Drugs : the perspectives of university students towards drugs and their use

Abstract

Although policy-makers have attempted several measures to regulate drug use through anti-drug campaigns and at times even adopting harsher sentences in relation to trafficking drugs, the war on drugs is very much still present in many countries. In recent years, Malta has severed its conservative approach and moved towards a more liberalistic one. Through the Drug Dependence (Treatment Not Imprisonment) Act (CAP. 537), a more lenient and humanistic approach was adopted, however, a change of policy does not necessarily mean a change of heart. The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how University students perceived drugs and their use. Albeit, not being the main scope of the research, attention was also given to the effects of normalisation within the chosen sample. The research approach adopted was a quantitative one and was conducted through the use of questionnaire. Questionnaires were administered to all University students over the age of 18, after ensuring that several ethical consideration were adhered to. Results have shown that three of every ten students have made ‘lifetime’ use of drugs, with cannabis almost always being identified as the onset drug. Use of drugs other than cannabis remains unpopular, at least amongst the sample. Gender was not found to be a determining factor in ‘lifetime’ drug use. Abstainers expressed a more negative perspective towards drugs than their ‘lifetime’ counterparts. In midst of all this, cannabis was not as negatively viewed, however, only a minority of respondents claimed that its use should become legalised.