Når ungdom ruser seg

Abstract

Traditionally, the use of cannabis has been associated with more deviance and psychosocial problems than the use of alcohol among adolescents in Norway. Drawing on national survey data, we present trends in the use of both substances since the early nineties and ask: Are cannabis users still characterized by more psychosocial problems compared to those who only drink alcohol? Moreover, how do young people evaluate the health harms associated with alcohol and cannabis use? We show that the use of alcohol declined rapidly after the turn of the millennium, while the use of cannabis currently seems to be on the rise. Immigration from non-European countries is associated with the reduction in alcohol use. However, adolescents with backgrounds from certain countries, particularly in the Middle East, combine alcohol abstinence with the use of cannabis. Overall, the cannabis users are more frequently involved in rule-breaking behaviour and have poorer mental health compared to those who only drink alcohol, although they are quite similar to alcohol users in terms of relations to friends, peers and school. We also find that the youngest adolescents rate cannabis as much more harmful than alcohol. However, by the age of 17–18, boys rate alcohol as slightly more harmful than cannabis. Finally, we discuss these findings in relation to the increasing digitalisation of young people’s lives.