Inhaling thick smoke: cannabis subculture, community forming and socio-structural challenges in Nigeria

Ugwu, Ugochukwu T.; Dumbili, Emeka W.

doi:10.1080/09687637.2021.2004998

Cited by 3 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…Researches abound that drug use does not only shapes gendered identities but also is constitutive of gender (Hunt et al, 2016;Hunt and Antin, 2019;Dahl and Sandberg, 2015). Studies have also shown that there are gendered dimensions to cannabis use and stigmatization (Nelson, 2021a, b;Ugwu and Dumbili, 2022). Furthermore, reports show unparalleled perception of the gender categories with regards to drug use, control and stigmatization.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To evade this friction, they turn to tramadol. They do this to evade the structural and social challenges (Ugwu and Dumbili, 2022) associated with drug use.…”

Section: Frictions Of Drug Use: a Rational Choice Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The researcher has lived for many years in this city. Nigeria is a multi-ethnic, cultural and religious country with three major ethnic groups (Hausa/Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba) and over 200 minor ethnic groups (Ugwu and Dumbili, 2022). Awka, is in South-Eastern Nigeria with an estimated population of 337,618 people (National Bureau of Statistics, 2011).…”

Section: Area Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Awka, is in South-Eastern Nigeria with an estimated population of 337,618 people (National Bureau of Statistics, 2011). It is a cosmopolitan city located on a major highway connecting two other cities, and it hosts both government and private institutions and businesses (Ugwu and Dumbili, 2022).…”

Section: Area Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cannabis swap: gender and tramadol use among Nigerian university students

Ugwu

2023

JHASS

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PurposeCannabis as a recreational drug is prohibited in Nigeria. Consequently, the open use of cannabis attracts both formal and informal sanctions. As such, there is much stigma on users' faces across social spaces. This has led to innovations in drug use. Recently, non-medical use of tramadol has been rising across each of the gender categories. This study aims to understand (1) tramadol use prompts, (2) the sudden surge in gendered recreational use of tramadol and (3) the gendered challenges of recreational tramadol use among Nigerian university students.Design/methodology/approachData were collected between December 2021 and October 2022. The researcher conducted 20 semi-structured interviews, with participants chosen purposefully from acquaintances and others selected through chain referral. The selection criteria included knowledge of a particular tramadol tablet and willingness to participate. This study got ethical approval from the Anambra State Ministry of Health (Ref: MH/AWK/M/321/354) and oral consent was obtained before the interviews. The participants were assured of confidentiality. The interviews were conducted in English (the formal Nigerian language) and lasted between 30 and 65 min. The data collected were transcribed and coded manually, and themes generated.FindingsFindings suggest that peer pressures accounted for entry-level drug use. However, cannabis-related stigma is attributed to the surge in tramadol use across gender categories. Furthermore, academic pressure and sexuality are major reasons for tramadol use. The challenges associated with tramadol use include headaches and addiction.Originality/valueThis study, to the best of the author’s knowledge, presents alternative data on the surge in tramadol use among Nigerian university students.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To evade this friction, they turn to tramadol. They do this to evade the structural and social challenges (Ugwu and Dumbili, 2022) associated with drug use.…”

Section: Frictions Of Drug Use: a Rational Choice Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Area Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Area Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cannabis swap: gender and tramadol use among Nigerian university students

Ugwu

2023

JHASS

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“…On the other hand, studies have documented perceptions of drug selling and use as criminal and anti-social activities (Dirisu et al, 2019; Ugwu & Dumbili, 2021). Stigma and negative attitudes to illegal drug use have a long history in Nigeria, and are rooted in public anxieties about drug-related crime, violence and social deviance (Klein, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Retail Drug Trade, Effects on Neighbourhoods, and Sellers’ Navigational Strategies: Accounts of Nigerian Dealers

Nelson

Onayemi

2023

Journal of Drug Issues

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Studies have examined the negative effects of drug markets on neighbourhoods. But few explore the views of drug sellers. Drawing on 31 in-depth interviews with Nigerian retail drug sellers, we explore why they sell drugs, the effects of drug markets on neighbourhoods, and how they navigate social and legal problems. The participants sold drugs as a means of livelihood in the context of poverty and economic decline. Drug market activities were seen as nuisance, and as fostering crime and violence in neighbourhoods. These views stirred opposition from residents and led to police raids on drug scenes. Drug sellers navigated policing and opposition by concealing drug trade, selling covertly and reducing nuisance among other strategies. We argue that retail drug trade is shaped by the imperatives of survival in the context of poverty. Providing alternative means of livelihood for drug sellers offers potential to curb drug selling and related problems.

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Transcultural Aspects of Cannabis Use: a Descriptive Overview of Cannabis Use across Cultures

et al. 2023

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Purpose of Review This narrative review summarises cultural aspects of cannabis use across different (sub)cultures, nations, and gender, racial, and ethnic groups. Specifically, we aimed to overview historical and traditional contexts of cannabis use and physical and mental health-related correlates, as well as emerging cannabis-related policies and their impacts on medicinal and recreational use of cannabis. In addition, we discuss how cultural factors may affect cannabis use behaviours and sociocultural underpinnings of cannabis use disorder trajectories. Recent Findings Cannabis is the most widely cultivated, trafficked, and used illicit drug worldwide, although cannabis is being legalised in many jurisdictions. More than 4% of individuals globally have used cannabis in the last year. Being traditionally used for religious and ritualistic purposes, today cannabis use is interwoven with, and influenced by, social, legal, economic, and cultural environments which often differ across countries and cultures. Notably, empirical data on distinct aspects of cannabis use are lacking in selected underrepresented countries, geographical regions, and minority groups. Summary Emerging global policies and legislative frameworks related to cannabis use have impacted the prevalence and attitudes toward cannabis in different subcultures, but not all in the same way. Therefore, it remains to be elucidated how and why distinct cultures differ in terms of cannabis use. In order to understand complex and bidirectional relationships between cannabis use and cultures, we recommend the use of cross-cultural frameworks for the study of cannabis use and its consequences and to inform vulnerable people, clinical practitioners, and legislators from different world regions.

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Inhaling thick smoke: cannabis subculture, community forming and socio-structural challenges in Nigeria

Cited by 3 publications

References 59 publications

Cannabis swap: gender and tramadol use among Nigerian university students

Cannabis swap: gender and tramadol use among Nigerian university students

Retail Drug Trade, Effects on Neighbourhoods, and Sellers’ Navigational Strategies: Accounts of Nigerian Dealers

Transcultural Aspects of Cannabis Use: a Descriptive Overview of Cannabis Use across Cultures

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