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No. XLV/1 (2023)
Articles

Social worlds of cannabis users in Poland: Setting boundaries of space, knowledge and control

Social worlds of cannabis users in Poland: Setting boundaries of space, knowledge and control

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  • Michał Wanke,
  • Marcin Deutschmann,
  • Magdalena Piejko-Płonka
Michał Wanke
Uniwersytet Opolski
Bio
Marcin Deutschmann
Uniwersytet Opolski
Magdalena Piejko-Płonka
Uniwersytet Opolski
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7420/AK2023.01

Published 2023-05-19

Keywords

  • cannabis,
  • marihuana,
  • users,
  • social world,
  • symbolic boundaries

How to Cite

Wanke, M., Deutschmann, M., & Piejko-Płonka, M. (2023). Social worlds of cannabis users in Poland: Setting boundaries of space, knowledge and control: Social worlds of cannabis users in Poland: Setting boundaries of space, knowledge and control. Archives of Criminology, (XLV/1), 151–176. https://doi.org/10.7420/AK2023.01
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

Cannabis consumption in Poland is slightly lower than in the European Union, except for youths, a group with a similar level to the EU average. This is despite the conservative political context and one of the strictest sets of laws in the EU. The discrepancy between the culture of psychoactive substance users and the mainstream narrative about these substances is becoming more and more interesting and remains an unexplored field of research. For this paper, we have integrated the results of our three national-level research projects on (1) cannabis users and the context of use, (2) online discussions about psychoactive substances and (3) the possibilities of evaluating drug therapy, as well as (4) the results of a regional-level study on risky behavior among youths. The research was conducted between 2013 and 2021. All of the studies are qualitative in terms of the methods used. The social worlds concept is the theoretical framework of this study and it serves us to describe the basic social actions of cannabis users, technologies, identities and arenas for creating narratives and experiencing use. We analyze the boundaries between the social worlds of users, taking into account three dimensions of use: spatial, knowledge and control. The subcultural nature of cannabis use is well described in the literature. The culture of Polish cannabis users is an especially interesting example of the phenomenon. Users can observe the continuous liberalization of legislative solutions in the global context, while they are placed within increasingly conservative discourses and legal frames. This situation creates a discrepancy in the narrative on substance use, which is realized on the micro level of meaning-making in interaction and in talks inside and outside of the social worlds.

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