La consommation de cannabis représente un problème majeur dans les écoles secondaires du Québec. Cette substance est devenue le centre d'un débat de société où s'affrontent deux options diamétralement opposées. L'une va dans le sens de mesures punitives plus sévères concernant sa possession et sa consommation, l'autre propose plutôt un assouplissement législatif. Deux rapports gouvernementaux, le rapport sénatorial et celui de la Chambre des communes, ont fait pencher la balance du côté d'un assouplissement législatif en recommandant la légalisation ou la décriminalisation de la possession de cannabis. Ces deux rapports insistent par ailleurs sur le rôle de l'école dans la prévention de la consommation de drogues. Étant donné qu'aucune indication n'est proposée à cet égard, il nous a semblé opportun de nous questionner sur le rôle de l'école dans la prévention des drogues et dans l'intervention auprès des élèves consommateurs. Quelles seraient les meilleurs programmes compte tenu de cette nouvelle législation ? Quels seraient les meilleures interventions auprès des élèves qui consomment du cannabis ? Quel serait, en fait, le rôle de l'école ? Notre recherche doctorale vise donc, d'une part, à décrire et à analyser le rapport sénatorial et celui de la Chambre des communes, et d'autre part, à colliger, auprès des intervenants en toxicomanies des écoles secondaires de la région de Québec, des informations concernant les programmes de prévention et les interventions qu'ils utiliseraient auprès des élèves advenant un assouplissement législatif en matière de possession simple de cannabis. « La plupart des policiers choisissent cette profession pour des raisons parfaitement honorables, comme protéger la société qu'ils aiment, et non pour mettre les gens en prison sous prétexte qu'ils fument de l'herbe. Les policiers sont assez souvent dans la rue pour connaître les vrais problèmes et savoir quelles en sont les causes. Presque tous ceux à qui j'ai parlé estiment que ce n'est pas la consommation de cannabis qui pose problème, mais la loi qui l'interdit. Je ne peux penser à aucune loi qui ait à ce point bouleversé la société, en opposant les enfants à leurs parents et en dressant la population contre la police. » (Howard Marks, 2003)

This diploma thesis is divided into nine chapters. The introductory chapters are focused mainly on currently highly discussed issues concerning criminal acts connected with drug abuse and historical roots and development of contemporary Czech legal regulation. The main part of this diploma thesis consists of the description of every single crime regulated by sections 283-287 of Act No. 40/2009, Criminal Code. The last chapter of this diploma thesis afterwards presents the description of the other crimes which are according to the author the most drug abuse related.

No description available.

Objective: This research aimed at reviewing the information provided by the online drug misuse communities with reference to the available evidence-based literature on the novel psychoactive substances. Methodology: Among hundreds of novel psychoactive substances, four groups (phenethylamines, tryptamines, piperazines and miscellaneous) were selected for the study. Various website drug fora were identified by Google and Yahoo search engines using a set of specific key words. The methods consisted of extracting and analysing qualitative data from the identified website fora. This was also supplemented by critical reviewing the existing evidence-based literature search for each of the selected psychoactive compounds. Results: The combined search results identified 84 unique website fora from which qualitative data were extracted for thirty novel psychoactive substances and organised into technical folders. This data extracted from online communities has thrown some light on factors such as the mode of purchase, subjective experiences, reasons for use, combinations, legislation, mechanisms of action in the CNS, side effects, toxicity and its management. This would enable the clinicians to be obtain full history when assessing and would inform better treatment choices. Conclusions: A range of novel psychoactive substances have been made recently available across the globe. The sale is easily achieved through the Internet. New legislations are made to control some recreational substances whilst newer substances appear. Furthermore, the distributors sell the backlog of products even after controlling of the substance has occured and hence are liable to potentiating criminal investigations. It is here suggested as well that the 'genuinity' of each onlince susbtance is questionable. Evidence-based literature is scant for the vast majority of these substances. Accidental overdoses are common occurences and some of the potential life-threatening clinical situations include sympathomimetic toxidrome and serotonin syndrome. Benzodiazepines appear to help with agitation and neuropsychiatric manifestations. Better levels of international cooperation and rapid share of available information may be needed to tackle the emerging problem of the novel psychoactive substances.

No description available.

