One of the reasons I have this blog is so that there is more information available about cannabis use in the general population. There is a lot of literature out there around the misuse and abuse of cannabis and recently I started wondering what motivates the average cannabis user i.e. a person who uses the plant (for recreational purposes or medicinally) without it interfering in their lives. There are so many areas that are rich with potential for investigation so I settled on one near and dear to my heart (given that I’m a queer, neurodivergent, person of color): marginalized populations.
Neurodiverse and other marginalized folk exist in a world that claims to value open communication unless the message is: said in a certain tone, said using certain words, said using a certain volume, said withing a certain amount of time. These are things everyone can struggle with from time to time but when you come from a marginalized population you are scrutinized because one false move and you are officially “a disgrace” and more likely than not, it is based on an unconscious bias that paints people in marginalized groups as “other” and “bad.” Marginalized folks are constantly asked to fit into a society that deems us “too much” if we talk about/engage in our passions, express ourselves too enthusiastically or authentically (i.e. without tact though there is no malicious intent), or use our unique skills honed from hyperfocus on a sport or topic. We are also called “not enough” because of the unique challenges we face trying to merely exist in a world that is (for a lot of us) a constant assault on our sense of self. We are told we think too slow or too fast yet we are praised when we have a unique solution to a problem no one else thought of. We have difficulties with communication and social interactions due to our different way of thinking. Our way of thinking is different because when you are marginalized your whole life is about trying to fit in and stay safe so you have a whole different perspective on how to function in the world.
I began to wonder if people who don’t have to worry so much about their place in this world had different reasons for consuming cannabis. Most people in my social circle are marginalized in some way so I know my perspectives can be biased. I decided to create a brief survey asking people to state in their own words, what effect cannabis has had on their lives. I posted the survey on a few online forums and received 124 responses.Two of the respondents did not use cannabis while the majority (105 people or 84.7%) used cannabis despite the legal status of cannabis in their hometown.
I decided to focus on the responses of Neurodiverse respondents (78 people or 62.9%) versus those of neurotypical respondents. (46 people or 37.1% ). I gathered information about age,gender,and sexual orientation as well. There were a lot of comments about pain relief in addition to emotional and mental health benefits. One thing that really stood out to me was on the comments that had to do with cannabis negatively affecting a persons life. There were 7 negative comments from neurodiverse folk and 6 from neurotypical people and though both mentioned lack of motivation it was the neurotypical people that felt this most often, with half of the comments citing this as a negative of cannabis use. I’m not quite sure what to make of that particular finding, I just thought it was interesting. What I found more fascinating was the difference in quality of responses to the question “What effect has cannabis had on your life?”
In general, there was a lot of overlap in the reasons that neurotypical and neurodiverse people use cannabis with the top four being : recreation, to increase positive feelings, reduce anxiety, and as a sleep aid. I am not surprised since the world is kind of falling apart, but that’s a blog for another time. Neurodiverse people seemed to be more introspective about their use and what the plant means in the context of their lives whereas the majority of neurotypical responses seemed to indicate cannabis was more of an incidental stress reliever. This is not to say all neurotypical people do not suffer severe stress, it seems like their perspective on it (and its weight in their lives) is lot more relaxed than it is for neurodiverse.
Example:
ND response:
“Helped me to step away from my own brain when I couldn’t manage it myself. Helps me relax, be less affected by sensory issues”
similar NT response:
‘It’s my little escape when the world gets to be too much”
The simplicity with which neurotypical responses were expressed makes me think there is less analysis on their motivations for cannabis use. This made me think about the stereotype of the “typical stoner” and the uselessness it embodies. The image IS based on non-marginalized people (white, straight,neurotypical and able bodied), afterall. Of course, it is much safer to be “out” as a cannabis user when you are protected by virtue of being in a non-marginalized group. Now that cannabis is legal or decriminalized in a lot of places I would hope more the cannabis community would work to increase the positive image of cannabis users. This might mean that more marginalized people come out to tell their stories and show the world, by thriving, that cannabis use does not make you a bad person the same way being part of a marginalized population does not make you a bad person.
If you would like to see a sample of both positive and negative responses from the survey you may do so here: CUAMP comments.
Cannabis and Mental Health 