“Do You Need Someone to Share With?”: Exchange and Demand Sharing in Social Cannabis Supply

Abstract

Social supply plays a key role in bottom level cannabis markets. In outlining how social supply of cannabis differs from commercial market exchange, existing studies have argued that social supply is typically driven by two cultural logics: reciprocal gift-giving and sharing. Importantly, researchers have depicted sharing as a sub-version of a more generalized pattern of reciprocation and/or described sharing as a type of transfer that is motivated by altruism on the part of the giver. However, in this article, we argue that if we are to develop a more nuanced understanding of the sharing aspects of social supply, we need a more refined understanding of sharing. Based on interviews with 38 young cannabis users from Denmark, this article draws on recent anthropological theories of sharing and the concept of “demand sharing” in demonstrating how social cannabis supply is driven both by reciprocal logics, but also by hitherto overlooked sharing logics that cannot easily be captured by the categories reciprocity or altruism. More specifically, we analyze the important role played by receivers in facilitating sharing processes. We outline how diverse “receiver demands” are often the precondition for creating the social pressure that leads those who have, to allow others to take. In this way, this article contributes to a more detailed understanding of the complex transfer processes fueling social supply of illicit drugs.

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“…First, around others, people may use more in quantity than they otherwise would, which has also been reported with alcohol [ 46 ]. In social settings, people may be more likely to use cannabis with variable potency or other quality information [ 44 , 47 ]. Additionally, as with other substances people may also become more aware of how high they are when interacting with other people.…”

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“…sharing versus used on their own from 0 to 10). This question was included as the shared experience of cannabis use is important: cannabis‐sharing through social networks is an integral part of cannabis culture [11]. Therefore, the amount of cannabis added to a method of administration does not necessarily equal the amount of cannabis used by the participant, as they might have shared this method with other people.…”

“…Previous studies using the TLFB to measure cannabis use have included measures of frequency of use and quantity of cannabis use as number of joints consumed [7][8][9] or grams of cannabis consumed [5,10]. However, these studies do not account for variation in the amount of cannabis added to a joint and whether the joint is shared with others, as is commonly used by people who use cannabis [11]. In addition, they have not captured variation in the method of cannabis use (e.g.…”