Johnstad Petter Grahl
University of Bergen, Rosenbergsgate 39, 5020, Bergen, Norway.
J Cannabis Res. 2020 Sep 22;2(1):30. doi: 10.1186/s42238-020-00032-2.
While cannabis has a long history of spiritual use, its normalization in Western societies during the last decades has led to more recreational use. This study aimed to explore the characteristics of spiritual cannabis use as compared to recreational use and to the use of psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin.
The study employed a mixed methods research design that involved both qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey. Participants in interviews (N = 29) were recruited at various online fora for individual interviews via private messaging, and were queried in depth about their use of entheogens such as psilocybin, LSD, and DMT in spiritual contexts. The Cannabis and Psychedelics User Survey (CPUS) was constructed on the basis of the reports from these interviews, and recruited 319 participants (median age 33; 81% male) from seven different online communities. The online survey consisted of three main sections, with the first asking about demographics, personality, current and past affiliation to spiritual or religious traditions, and non-psychedelic drug use, and the second and third sections containing questions about motivations for, experience with, and consequences of cannabis and psychedelics use. The main statistical analyses used were multivariate linear and logistic regression analysis, which identified the effect from having a spiritual motivation for cannabis use on various aspects of the cannabis experience while controlling for a range of demographic, personality, and drug use variables.
Respondents differentiated clearly between the use of psychedelics and cannabis. Their use of the psychedelic drug they chose for the survey was restricted to a median of 1-10 use occasions per year, and 69% of participants endorsed having a spiritual motivation for use. Cannabis, on the other hand, was used a median of 51-100 times per year, and 25% of participants endorsed having a spiritual motivation for use. This minority of spiritual cannabis users differed significantly from non-spiritual users in how they approached cannabis use and in the type of experiences their use gave rise to. In multivariate logistic regression models, spiritual motivation was a significant predictor (p < .05) of experiences of insight, connectedness, joy, love, and unity with transcendent forces.
The study found evidence of a group of spiritual cannabis users who tended to regard cannabis as an entheogen. These spiritual cannabis users had a different mode of engagement with cannabis than recreational users, and reported cannabis experiences that in some aspects resembled experiences with psychedelics. Recent research has not given much attention to spiritual aspects of cannabis use, but the study indicates that spiritually motivated use remains prevalent and deserves further study.
尽管大麻在精神层面的使用历史悠久，但在过去几十年里，其在西方社会的常态化导致了更多的娱乐性使用。本研究旨在探讨精神层面使用大麻与娱乐性使用大麻以及与使用诸如麦角酸二乙酰胺（LSD）和裸盖菇素等致幻剂相比的特征。
本研究采用混合方法研究设计，包括定性访谈和定量调查。访谈参与者（N = 29）通过私信在各种在线论坛招募，进行个人访谈，并深入询问他们在精神层面使用诸如裸盖菇素、LSD和二甲基色胺（DMT）等致幻剂的情况。基于这些访谈的报告构建了大麻和致幻剂用户调查（CPUS），并从七个不同的在线社区招募了319名参与者（中位年龄33岁；81%为男性）。在线调查包括三个主要部分，第一部分询问人口统计学、个性、当前和过去与精神或宗教传统的关联以及非致幻药物使用情况，第二和第三部分包含有关大麻和致幻剂使用的动机、体验及后果的问题。主要的统计分析方法是多元线性和逻辑回归分析，在控制一系列人口统计学、个性和药物使用变量的同时，确定大麻使用的精神动机对大麻体验各个方面的影响。
受访者明确区分了致幻剂和大麻的使用。他们选择用于调查的致幻药物的使用频率中位数为每年1 - 10次，69%的参与者认可使用有致幻剂精神动机。另一方面，大麻的使用频率中位数为每年51 - 100次，25%的参与者认可使用有精神动机。这一小部分精神层面使用大麻的人与非精神层面使用者在使用大麻的方式以及使用所产生的体验类型上存在显著差异。在多元逻辑回归模型中，精神动机是洞察力、联系感、喜悦、爱以及与超自然力量合一体验的显著预测因素（p < 0.05）。
该研究发现了一群倾向于将大麻视为致幻剂的精神层面使用大麻的人。这些精神层面使用大麻的人与娱乐性使用者在使用大麻的方式上有所不同，并报告了在某些方面类似于致幻剂体验的大麻体验。近期研究对大麻使用的精神层面关注不多，但该研究表明，精神层面的使用仍然普遍，值得进一步研究。
