Smoke and Mirrors: Exploring Stigma in the Cannabis Industry

Author

Robert G. Fiedler, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

5-1-2024

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Communication Studies

First Advisor

Auxier, Randall

Abstract

This dissertation explores cannabis industry workers’ experiences of stigmatization. I conducted 23 interviews over a period of seven months with people who had been or were currently employed in the state-legal cannabis industry. I thematically analyzed and organized participant responses around significant moments of concept formation and understanding about cannabis. Participants shared first-time stories which served as initial encounters with either cannabis itself or the stigmatizing attitudes that sometimes surrounded it. There were discussions of how friends, family, and adults in general talked about cannabis and the impact that talk had on participants’ own attitudes toward cannabis. Perhaps most importantly, participants shared and described strategies for managing cannabis industry stigma. The interviews are presented within the context of an account of the contemporary social environment surrounding cannabis. The result of a long and political history rife with larger-than-life real world and fictional characters alike, much of our understanding of cannabis is influenced by the way it has been treated over the past century. As our collective discussion about the legitimacy of drug prohibition gains momentum, there is a growing need to consider the unintended social and material consequences that may beset those who would consider deriving their livelihood from these developing industries. Industry regulators, state representatives, company owners, and the industry as a whole must make efforts to support the needs of the growing workforce and reduce barriers to entry.