Tom Decorte

The case for small-scale domestic cannabis cultivation

The shift to (inter)regional production, trade and domestic cultivation has become an irreversible international trend. Until now, the focus of most empirical work has been on large-scale, commercially oriented and professionally organized segments of the cannabis industry, often based on police data and on the perspective of law enforcement agencies. This paper offers a review of recent Dutch-language research that focuses on cannabis cultivation. Empirical studies were identified through literature searches using relevant search terms and Web of Science, Elin, Social Science Research Network and Elsevier ScienceDirect. The paper presents the main findings of Dutch and Belgian empirical work on the factors that stimulated the import substitution process on the cannabis market, aspects related to quality and potency issues, typologies of cannabis growers, and (unintended) effects of pursued policies. In the light of this (selective) review the author offers some commentary and analysis concerning the claims made by different stakeholders, and concludes with some reflections on future research and on policy implications. The author outlines the importance of small-scale, independent or ideologically oriented cannabis cultivation as an under-researched market segment. The author also makes a case for greater toleration of small-scale cannabis cultivation, to secure the least worst of cannabis markets.

Quality control by cocaine users: underdeveloped harm reduction strategies.

The use of any drug involves both values and rules of conduct (social sanctions) and patterns of behavior (social rituals). Based on an ethnographic study (1996–1999) among 111 cocaine users from the metropolitan area of Antwerp (Belgium), the self-regulatory mechanisms surrounding the methods of controlling the quality of a drug are described. Users’ perceptions of reliable and unreliable sources of cocaine, quality and adulteration of cocaine and quality control techniques are confronted with objective information. It is argued that these informal control mechanisms may be crucial factors in the controlled use of any intoxicant, but myths are an important ingredient of the observed rituals, which indicates that knowledge about certain drugs and the best ways to use them in a safe way is still underdeveloped. Users are left to their own folk-experimental devices for testing tools or techniques, and many aspects of the natural processes of social learning are generally not based on objective information. Future harm reduction interventions should therefore also stimulate the development and dissemination of effective informal control mechanisms among illicit drug users.

Lessons from conducting trans-national Internet-mediated participatory research with hidden populations of cannabis cultivators.

BACKGROUND Internet-mediated research methods are increasingly used to access hidden populations. The International Cannabis Cultivation Questionnaire (ICCQ) is an online survey designed to facilitate international comparisons into the relatively under-researched but increasingly significant phenomenon of domestic cannabis cultivation. The Global Cannabis Cultivation Research Consortium has used the ICCQ to survey over 6000 cannabis cultivators across 11 countries. In this paper, we describe and reflect upon our methodological approach, focusing on the digital and traditional recruitment methods used to access this hidden population and the challenges of working across multiple countries, cultures and languages. METHODS Descriptive statistics showing eligibility and completion rates and recruitment source by country of residence. RESULTS Over three quarters of eligible respondents who were presented with the survey were included in the final sample of n=6528. English-speaking countries expended more effort to recruit participants than non-English-speaking countries. The most effective recruitment modes were cannabis websites/groups (33%), Facebook (14%) and news articles (11%). While respondents recruited through news articles were older, growing practice variables were strikingly similar between these main recruitment modes. CONCLUSION Through this process, we learnt that there are trade-offs between hosting multiple surveys in each country vs. using one integrated database. We also found that although perceived anonymity is routinely assumed to be a benefit of using digital research methodologies, there are significant limits to research participant anonymity in the current era of mass digital surveillance, especially when the target group is particularly concerned about evading law enforcement. Finally, we list a number of specific recommendations for future researchers utilising Internet-mediated approaches to researching hidden populations.

Growing medicine: Small-scale cannabis cultivation for medical purposes in six different countries

BACKGROUND The production and consumption of cannabis for the treatment of medical conditions is of increasing importance internationally; however, research on different aspects of the phenomenon is still scarce. In this article, we report findings from a cross-cultural study of small-scale cannabis cultivation for medical purposes. This kind of comparative study has not been done previously. METHODS The data were gathered with a help of web surveys conducted by the Global Cannabis Cultivation Research Consortium (GCCRC) in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany and the UK (N=5313). In the analysis we compare reports of medical motives, for what conditions cannabis is used, whether users have diagnoses for these conditions and whether the use of cannabis been recommended as a treatment of those conditions by a medical doctor. Descriptive statistics are used to show the main commonalities and noteworthy disparities across different countries. RESULTS Findings from countries were quite similar, even though several national differences in details were found. Growing cannabis for medical purposes was widespread. The majority of medical growers reported cultivating cannabis for serious conditions. Most of them did have a formal diagnosis. One fifth had got a recommendation from their doctor, but in most cases cannabis use was self-medication which was not discussed with their doctors. CONCLUSION There is a wider demand for licit access for medical cannabis than currently available in these countries. Ideologically, medical growers can be seen distancing themselves from both the legal and illicit drug markets. From a harm reduction perspective, it is worrying that, in the context of present health and control policies in these countries, many medical growers are using cannabis to treat serious medical conditions without proper medical advice and doctors guidance.

