The aim of this study is to, in view of theories about deviance and social control, examine how cannabis users are experiencing and relating to their own use and the society’s perception on this use. Qualitative interviews with six users or former users of cannabis were performed.  Sociological concepts of deviance and normality, social control, roles, role distance and stigma were used to analyze the results. The study shows that the cannabis users experience deficiencies in the Swedish drug policy. They feel like the picture of cannabis as a dangerous substance is unanimous in society and that it is not accepted to question it. They also believe that issues related to narcotics are being handled inadequately in Sweden and that this may lead to people suffering from addiction not seeking help. The cannabis users in this study also felt like other people perceived them as addicts and junkies, while the users themselves separated use and abuse. Lastly, we discovered three different strategies to deal with the attitudes and norms in society. These strategies were: resistance and questioning, hidden use and secretiveness, adapting social circle and adoption of different roles.

This study is a qualitative examination of twenty current and former users of marijuana, using in-depth interviews as the units of analysis. The relationship between the participants’ perceived costs and rewards, type and amount of linguistic accounts used, as well as frequency of use are explored using Homans' exchange theory and Lyman and Scott’s theory of accounts. Reasons for continuation, regulation, and cessation of use are also studied. It is found that the participants use marijuana for a varied amount of reasons; these reasons directly influence how they account for their behavior as well as their frequency of use, particularly whether or not they use marijuana on a daily basis.

La consommation de cannabis et la conduite sous l’influence du cannabis sont des préoccupations grandissantes dans la société d’aujourd’hui. Le but de la présente étude est d’examiner plus en profondeur la relation entre la fréquence de consommation de cannabis chez les jeunes adultes et la prise de risque sur la route. Les participants (n=48) sont tous des hommes âgés de 18 à 26 ans. Ils ont complété une batterie de questionnaires ainsi qu’une tâche sur simulateur de conduite. Les résultats indiquent que la fréquence de consommation de cannabis est associée positivement avec la prise de risque auto rapportée et suggèrent une tendance positive avec les comportements risqués observés lors de la simulation de conduite en laboratoire. Lorsque les différents groupes de consommateurs sont comparés, ceux qui font un usage quotidien ou multihebdomadaire de cannabis semblent prendre plus de risques au volant que ceux qui consomment une fois semaine et moins ou encore une fois par mois et moins. De plus, il semble que plus les individus consomment fréquemment de la marijuana, plus ils ont tendance à adopter des attitudes permissives en lien avec la conduite sous l’influence de cannabis. Les implications quant à l’intervention sont discutées. / Cannabis use and driving under the influence of cannabis have become a growing concern in today’s society. The aim of the present study was to further examine the relationship between the use frequency of cannabis among young adults and on-road risk taking. Participants (n=48) were all men aged between 18 and 26 years old who were asked to complete questionnaires and to perform in a simulation task. Results indicate that the use frequency of cannabis is positively associated with self-report of risky driving and suggest a trend with observed risk taking behaviour during the simulation. When comparing the different cannabis users, participants who consumed daily or multiple times a week seem to take more risk on the road than those who use cannabis once a week or less and less than monthly. Moreover, it seems that marijuana users who consume more frequently have a tendency of adopting more permissive attitudes toward smoking cannabis and taking the wheel. Implications for interventions are discussed.

La consommation de cannabis et la conduite sous l’influence du cannabis sont des préoccupations grandissantes dans la société d’aujourd’hui. Le but de la présente étude est d’examiner plus en profondeur la relation entre la fréquence de consommation de cannabis chez les jeunes adultes et la prise de risque sur la route. Les participants (n=48) sont tous des hommes âgés de 18 à 26 ans. Ils ont complété une batterie de questionnaires ainsi qu’une tâche sur simulateur de conduite. Les résultats indiquent que la fréquence de consommation de cannabis est associée positivement avec la prise de risque auto rapportée et suggèrent une tendance positive avec les comportements risqués observés lors de la simulation de conduite en laboratoire. Lorsque les différents groupes de consommateurs sont comparés, ceux qui font un usage quotidien ou multihebdomadaire de cannabis semblent prendre plus de risques au volant que ceux qui consomment une fois semaine et moins ou encore une fois par mois et moins. De plus, il semble que plus les individus consomment fréquemment de la marijuana, plus ils ont tendance à adopter des attitudes permissives en lien avec la conduite sous l’influence de cannabis. Les implications quant à l’intervention sont discutées. / Cannabis use and driving under the influence of cannabis have become a growing concern in today’s society. The aim of the present study was to further examine the relationship between the use frequency of cannabis among young adults and on-road risk taking. Participants (n=48) were all men aged between 18 and 26 years old who were asked to complete questionnaires and to perform in a simulation task. Results indicate that the use frequency of cannabis is positively associated with self-report of risky driving and suggest a trend with observed risk taking behaviour during the simulation. When comparing the different cannabis users, participants who consumed daily or multiple times a week seem to take more risk on the road than those who use cannabis once a week or less and less than monthly. Moreover, it seems that marijuana users who consume more frequently have a tendency of adopting more permissive attitudes toward smoking cannabis and taking the wheel. Implications for interventions are discussed.