-se condições de compromisso com taxas de otimização globais superiores a 80 por cento. Quanto ao preparo de amostra, três métodos foram explorados: digestão ácida aberta em chapa de aquecimento, digestão ácida em vaso fechado e diluição direta com solvente orgânico, assim como três diferentes abordagens de calibração: calibração externa, Matrix Matching e adição-padrão. O desempenho de todos os métodos foi criticamente avaliado em relação à exatidão, precisão, sensibilidade, efeito de matriz e impacto ecológico. O método empregando decomposição em chapa de aquecimento com 6,9 mL de HNO3 diluído 10 por cento v/v com aquecimento por 60 min àa 100 graus C e uma abordagem de calibração por Matrix Matching forneceu o melhor desempenho geral e foi aplicado para analisar um lote de 6 amostras de Cannabis em comparação com óleo de gergelim, um óleo vegetal de consumo comum e muito utilizado como veículo farmacotécnico nos extratos de Cannabis. Em geral, foram determinados baixos teores de metais e metaloides e, comparando os extratos de Cannabis com o óleo vegetal, diferenças estatisticamente significativas foram identificadas apenas para Au, Cu, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Ti e Zn. O Pb foi encontrado em níveis mais altos em todas as amostras de Cannabis, variando de 11,7 a 12,4 (micro)g.g-1, em desacordo (teor quase 3 vezes maior) com as diretrizes da FDA para elementos potencialmente tóxicos. Por sua vez, Li, Mg, Mn, Ni, Ti e Zn foram encontrados em níveis discordantes entre as amostras, sugerindo uma heterogeneidade relevante na produção dos óleos e um controle de qualidade não padronizado para esses produtos. / [en] Cannabis herbal extracts (CHE) are one of the most interesting and sought products for therapeutic approaches of a diverse number of clinical conditions. Regulated quality control parameters and risk assessment methods are needed for Cannabis-based products. Advanced analytical techniques portray powerful alternatives to Cannabis-based products monitoring. However, further analytical steps need to be critically optimized to keep up with instrumental performance. In this work, analytical methods for phytocannabinoids quantification by UHPLCHRMS/MS and multielement determination by ICP-MS, both in CHE, were developed and optimized by Design of Experiments. For UHPLC-HRMS/MS, an ultrasound-assisted liquid-liquid extraction with methanol:hexane 9:1 v/v was proposed, analytical performance was successfully validated by gold-standard brazilian pharmaceutical guidelines, proving its efficiency in question. For multielement determination, three sample preparation methods were explored (acid decomposition in open-vessel, acid decomposition in closed-vessel, and organic solvent direct dilution). Their performances were critically evaluated regarding analytical metrics, ecological impact and user-friendliness. The open-vessel method with diluted HNO3 provided the overall best performance and was applied to analyze 6 CHEs and one sesame oil sample. The phytocannabinoids quantification suggested a major discrepancy between CHE label description and quantified content, as CBD was over 10,000-times lower and both THC and CBN could not be determined. Also, in general, low metal and metalloid contents were determined, but significant potentially toxic metals content was found. By comparing with sesame oil, statistically significant differences were identified only for Au, Cu, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Ti, and Zn. Lead were found at higher levels for all Cannabis samples in a range 11.7 to 12.4 (micro)g g-1 , in disagreement with FDA guidelines for potentially toxic elements (10 (micro)g g-1 ). Li, Mg, Mn, Ni, Ti and Zn were found at discordant levels between samples, suggesting a relevant heterogeneity and non- standardized quality control for these products.