Denna undersökning gjordes på grund av dagens uppmärksammande av användningen av drogen marijuana och syntetiska motsvarigheter bland ungdomar. Även den legalisering som skett i andra länder skapade ett intresse för undersökningen. En enkätstudie genomfördes bland gymnasieelever, årskurs tre i Västra Götaland. Studien hade 57 respondenter med en medelålder på 18 år, 33% kvinnor och 67% män. Studien visade på att de manliga gymnasieeleverna i undersökningen tenderade att ha en mer positiv attityd till drogen marijuana. Attityd till marijuana hade även en positiv korrelation med självkänsla. Studien fann ingen statistisk signifikant korrelation mellan känsla av sammanhang (KASAM) och attityd till marijuana. En positiv statistisk signifikant korrelation fanns dock mellan KASAM och självkänsla vilket är i linje med tidigare forskning. Sammanfattningsvis visar resultatet att elever i årskurs tre på gymnasiet med högre självkänsla även tenderar till att vara mer positivt inställda i sin attityd till drogen marijuana. / This survey was made on the basis of today's attention of the use of the drug marijuana and its synthetic counterparts among young people. Also, the liberalization that has occurred in other countries created an interest to do the survey. A questionnaire study was conducted among third graders in upper secondary school in the region of Västra Götaland. The study had 57 respondents with a mean age of 18 years and the gender distribution was 33 % female and 67 % male. The study showed that male upper secondary students' tended to have a more accepting attitude towards the drug marijuana. This attitude also had a positive correlation with self-esteem. The study found no statistically significant correlation between sense of coherence (SOC) and attitude toward marijuana. SOC and self-esteem was however positively correlated, which is in line with previous research. In summary, students in the third grade of upper secondary school with higher self-esteem also tended to be more accepting in their attitude toward the drug marijuana.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1990. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [91]-99).

Marijuana is the most prevalent illicit drug used in the world and among Turkish juveniles. Although studies have examined marijuana use among Turkish juveniles, none has tested Hirschi's social bonding theory, one of the most frequently tested and applied criminological theories in the United States and other Western and developed countries. This study investigated the empirical validity and generalizability of Hirschi's theory to juveniles' marijuana use in Turkey, a non-Western and developing country. Data on 2,740 Turkish tenth grade students from the 2006 Youth in Europe survey were used. Results from binary logistic regression analyses were generally consistent with the propositions of Hirschi's theory and the findings of previous empirical studies. Regarding the attachment component of the theory, Turkish juveniles who lived in two-parent families and those who were closely monitored by their parents were less likely to have tried marijuana. In addition, teens who were strongly attached to their school and religion were also less likely to have used the drug. As for the commitment component, language grade was negatively associated with marijuana use. None of the involvement items had significant effects on marijuana use in the predicted direction. Participation in club sports had a positive effect on marijuana use. Belief items, such as acceptance of societal norms, values, and rules, had the predicted inhibiting effects on teens' marijuana use. Of the six sociodemographic/controls included in the analyses, only gender had a significant effect; male students were more likely to have tried marijuana than the female peers. Policy implications of the results for adolescents, parents, and schools are discussed.

Marijuana is the second most commonly used substance in the US. A growing literature suggests that socially anxious individuals use marijuana to manage their symptoms in social situations, which may explain why they are also more likely to experience problems. Unfortunately, the majority of the literature is based on research conducted with adult samples or the co-occurrence of diagnoses in adolescent samples. The proposed study sought to test the link between social anxiety (SA) and proxies for ‘real-time' marijuana use behaviors (i.e., use willingness) as well as use-related problems among adolescents. Participants were 69 adolescents (15-17; 55% female) recruited from the community reporting any lifetime marijuana use. Participants were randomly assigned to a novel social rejection or neutral laboratory task and completed measures of SA, marijuana use frequency, and related problems. Consistent with adult findings, main effects of SA and experimental condition on marijuana use willingness were expected to be qualified by an interaction in which the greatest marijuana use willingness would occur among high SA youth post-rejection (H1), SA would be positively related to marijuana use problems (H2), and among adolescents in the rejection condition, marijuana use willingness would be positively correlated with use problems (H3). Only H2 was supported, highlighting areas of convergence and divergence in the role of SA and social stress on marijuana outcomes. These data stand to improve the scientific knowledge on the relative roles of SA and social stress on marijuana use within an understudied, high-risk population and help inform future intervention efforts.

Therapeutic benefits of medicinal cannabis are well documented in the treatment of a variety of medical conditions. There is not, however, a nationally consistent delivery system, which has prevented many patients from realizing these benefits. Using policy feedback theory as the foundation, the purpose of this general qualitative study was to better understand how state-level regulatory efforts in medicinal cannabis may provide guidance on formulating national public policies that are beneficial to patients. This study compared 3 core tenets of NORML, an authority in the cannabis industry, against the policies of 3 states with exemplary state medical cannabis programs. The tenets included access to whole-plant cannabis, wide latitude for doctors to decide treatment regimens, and the right to cultivation for personal use. Data collected from publicly available documents such as legislative archives, state government websites, cannabis coalition groups, and media coverage of medicinal cannabis legislation were deductively coded and subjected to a cross-case analysis procedure. Findings indicated a lack of full alignment with NORML's core tenets as well as significant gaps between research on the efficacy of medical cannabis and the regulatory systems governing delivery within the states. Future policy makers may consider these results in devising nationwide legislation to research and recognize the medicinal use of cannabis, thus addressing the identified need for a uniform delivery system in the US for patients in need of cannabis for medical purposes. This study may contribute to positive social change through recommendations to federal legislators for creating a national government model for patient access to medicinal cannabis.

