“Now I like to know what I smoke”—differentiated cannabis normalization in Polish online discussions

This research is supported by the Polish National Science Centre (NCN) grant 2021/43/B/HS6/00710.

Background. This study explores how cannabis has been accommodated over the last 18 years in the social world of an online forum in Poland. It considers users who operate in the context of unhurried normalization and restrictive policy that has barely changed over the last two decades. Simultaneously, these users refer to global cannabis cultures and follow progressive policy developments worldwide. Methods. Cannabis-related threads were scrapped from the biggest Polish forum, posted in the years 2006–2023, and divided into three periods marked by minor relaxation of the punitive law in 2011 and the introduction of medical cannabis in 2019. The threads were thematically analyzed to track changes in the perceived access to cannabis and shifts in the reasons users praise it. Results. The shifts indicate the interaction of the normalization processes on both sides of the cannabis social world in Poland: among users and in society. The praise becomes less unconditional, and nuanced goals, or reflexivity of use emerges. Conclusion We have recognized a consensus among forum users that there are problems associated with use. Instead of harm being neutralized as it used to be when stigmatization mattered more, it is now discussed among users who are becoming better informed, reflexive, and likely to engage with bottom-up harm reduction efforts.