Cannabis Use: Subcultural Opposition or Social Marginality? A Population-Based Longitudinal Study

Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal drug, and numerous studies of cannabis users have been carried out in biomedical and epidemiological disciplines. However, surprisingly few researchers from sociology or other social science disciplines have investigated cannabis use in recent years. During its introduction phase in the 1960s, cannabis use was associated with a so-called 'hang-loose ethic', subversive political values and particular music preferences. In this article I ask whether this continues to be the case. I look for associations that indicate social marginalization and I analyse data from a longitudinal study of the Norwegian population in which a sample was followed from their early teens (in 1992) until their late 20s (in 2005). The results show that the recruitment base for cannabis use during adolescence had much in common with cannabis use in the 1960s. Music preferences such as hip-hop and heavy metal and subversive political attitudes were robust predictors of adolescent initiation into cannabis use. Indicators of parental social marginalization played no role. Conversely, a high level of parental education was positively associated with cannabis initiation. However, when the sample entered their 20s, cannabis users were increasingly located at the margins of society and characterized by poor education, unemployment and low levels of income.