In 2024, Germany, Austria’s largest neighboring country, changed its approach to cannabis consumers through partial legalization. This study aims to shed light on the perspective of addiction counseling in Upper Austria on the topic of cannabis legalization, thereby providing a scientific basis for future political discussions that also include the viewpoints of social work professionals. To this end, qualitative interviews were conducted with social workers in addiction counseling in Upper Austria, analyzed and connected to relevant literature and media reports. The following research question was developed: What is the stance of addiction counseling in Upper Austria on the legalization of cannabis for recreational purposes? An additional interest of this study is to assess the expected impacts of cannabis legalization from the perspective of addiction counseling, both on society and on the work of addiction counseling. The research results suggest that while addiction counseling in Upper Austria has significant expertise regarding cannabis consumption, it does not clearly advocate for or against legalization, as it does not want to burn its fingers on this political issue and perceives it as a marginal topic in societal terms. However, several factors were identified that should be considered in the course of a political debate on legalization in Austria. Special attention is needed for youth protection, which is characterized by the problem that adolescents represent the group with the highest consumption risk and at the same time the most risky consumption behavior. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the consumption of highly health-endangering synthetic cannabinoids (herbal mixtures), which are repeatedly temporarily available legally or are sometimes unknowingly consumed in the form of adulterated cannabis. Given the assumption that adolescents, due to their minority, would be excluded from accessing legal and state-quality-checked cannabis even in the event of legalization, a broadly conceived prevention strategy is required according to the study participants.
Date of Award | Sept 2024 |
---|
Original language | German (Austria) |
---|
Supervisor | Matthias Morgenstern (Supervisor) |
---|
Cannabis-Legalisierung im Kontext der oberösterreichischen Suchtberatung
Köglberger, J. (Author). Sept 2024
Student thesis: Master's Thesis