Understanding the science–policy nexus in Belgium: An analysis of the drug policy debate (1996–2003)

Aims: ‘Evidence-based policy’ proposes that policy makers should be informed by scientists, so that policy will reflect accurate factual knowledge rather than political biases. Unfortunately, the science–policy nexus is much more complicated, especially in a heavily politicized domain. This article aims to understand the complex relationship between policy and science in the drug field in a more meaningful manner. Methods: Using the Belgian drug policy debate (1996–2003) as a case study, we critically explore the role of (scientific) knowledge in this debate. The methodology consists of a discourse analysis of submissions, hearings and parliamentary/government reports. Findings: An examination of how scientific knowledge was used in policy documents has demonstrated rather strong utilization. However, utilization was often subordinate to the complexity of the policy-making process involving not only scientific knowledge but also interests, electoral ambitions, etc. Likewise, scientific knowledge was also shaped and distorted by conflicting values and interests. Conclusion: Consistent with the models of knowledge utilization, scientific knowledge has been just one element in the policy making process characterized above all by competing values and interests. The principle of ‘evidence-based’ policy clearly faces significant challenges and therefore becomes a delicate balancing act between ideal and reality.

The globalisation of cannabis cultivation: A growing challenge

Global patterns of cannabis cultivation have followed a fascinating development, from highly concentrated production in certain developing countries to decentralized production in almost every country around the world (UNODC, 2014). Historically, the spread of cannabis cultivation across the globe reflected the industrial utility of hemp; the widespread use of cannabis as a recreational drug did not appear until much later (Abel, 1980 and Booth, 2003). It is with the emergence of modern patterns of cannabis use in the developed world that we have seen major changes in patterns of cannabis production. As demand for cannabis increased globally, fuelled by the developments of the “counter-culture” of the 1960s and 1970s, so cultivation in the developing world began to take on new dimensions. Firstly, cultivation increased in many traditional growing regions as exportation to the consumer markets of the industrialized world became an attractive option. Secondly, in response to global demand, countries such as Morocco and Mexico became large-scale producers of cannabis and major suppliers to, respectively, European and American consumers, despite not having the traditions of cannabis cultivation found in Asia, the Middle-East or the Caribbean (Gooberman, 1974, UNODC, 2003, UNODC, 2005 and Moreno, 1997). A third phase in the evolution of cannabis production has been the increase in cultivation across the industrialised world. From Europe to the Americas and Oceania, import substitution in the cannabis market has been noticed in almost every developed country (UNODC, 2014 and Decorte et al., 2011). Although some small-scale cultivation probably has almost as long a history as cannabis use in the west, widespread small-scale cultivation and larger-scale commercial production only begins to appear towards the end of the twentieth century. In some countries the levels of domestic cultivation have reached the stage where self-sufficiency in cannabis markets has largely been attained (Leggett, 2006, Bouchard, 2008 and Jansen, 2002).

Assessing the harms of cannabis cultivation in Belgium

BACKGROUND Since the 1990s, a shift from the importation of foreign cannabis to domestic cultivation has taken place in Belgium, as it has in many other countries. This shift has prompted Belgian policy-making bodies to prioritize the repression of cannabis cultivation. Against this background, the article aims to systematically map and assess for the first time ever the harms associated with cannabis cultivation, covering the whole spectrum of growers. METHODS This study is based on a web survey primarily targeting small-scale growers (N=1293) and on three interconnected sets of qualitative data on large-scale growers and traffickers (34 closed criminal proceedings, interviews with 32 criminal justice experts, and with 17 large-scale cannabis growers and three traffickers). The study relied on Greenfield and Paolis (2013) harm assessment framework to identify the harms associated with cannabis cultivation and to assess the incidence, severity and causes of such harms. RESULTS Cannabis cultivation has become endemic in Belgium. Despite that, it generates, for Belgium, limited harms of medium-low or medium priority. Large-scale growers tend to produce more harms than the small-scale ones. Virtually all the harms associated with cannabis cultivation are the result of the current criminalizing policies. CONCLUSIONS Given the spread of cannabis cultivation and Belgiums position in Europe, reducing the supply of cannabis does not appear to be a realistic policy objective. Given the limited harms generated, there is scarce scientific justification to prioritize cannabis cultivation in Belgian law enforcement strategies. As most harms are generated by large-scale growers, it is this category of cultivator, if any, which should be the focus of law enforcement repression. Given the policy origin of most harms, policy-makers should seek to develop policies likely to reduce such harms. At the same time, further research is needed to comparatively assess the harms associated with cannabis cultivation (and trafficking) with those arising from use.

