Decriminalization by default: The social construction of cannabis harm and policy in Canada.

Abstract

I explore the historical antecedents of contextual constructionism--the theoretical structure employed in this essay--which is rooted in the development of symbolic interactionism and labelling theory. I also devote attention to an overview of selected interactionist, labelling, conflict, and contextual constructionist accounts of the 'illicit drug' issue. I illustrate how early interactionist and more recent contextual constructionist studies have demonstrated that claims-making against 'illicit drugs' are typically based on soft or non-existent evidence, and that such claims-makers have engaged in moral crusades against 'illicit drugs', not to address 'objective' harmful conditions, but rather for bureaucratic interests and to promote certain moral positions. I examine the methodological approach used by Goldhagen (1996) in his provocative account of the causes underlying the nature and magnitude of the Holocaust. This quasi-constructionist analysis clearly exemplifies the power of symbolic communication in the social construction of definitions of problematic conditions and the development of intervention strategies. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)