Caught red-eyed and red-handed: an exploration of cannabis use and criminal offending

Cannabis is the most frequently used illicit drug by adolescents and adults across the world. Individuals involved in crime have been found to initiate and progress to regular use at an earlier age and use larger amounts, more frequently than the general community. Early, heavy use of cannabis and frequent involvement in crime during adolescence is commonly associated with a range of negative health and social outcomes later in life. The nature of the relationship between cannabis use and crime, however, remains contested. This thesis aimed to explore the initial and on-going association between cannabis use and criminal offending, focusing on the contributions of age and a range of social and environmental factors. This thesis reports on the findings of three studies using differing methodologies and data sources.Study 1 examined data collected from the Drug Use Monitoring Australia program to compare drug use, offending and the predictors of recent criminal charges among police detainees by age and drug-user group. Younger participants were more likely to have recently used cannabis, initiated at a younger age and to have recently received more criminal charges. A mental health diagnosis was a significant predictor of recent charges among detainees whose past year illicit drug use was limited to cannabis-only.The second study examined whether the temporal order of onset of cannabis use and criminal offending could differentiate between the social, motivation and environmental contributors to initiation and on-going cannabis use and crime among young offenders. Although temporal order was not distinguished by factors contributing to drug use or crime initiation, using cannabis prior to involvement in crime was found to influence the speed of progression from first to regular offending.The final study used a qualitative approach to gather in-depth explanations and experiences of young people regarding contributors to initiation, on-going involvement and cessation of cannabis use and criminal offending. The immediate social environment was found to play a strong role in the initiation, acceptance and normalisation of cannabis use and offending.Findings of these studies will prove useful in the development of targeted intervention programs, particularly among individuals whose immediate social environment place them at increased risk for early involvement in cannabis use and crime