Cannabis cultivation and detection: A comparative study of Belgium, Finland and Denmark

Research on cannabis cultivation has identified several factors associated with a growers likelihood of detection by law enforcement. However, these studies are difficult to compare, as they drew from different data sources and methods, and have focused on only one geographical location. This article revisits the issue of detection using a large sample of cannabis cultivators recruited in three countries: Belgium (n = 659), Denmark (n = 560) and Finland (n = 1296). Respondents were recruited in the context of a self-reported online survey conducted successively in each country between 2006 and 2008. Multivariate analyses suggest several country-specific similarities and differences. Importantly, the Finnish growers reported being arrested significantly more often than Belgians or Danes. The probability that Finnish growers would be arrested increased with time spent on growing, the size of the cultivation site and when respondents did not work alone. In Denmark, the risks increased with the size of the cultivation-related network, but decreased when respondents started growing later in life. In Belgium, no cultivation-related characteristics were associated with detection. The results indicate that the risks of apprehension for cannabis cultivation are typically country-specific. These findings are discussed in the context of country-specific policies in regards to cannabis.

Studying ethnicity, problem substance use and treatment: From epidemiology to social change

Abstract In this paper, we elaborate on the premises of studying problem substance use and treatment disparities among migrants and ethnic minorities. Due to the growing medicalisation of research on problem substance use and disparities in this group, policy makers, health researchers and practitioners often feel compelled to rely on epidemiological studies when grounding and understanding the link between ethnicity, problem substance use and treatment disparities. We argue that the bulk of epidemiological research suffers from crucial methodological and conceptual flaws that necessitate a reconsideration of their usefulness in policy and treatment practice. First, epidemiological research is based on static concepts of ethnicity and race as primordial analytical categories. Second, and as a consequence of the first argument, such research rarely distinguishes sufficiently between ethnic and non-ethnic determinants and mechanisms influencing problem substance use and treatment disparities. And third, these studies often depart from methodological individualism and subordinate contextual and structural determinants and mechanisms. This paper aims to re-evaluate (the factors and mechanisms mediating) the relationship between ethnicity, the nature of problem substance use, and treatment disparities, and to overcome some of the gaps in existing research methods mentioned above. More specifically, this implies (1) a critical revision of the ethnicity concept in epidemiology, (2) the inclusion of non-ethnic determinants and mechanisms by means of applying intersectional analysis and ethnic boundary making perspectives, (3) the broadening of methodological individualism in order to include all levels (from micro to macro) and loci (individual, community, society) of research in holistic research designs. Such “doubled research” allows researchers to analyse and have an impact on treatment disparities among migrants and ethnic minorities.

Antwerp Drugs and Alcohol Monitor: a Belgian local drug scene in the picture.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS Qualitative data on local drug scenes in Belgium are scarce. As information on them remains limited to the official registration systems, the needs of a number of drug users are not taken into account. From a social scientific and policy point of view, there is a need for information on the experiences and the patterns of drug use. In this study, we have developed and tested a drugs and alcohol monitor for the city of Antwerp. DESIGN AND METHODS The Antwerp Drugs and Alcohol Monitor (ADAM) combines three qualitative methods: (i) in-depth interviews with 39 key informants; (ii) ethnographic fieldwork by four community fieldworkers; and (iii) ethnographic fieldwork by the researcher. This methodology is based on an analysis of national and international literature on drug-monitoring systems. RESULTS This paper presents an overview of the results of a pilot study in the city of Antwerp. The ADAM produces a detailed picture of the local drug issues (nature and extent of use, drug markets, quality of life, etc.) and thus offers the understanding that is required for a well-founded local drug policy. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Provided that repeated measurements are made, a local drug monitor can inform policymakers, treatment experts, etc. on developments and phenomena concerning drug use. However, the ADAM is a qualitative drug-monitoring system, and it must be emphasised that a combined monitor is more efficient. Indeed, a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods enhances the reliability of the results.