Date of Award

2010

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Edith Cowan University

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts Honours

School

School of Psychology and Social Sciences

Faculty

Faculty of Computing, Health and Science

First Supervisor

Dr David Ryder

Abstract

This paper investigated the predictive relationship between individuals' career aspirations, dispositional variables such as temperance mentality and need for closure, and recent cannabis use, and attitudes towards the Cannabis Infringement Notice (CIN) scheme in Western Australia; and also examined if differences in attitudes towards CIN scheme existed between different career aspiration groups. The CIN scheme, a harm reduction strategy, came into effect on 22 March 2004 (Lenton, 2004). Harm reduction is one of three strategies encompassed by the policy of harm minimisation, which underpins Australia's approach to drugs and drug related harm (Ryder, Walker, & Salmon, 2006). Studies investigating attitudes towards harm minimisation have been conducted in Australia and internationally (e.g. Goddard and colleagues, 2002, 2003; Quick, 2007) and found that harm minimisation education was a key factor in changing people's attitudes towards harm minimisation strategies. It was unknown if individuals' choice of career could also influence these attitudes. A total of 350 students from Edith Cowan University participated in this study. After data screening, a usable sample (n = 198) was retained for analysis. A multiple regression analysis indicated that temperance mentality and recent cannabis use were significant predictors of attitudes towards the CIN scheme. At-test was conducted to investigate differences between career choice on attitudes towards the CIN scheme mean scores; no significant difference was found in this particular sample. The mean scores for attitudes towards the CIN scheme clustered around the neutral mark, indicating that the participants were either ignorant of, or ambivalent towards, the CIN scheme. Future studies among the wider Western Australian community are wan-anted, and may be beneficial in relation to determining what interventions might produce more favourable attitudes towards harm minimisation strategies in general.

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