A quantitative study on the attitudes of students towards cannabis consumption in the United Kingdom.

Abstract

Background: With rates of use increasing over the past ten years, cannabis use among teenagers and young people in the United Kingdom (UK) may be regarded a cultural norm. Cannabis consumption can be a public health concern due to its potential to impact various aspects of individual health and societal well-being including health risk, addiction and dependence, impaired driving, cognitive and educational impact, mental health and public safety. With few studies undertaken in Europe, most research focuses on cannabis use among students in the United States of America and Canada. This quantitative study examined how college students in the UK felt about cannabis use and the related drug laws. Additionally, it investigated how common cannabis usage was among students and identified the number who might have cannabis use disorder (CUD), as determined by the Cannabis use Disorder Identification Test - Revised (CUDIT-R).

Method: The data was collected through an online questionnaire. There was a total of 82 respondents, majority of them were international students. The target population were students from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and was shared to LJMU students through the Faculty of Health, who were the gatekeepers. The questionnaire also had CUDIT-R screening questions to determine CUD among the respondents.

Results: 70% of the respondents who had used cannabis in the previous six months had done so within the previous month. With 27% indicating possibility of CUD. Only 36% of respondents who used cannabis were international students, while 64% of respondents being UK based students. The number of students who supported the legalisation of cannabis in the UK has increased; currently, 55% of those who used cannabis in the past six months and 35% of those who did not support it. The impression of the effectiveness of the present drug policy in the UK is split, with 43% of international students believing it has been successful in decreasing the harm caused by drug use and 81% of UK-based students believing it has failed. Nearly half of students support the legalisation of recreational cannabis, reflecting a general trend in student attitudes toward cannabis use. It is also obvious that the young and vulnerable are not safeguarded from drug-related harms by the UK's present drug policy.

Conclusion: In short, it was understood that cannabis consumption is considerably prevalent in the LJMU students’ community and a small percentage of them implied possibility of CUD. Major recommendations to control drug harm include comparative examination  of legalisation support, customized educational initiatives, cross-cultural comparison and public health campaigns. To further understand cannabis use among student populations, as well as attitudes about the drug and related laws, more research is needed.