There is concern about cannabis use among young adults with the continued legalization of marijuana across the country. The current study looks to provide further context for shifts in college students perceptions, how they differ among those with varying histories of use, and why cannabis is becoming an integral part of the college experience.
Participants were recruited from a border state university and five focus groups were conducted. The final study included 46 students with 70% being male. Students first completed a survey to determine their lifetime use of cannabis, length of use, and frequency of use. Researchers were sure to included current and non-current cannabis users to obtain different perceptions towards experiences. During the focus group the questions used were broad, general, and open-ended to gain insight into perceptions of students. Final results showed 65% of participants were current users.
Researchers developed three major themes based on results. These included User Heterogeneity and Identity, Relative Benefits and Harms of Cannabis, and Social Position of Cannabis on Campus Culture. Participants stated they generally couldn’t distinguish current users from non-current users throughout campus. Findings showed cannabis was largely talked about in positive terms and participants consistently stated wanting factual information about the pros and cons of cannabis use coming from the university. Finally, many participants believed that cannabis is wide-spread on campus, especially in social environments. These findings provide information on how college health programs can approach conversations about cannabis use by showing that students use social stigmatism and identification with cannabis to help them decide whether to use this substance.
Take Away: The current study looks to provide context for shifts in college students perceptions, how they may differ among those with different histories of use, and why cannabis is becoming an integral part of the college experience. Participants were recruited from a border state university and after completing a survey about cannabis use, participated in one of five focus groups about their perceptions and use. Researchers developed three themes including User Heterogeneity and Identity, Relative Benefits and Harms of Cannabis, and Social Position of Cannabis on Campus Culture. These findings help campuses approaching conversation about cannabis use by showing that students use social stigmatism and identification with cannabis to help decide to use this substance.