Abstract

GARNER, Emily. A phenomenology of marijuana use among graduate students. Indo-Pac. j. phenomenol. (Online) [online]. 2016, vol.16, n.1, pp.1-17. ISSN 1445-7377.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20797222.2016.1164997.

Guided by a hermeneutic-phenomenological methodology, this study focused on gaining an in-depth understanding of the use of marijuana by graduate students, a population which does not fit the usual profile of marijuana users addressed in the field literature, by exploring the experience of being a graduate student who uses marijuana. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with seven marijuana users attending a graduate programme of study, with elaboration and clarification of their initial description of their respective experiences dialogically prompted by means of open-ended questions. Five interrelated themes emerged from the analysis of the transcribed interviews, with the central finding indicating that the experience of being a graduate student who uses marijuana involves a process of ongoing negotiation between, on the one hand, messages from society and academia, and, on the other, an inner sense of self and well-being.

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