The author has reviewed (Maatta 1975a) the conceptions of young drug users presented not only by American and Finnish researchers and experts but also in Central and Northern European literature. Although inter
pretations of drug use vary considerably, there are certain, common fea
tures irrespective of region.
On the basis of the review it may be said that the contents of the dominant image are remarkably similar, something which is reflected, among other things, in the similarity of control measures. This is nat
urally no coincidence since behind them are the international conventions, which guide national activities. The 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs defined drug use as criminal activity and as a consequence drug users are easily seen as criminal and violent. The mass media support this view by giving wide coverage to the criminal and violent activi
ties connected with drug traffic. It may be said that the contents of
the dominant image serve the objectives of western culture, often char
acterized as violent, by linking the causes of violence with phenomena which are seen as independent of social structure. There are examples in the literature which show that the surrounding society considers the drop-out hippies considerably more threatening and dangerous than, for example ordinary violent criminals (Smart & Jackson 1969, Bryld &
Nielsen 1973) .
There are certain common features, particularly with regard to drug use, in the image of the drug user conveyed by researchers and they can be grouped as follows (Maatta 1975a):
1. In all regions there are considerably more cannabis tasters than users. Users may be classified into occasional users (e.g. weekenders) and regular users. Quite recently it has been found that the number of new tasters has decreased.
2. Tasters and occasional users generally use only one drug. The most popular drug has been cannabis (exceptions are, for instance, small towns and the countryside in Norway and Finland).
3. The most popular drug among users is also cannabis: in the United States marijuana (pot) and in Europe hashish (superpot). However, the popularity of hashish has increased in the United States in the 19701s and small amounts of marijuana have always been available in Europe.
Users are often multidrug users, which means that other psychedelic drugs are tasted besides cannabis. A small part also use medical prepa
rations and opium derivatives. The use of the latter among school and college students is fairly uncommon (most common in England and the Netherlands). Users regard cannabis as a completely or rather harmless drug which in official classifications should be clearly distinguished from dangerous drugs such as opium, morphine and heroin. A section of the users also consider LSD to belong to the dangerous drugs. Cannab.is is equated with alcohol or is most often regarded as less dangerous than alcohol.
4.
Researchers have less confidence in the "stepping-stone hypothesis", in other words, they do not believe that cannabis use leads to the use of hard drugs. Instead they talk about multiple drug use, which is partly P.Xplaine<'l by the fact that all drug users have through legislation been isolated as a special sub-culture, which is compelled to make
contacts with illegal drug trafficking in order to obtain various drugs.
In the 1970's there has been a decrease in the experimentation with oth
er drugs and users have increasingly concentrated on cannabis. This is probably explained by the fact that those who have been interested in the effects of different drugs have had time to try other drugs and on the other hand, they have found out the risks connected with the use of different drugs.
5. The most common motive for experimenting with drugs is curiosity and friends talking about the pleasant effects of drugs. Young people have not been compelled to try drugs.
6. As motives for the continued use of cannabis users cite the positive experiences arising from drug use, e.g. increasing intensity of different pleasurable feelings and improved self-awareness empathy and creativity.
7, It is relatively seldom that cannabis use has been reported to have negative effects. For school students they are mostly connected with school attendance (truancy, deteriorating school performance).
8. Cannabis use is a group activity, which does not necessarily mean group dependence. The group is needed for giving instruction in use and for maintaining the habit. During the learning or "turning on"
stage users instruct the initiate in the technique of correct use and in how to produce positive experiences. Goode (1970) talks about the marijuana mythology, whose significance for obtaining "right" experi
ences is essentially important.
9, Men are mainly responsible for spreading the use of cannabis and they also use cannabis more than women. There is scarcely any research based information on the international drug trade, but the members of drug com
munities have to a large extent organized their own street peddling.
In addition to this international tourism has brought drugs to those interested in them.
The social background of marijuana smokers was clearly middle and upper class in the United States. A similar clear relationship has not been found in Canada or Europe. In some countries it has been found that cannabis first spread among the middle class youth but when the use spread further it also reached other young people.
The basic assumptions of researchers studying users' personality traits in different countries have coincided: the user has been assumed
to be deviant in personality or a youth belonging to a risk group. The same assumptions were made earlier when attention was first directed to the increased consumption of alcohol among young people (Bacon & Jones
1969), Studies conducted among high school and college youth have not supported this assumption. On the contrary, tasters and users have in some studies proved less anxious and more sociable than non-users.
The value system of young cannabis users has nowhere else been studied as intensively as in the United States. Therefore, it is dif
ficult on the basis of research data alone to judge the similarity of cannabis users' thinking. Some individual findings and expert state
ments in different countries have, however, given reason to assume that the ideological motives for cannabis use are the same irrespective of the country (e.g. Christie 1968),