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Marijuana use among American young adults is rising, and perceptions of harm are declining. Individual states continue to enact more lenient marijuana use and possession laws. Marijuana use is associated with many serious negative outcomes. Thus, marijuana use among this age group has become a public health concern. According to Primary Socialization Theory, parents exert their influence on youth behavior through the parent-adolescent bond and through communication. Previous researchers have identified parent-offspring communication about alcohol and tobacco as a potentially important target of prevention efforts. Little research has yet explored marijuana communication and its potential influence on use-related outcomes. This study sought to model the influence of the parent-adolescent bond and parent-offspring communication about marijuana on marijuana use and problems related to use. In order to model this influence, the Communication about Marijuana (CAM) measure first was developed. In Study 1, an initial pool of items tapping marijuana communication was tested using a sample of 18-25 year old (M=20.22) undergraduate students (N=433). Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to test the fit of the data to the proposed model. In Study 2, a revised CAM measure was tested with a second sample of 18-25 year old (M=20.40) undergraduate students (N=432). The final measure included four content topic factors comprising 9 items, and 3 descriptive items tapping communication context. Structural equation models were specified to model the parent-adolescent bond and marijuana communication content on student self-reported past year marijuana use and marijuana use problems. Results suggested that the parent-adolescent bond was protective on marijuana use frequency, while models including only the manifest variable parental support better fit the data with regard to marijuana use problems. Communication content was somewhat differentially related to outcomes. Discussions encouraging abstinence, offering advice on peer pressure and monitoring use were related to more frequent use. Communication that conveyed disappointment about marijuana use and offered advice about peer pressure and choosing non-using friends was related to more marijuana use problems. Positive relations between communication and use outcomes were unexpected, but may reflect reactive parenting. Results and implications for future research are discussed in the context of the extant literature.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Katherine Nesse / In November of 2012, the state of Colorado officially ended an 80 year national prohibition of recreational marijuana by voting to pass Amendment 64. This shift in state policy generated a multitude of economic opportunities for jurisdictions throughout the state. However, the location and volume of production and sale that is authorized is ultimately determined at the city and county level. Localities in Colorado are charged with regulating the new industry in the same manner as they do other locally unwanted land uses (LULUs) such as sex-oriented businesses, halfway houses and liquor stores. This paper examines community planning approaches involving the legalization of recreational marijuana in rural Colorado. The goal of this report is to serve as a document that can be used by jurisdictions that are poised to legalize in the future, as a reference when examining best practice for the regulation of a new recreational marijuana industry. I collected data through one-on-one interviews with city and county planners throughout Colorado. The focus of the research is two-fold: to determine what approach the planning staff took towards managing recreational marijuana in their jurisdiction and to determine why the planning staff chose the approach that they did. Through the course of this research, I have found that conservative communities are treating recreational marijuana shops as nuisance or vice businesses and are using there zoning and regulatory powers to push the shops outside of city limits. Progressive communities have taken a more inclusive approach and in return are profiting from the new market. The struggle between state law and local public perception in these jurisdictions may be the major reason why some communities are not benefiting from the public revenue being generated by Amendment 64.

Amphibian alkaloids are attractive targets for synthesis due to their biological activity. An important class of amphibian alkaloids is the 2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidine-based family of compounds. There are many synthetic approaches for the preparation of the trans-2,5- disubstituted pyrrolidines, but methods for the construction of the cis-2,5-pyrrolidines are limited. Therefore, it was desired to develop an enantioselective approach for the preparation of cis-2,5-disubsituted pyrrolidines. (+)-Tropin-2-one derived from cocaine was used as starting material to exploit the inherent stereochemistry for construction of the cis-pyrrolidine ring. This permitted the unequivocal assignment of the absolute configuration of the target pyrrolidine. The structurally simple pyrrolidine alkaloid, 225H, was selected as a target to develop a general synthetic approach. The enantioselective synthesis of 225H was achieved in nine steps and good overall yield. The search for potent cannabinoid receptor partial agonist ligands as potential marijuana addiction therapeutic agents has led to an investigation of the synthesis of diaryl ether hybrid analogues of BAY 59-3074. A series of 2-(3-alkyl-5-hydroxyphenoxy)-6- (trifluoromethyl)benzonitriles, 3-(2-cyano-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy)phenylalkanoates, and (3- (benzyloxy)phenoxy)-6-(trifluoromethyl)benzonitriles were synthesized and evaluated in vitro for CB1 affinity. The olivetol diaryl ether analogue was the most potent ligand of the alkyl series, but the diaryl ester analogues exhibited modest affinity for CB1 receptors. The most potent compound of the series was the 2-(3-(benzyloxy)phenoxy)-6- (trifluoromethyl)benzonitrile.