Final published version
Licence: CC BY: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Global patterns in small-scale cannabis growers’ distribution practices
T2 - Exploring the grower-distributor nexus
AU - Sogaard, Thomas Friis
AU - Brummer, J.E.
AU - Wilkins, Chris
AU - Sznitman, Sharon
AU - Sevigny, Eric
AU - Frank, Vibeke Asmussen
AU - Potter, Gary
AU - Hakkarainen, Pekka
AU - Barratt, Monica
AU - Werse, Bernd
AU - Grigg, Jodie
AU - Fortin, Davide
AU - Bear, Daniel
AU - Lenton, Simon
AU - Jauffret-Roustide, Marie
AU - Kirtadze, Irma
PY - 2024/6/3
Y1 - 2024/6/3
N2 - BackgroundWhile the supply of cannabis is commonly assumed to be dominated by criminal gangs, a sizable share of the domestic cannabis supply is provided by small-scale growers. This article examines the nature and scope of small-scale growers’ distribution practices, with a particular focus on cross-country differences and variations between different types of grower-distributors, i.e., “non-suppliers”, “exclusive social suppliers”, “sharers and sellers” and “exclusive sellers”.MethodsBased on a large convenience web survey sample of predominantly small-scale cannabis growers from 18 countries, this article draws on data from two subsamples. The first subsample includes past-year growers in all 18 countries who answered questions regarding their market participation (n = 8,812). The second subsample includes past-year growers in 13 countries, who answered additional questions about their supply practices (n = 2,296).ResultsThe majority of the cannabis growers engaged in distribution of surplus products, making them in effect “grower-distributors”. Importantly, many did so as a secondary consequence of growing, and social supply (e.g., sharing and gifting) is much more common than selling. While growers who both shared and sold (“sharers and sellers”), and especially those who only sold (“exclusive sellers”), grew a higher number of plants and were most likely to grow due to a wish to sell for profits, the majority of these are best described as small-scale sellers. That is, the profit motive for growing was often secondary to non-financial motives and most sold to a limited number of persons in their close social network.ConclusionWe discuss the implications of the findings on the structural process of import-substitution in low-end cannabis markets, including a growing normalization of cannabis supply.
AB - BackgroundWhile the supply of cannabis is commonly assumed to be dominated by criminal gangs, a sizable share of the domestic cannabis supply is provided by small-scale growers. This article examines the nature and scope of small-scale growers’ distribution practices, with a particular focus on cross-country differences and variations between different types of grower-distributors, i.e., “non-suppliers”, “exclusive social suppliers”, “sharers and sellers” and “exclusive sellers”.MethodsBased on a large convenience web survey sample of predominantly small-scale cannabis growers from 18 countries, this article draws on data from two subsamples. The first subsample includes past-year growers in all 18 countries who answered questions regarding their market participation (n = 8,812). The second subsample includes past-year growers in 13 countries, who answered additional questions about their supply practices (n = 2,296).ResultsThe majority of the cannabis growers engaged in distribution of surplus products, making them in effect “grower-distributors”. Importantly, many did so as a secondary consequence of growing, and social supply (e.g., sharing and gifting) is much more common than selling. While growers who both shared and sold (“sharers and sellers”), and especially those who only sold (“exclusive sellers”), grew a higher number of plants and were most likely to grow due to a wish to sell for profits, the majority of these are best described as small-scale sellers. That is, the profit motive for growing was often secondary to non-financial motives and most sold to a limited number of persons in their close social network.ConclusionWe discuss the implications of the findings on the structural process of import-substitution in low-end cannabis markets, including a growing normalization of cannabis supply.
U2 - 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104463
DO - 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104463
M3 - Journal article
JO - International Journal of Drug Policy
JF - International Journal of Drug Policy
SN - 0955-3959
ER -