La violence est responsable de 2,5 % des décès à travers le monde, en plus d’avoir un impact important sur la santé physique et mentale des victimes. Par conséquent, il s’agit d’un problème de santé publique prioritaire. Des études récentes réalisées auprès d’individus atteints de troubles mentaux graves (TMG) ont démontré qu’il existe une association entre l’usage du cannabis et les comportements violents. Considérant que ces individus sont plus à risque de consommer des drogues et de commettre des crimes que la population générale, cette découverte est particulièrement importante dans le contexte actuel de la légalisation. L’objectif de mon projet de recherche était donc de valider et de préciser la relation entre le cannabis et la violence chez les individus TMG. Pour se faire, trois études ont été réalisées. La première visait à faire état de la littérature au moyen d’une méta-analyse. En regroupant les études ayant calculé une telle association chez les TMG, nous avons mis en lumière l’existence d’une association modérée entre l’usage du cannabis et la violence. Pour ce qui est de la deuxième étude, nous avons identifié les principaux facteurs de risque dynamiques et statiques de la violence et de la criminalité chez les TMG ; dans les deux cas, l’usage du cannabis était un facteur d’une importance majeure. La dernière étude a permis de confirmer la relation unidirectionnelle entre l’usage persistant du cannabis et la violence dans une population atteinte de schizophrénie. Finalement, ces résultats seront particulièrement importants afin de formuler des recommandations cliniques pertinentes. De futures études devront toutefois être réalisées afin d’élucider les mécanismes sous-jacents de cette association. / Worldwide, violence is responsible for 2.5% of deaths, besides having an important impact on victims’ physical and mental health. Therefore, it is a priority public health problem. Recent studies of individuals with severe mental illnesses (SMI) have shown that an association exists between cannabis use and violent behaviours. Considering that these individuals are at higher risk of drug consumption and crime than the general population, this discovery is particularly important in the current context of the legalization. My research project therefore aimed to validate and to specify the relationship between cannabis use and violence in SMI individuals. To do so, three studies were conducted. The first one was to report current literature through a meta-analysis. By grouping the studies that calculated such an association among SMI, a moderate association was found between cannabis use and violence. As for the second study, we identified the main dynamic and static risk factors for violence and criminality in SMI; in both cases, cannabis use was one of these factors. The last study confirmed the unidirectional relationship between persistent cannabis use and violence in a population with schizophrenia. Finally, these results will be particularly important in order to formulate relevant clinical recommendations. However, future studies will need to be conducted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of this association.

This study explored the lived experience of Gen Z adults in a liminal life-stage crisis where the symbolic meaning of health, identity and brands are in transition. Sixteen ethnographic in-home interviews with college students were conducted and analyzed using Geertz's interpretive and Turner's symbolic anthropology. A hermeneutic textual analysis was used to interpret three types of phenomenological data: text, pictures and collages. An "incubation" step was key in the creative interpretation process where the leap from data to abstract themes was made. Environmental circumstances like money, time, resources and social networks change the quality of health, but the fundamental health explanatory system of a young person is a reflection of their family of origin experiences. Women associate health with mental health-independence and empowerment. Men define health as physical health-food and cooking. Skills such as cooking and shopping as well as the consumption of water, cannabis and other complementary products impact health and identity. Three health worldview themes emerged: health as negotiating identity; creating home; and taking responsibility. Implications for branding and public information campaigns to change the health beliefs and practices of young adults are offered. This thesis closes with a reflection on the "research study," the dominant symbol in the practice of research as a way to analyze the fluid role of consumer anthropology in a capitalist system.

A quantitative, descriptive, explorative design was used to examine drug abuse among adolescents in Swaziland. The researcher collected data by interviewing adolescents who abused drugs in the Msunduza township, Mbabane, Swaziland. The study found that these adolescents abused alcohol to such an extent that they were often intoxicated and their schoolwork deteriorated. Only 21,7% (n=13) of the adolescents were addicted to illegal drugs. The respondents indicated that the use of drugs had negatively affected their relationships with other people and their lives in general, and they had been arrested for criminal offences, which could be contributed to their use of drugs. Peer group pressure and being accepted by their friends were the primary factors that contributed to the problem. However, the fact that more than half of the sample did not live with both their parents and had a poor relationship with their guardians could also be a factor. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

A quantitative, descriptive, explorative design was used to examine drug abuse among adolescents in Swaziland. The researcher collected data by interviewing adolescents who abused drugs in the Msunduza township, Mbabane, Swaziland. The study found that these adolescents abused alcohol to such an extent that they were often intoxicated and their schoolwork deteriorated. Only 21,7% (n=13) of the adolescents were addicted to illegal drugs. The respondents indicated that the use of drugs had negatively affected their relationships with other people and their lives in general, and they had been arrested for criminal offences, which could be contributed to their use of drugs. Peer group pressure and being accepted by their friends were the primary factors that contributed to the problem. However, the fact that more than half of the sample did not live with both their parents and had a poor relationship with their guardians could also be a factor. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)