Young adults’ phenomenological meanings of cannabis and leisure, cannabis risk-benefits and optimization of drug education

Recreational cannabis use has been framed by the media and academic literature as an activity pursued by pathological individuals, criminals, and those who belong to abnormal leisure subcultures. However, due to the normalization thesis, there is a growing acknowledgement that cannabis use as may be a normal feature of some people’s leisure and lifestyle. The purpose of this study was to understand leisure meanings associated with recreational cannabis use, perceptions of cannabis-related risks and benefits, and views on (in)effectiveness of three drug education approaches (i.e., zero tolerance, harm reduction, and health promotion) among young recreational cannabis users. This study used hermeneutic phenomenology based on the in-depth interviewing and photo elicitation. The interviews were conducted with sixteen individuals (18-30 years old) living in the U.S. states where recreational cannabis use is legalized. Their cannabis use patterns spanned from one-time experimental use to daily use. The findings revealed that young adults experience and associate various normative leisure meanings with their recreational cannabis use (i.e., leisure state of mind, free time, leisure activity, and pleasure). Additionally, the participants perceived physiological, psychological, and socio-cultural cannabis-related risks and benefits. Cannabis-related risks and benefits were also conceptualized using leisure well-being model distinguishing between hedonic and eudaimonic outcomes. Furthermore, participants shared that leisure meanings served as protective factors which could help minimize cannabis-related risks towards their health and well-being. In terms of drug education, young adults preferred the health promotion and harm reduction approaches over zero tolerance. They preferred these approaches because they represented a non-judgmental ‘neutral-educational’ style that accounted for a more balanced consideration of cannabis risks and benefits. They also discussed the usefulness of adding leisure meanings to drug education, which would best align with health promotion and harm reduction approaches because they allowed for recognizing the pursuit of cannabis for pleasure. In conclusion, this study expands our knowledge on recreational cannabis use in/as leisure, which can be leveraged to enhance health communications and drug education targeting young adults who consume recreational cannabis for its pleasurable and leisurely qualities.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Recreation, Sport, and Tourism

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Fratila, Iulia

Contributors dc:contributor

• Berdychevsky, Liza
• Bigsby, Elisabeth
• Shinew, Kimberly
• Smith, Douglas

• Recreational cannabis use
• drugs in/as leisure
• drug education
• phenomenology
• cannabis risk-benefit

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2022 Iulia Fratila

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/116034

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F116034