Control Attitudes and Perceptions of Drug use: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Control attitudes represent opinions about the formal or informal control of a behavior by society. This study investigates control attitudes toward drug use based on data from semistructured in-depth interviews. The analysis shows that control attitudes toward drug use consist of a normative component (philosophical principles) and a perceptive component (perceptions of harm and perceptions of immorality). In particular, control attitudes are shaped by combinations of (1) libertarian principles and perceptions of harm to others, (2) paternalistic principles and perceptions of self-harm, and (3) moralistic principles and perceptions of immorality. The implications of the results in the study of normative culture are discussed.