Professor Willy Pedersen

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Cannabis in NorwayTrondheim nov 15, 2009

• Professor Willy Pedersen
• Department of Sociology and Human Geography,
  University of Oslo

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Slottsparken 1967
It was the age of aquarius and that kind of
things. It was not a regular revolution, but a
revolution from within. We were in favour of
lighting up people. That was the way to change
society. Smoke shit and get this revolution -
from within. Peter, now 61 years. Hanging out
in Slottsparken from 1967-1973.
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All the time cannabis, music, subculture,
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A broader subcultural movement
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Cannabis subculture of the 1960ies Survived at
Goa, India
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Decriminalization
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Data sources

• Young in Norway longitudinal
• Population-based follow-up early teens - late 20
• High response rates
• Broad set of measures
• Matched with Norwegian crime statistics
• Matched with Norwegian Prescription Data Base
• App 150 personal interviews
• Ethnographic research at The River

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Life time ever use of cannabis age 15-20(SIRUS)
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Life time ever cannabis use. Longitudinal
population-based data, age span 15-28
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Prevalence rates in Oslo and USA, last 15 years
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Sociocultural opposition?

• First study - from 1990
• Tests for three dimensions
• A Traditional engagement
• B Oppositional engagement
• C Psychosocial problems
• Recreational use opposition and traditional
  engagement
• Heavy use Opposition not traditional
  engagement
• Heavy use Psychosocial problems
• (Pedersen 1990)

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Possible music preferences

• Disco/pop
• Soul/funk
• Jazz/jazzrock
• 1960talls rock
• Reggae
• World music
• Punk/ hardcore

• New age, sveve
• House/ Techno
• Hip-hop/ rap
• Seattle/ grunsj
• Heavy metal/ trash
• Acid jazz
• Indie-chart

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Sociocultural opposition?

• Second study from 2009
• Tests for three dimensions
• Traditional music
• Experimental music
• Subversive attitudes
• Traditional music Inverse relationship (OR 0.2)
• Experimental music Positive relationship (OR
  2.2)
• Subversive attitudes Positive relationship (OR
  2.2)
• (Pedersen 2009)

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The instant cannabis check (better than urine
tests)
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Yesterdays users, still relevant portrait
Argot from the late 60ies stein, bønne, rev,
fede, shit, skit, tjall BA students UiO App
50 concepts Rituals, symbols, language, structure
of the distribution
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But also conduct problems (CP 13 by can 15)
Pedersen, Wichstrøm, Mastekaasa (2001)
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Gender, conduct problems and cannabis

• Global CP scale strong predictor
• Associations at subclinical levels
• Three dimensions covert, aggressive, serious
• Covert problems predictor in females
• Why?
• Stigmatization?
• CP disordered girls, low menarche, dangerous
  romantic relations
• Possible sexual abuse, sexual victimization

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Increasing social marginality

• In adolescence small associations to social class
• A tendencey towards high cultural capital
• Negative associations to Se Hør
• Positive to Morgenbladet, Klassekampen
• With age an inceasingly social marginal group
• Typical user age 30 Male, living in Oslo, school
  drop out, unemployed, poor mental health
  (Pedersen 2009)

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And poor mental health

• Previous studies (Lancet) Psychosis, cognitive
  functioning
• Our data
• Strong association anxiety, depression and
  sucidal behaviours
• Cannabis at age 21 predicts poor mental health at
  28
• After control, significant association to
  suicidal behaviour
• Cannabis users often have poor mental health, in
  the affective cluster.
• Still, not proven causal effect (Pedersen 2008 b)
  
• Recent study (submitted) 2/3 of benzodiazepine
  prescriptions in age group 24-28 to cannabis
  users (!)

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And crime

• Previous studies interwowen in criminal career
• But less important than alcohol and other illegal
  substances
• Our data
• Highly significant predictor of drug-related
  crime
• Not increased gain crime, violence
• A surprisingly high proportion of cannabis users
  take part in distribution and are convicted
  (Legemiddelloven and 162)
• (Pedersen Skardhamar, 2009)

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Cannabis economy Key findings

• Price has possibly a small influence on
  consumption
• Profits has a large impact on corruption, crime,
  violence
• Very large number of persons involved
• Much money involved (more than cocaine and
  opiates)
• Import from developing world is decreasing
• Increasing domestic production in eg. Netherlands
  and UK
• Violence, heavy crime? - Discussions

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Cannabis cultivation From Morocco to Europe
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The scene in Oslo

• Still, primarily imported hash, much from Morocco
• Public markets (Akerselva)
• Private - most important. Part-time dealers,
  friends
• Behind At least some heavy criminals, large
  money
• (Sandberg Pedersen, 2006, 2009)

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Typology

• Hip-hop kids
• Fallen gangsters
• Refugees

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Dealing at The River

• App 50 boys, age 17-25,
• Sub-Saharan origin
• Almost all black
• Complex street competence
• Learning crime
• Developing marginalization
• Cannabis kept the culture together

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Dealing at The River

• Complex scene clear structure
• Connections, other dealers, undercover cops,
  customers, good and poor hash, prices, bøff
• Double the money all the time
• The myth Big money
• A successful day 1500 NOK
• High competence high dependency

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Welfare state and victim discourse

• Ali Men noen ganger er det veldig vanskelig,
  ikke sant. Det er ikke mange som forstår akkurat
  når det gjelder å gå på Elva. Du er arbeidsledig,
  og du har ikke noe sted å få inntekt fra. Fordi
  du har ikke penger, og for hver ting du gjør i
  Norge, trenger du penger, ikke sant. Du skal ha
  mat, må ha penger. Husleie, du må ha penger. Det
  er ikke alle som står der som egentlig vil stå
  der, ikke sant. Men det er siste utvei, fordi de
  gutta som står der de mener at det er bedre å stå
  der enn å gjøre ran, ikke sant.

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Gangster discourse

• Intervjuer Har du vært på treningssenter for å
  lære å slåss?
• Chris Nei nei, jeg hadde på noe jævla
  treningsstudio i hele livet mitt jeg assa,
  allah.. Jeg har bare vært ute på gata jeg.
• Intervjuer The hard way, asså (ler)
• Chris Jeg har lært av filmer hvordan du kan slå
  i hjel et menneske, man. Sånn som det glasset her
  (holder opp glasset). Du knuser det i trynet på
  motherfuckeren. hva i helvete a
• (lang pause)
• Intervjuer Men du har banka noen?
• Chris Ja, jeg tok et balltre og slo i hjel en
  kar en gang. Men han var en djevel ass. Petter,
  han var en satans unge. Jeg kødder ikke

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A cannabis paradox

• At The River poor quality, high price
• Instrumental transactions, no involvement
• The private dealers provide better cannabis
• They are friends, cool, hip
• You should take your time, smoke a joint
• A complex sociocultural dependency may develope
• Therefore to avoid this, some seek out The
  River

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Conclusions

• Our most important illegal substance
• High levels of use in young adult groups
• Lack of knowledge about intensive use patterns
• Underresearched pattern of subculture
• Also marginality and poor mental health
• An enormous black economy
• Actors within this economy with different
  ideologies
• Thus Important field for policy-making