The Marijuana Movement : Om attityder kring cannabisdebatten i svensk media

The Swedish debate concerning cannabis legalisation is characterised by a largley politically widespread concensus regarding a zero tolerance policy. In the last five years several countries and states in the US have legalised or moved towards a legalisation of cannabis. This essay aims to map if the international debate along with Swedish activists have made an imprint on the debate in regard to a change in attitude towards cannabis in Swedish newspapers from 2010 to 2015. A quantative text analysis was adopted to complete this task, with four main variables at its basis. The results were inconclusive, but there might be a slight change during the period 2013 to 2015 in regard to how cannabis is referred to in the media. The results were discussed from a paternalistic and liberal point of view. Further studies are needed during a longer period of time for the results to be conclusive.