Focus groups with 33 participants in rural South Africa identified 11 contextual factors across four socio-ecological levels that sustained adolescent involvement in illicit marijuana cultivation and trading.
Public health policy makers, substance abuse prevention researchers, and anyone interested in the socioeconomic context of cannabis cultivation in developing countries.
11 contextual factors across 4 socio-ecological levels
What the researchers found
Factors driving adolescent marijuana farming and trading spanned four levels: intrapersonal (knowledge/skills, courage), interpersonal (peer and family influences), communal (economic reasons, early childhood exposure, protecting family lands, favorable topography and soil), and policy-related (lack of communal bylaws, lax law enforcement).
Why it matters
Understanding why adolescents cultivate and trade cannabis in specific contexts is essential for designing prevention programs that address root causes rather than just symptoms. Economic factors and family tradition emerged as powerful drivers that punitive approaches alone cannot address.
The numbers in context
33 participants; 2 communities; 11 contextual factors; 4 socio-ecological levels; Ingquza Hill Local Municipality, South Africa
How the study worked
Qualitative study using focus group discussions with 33 purposefully sampled participants recruited through snowball sampling in two communities in the Ingquza Hill Local Municipality. A semi-structured interview guide and thematic content analysis were used, organized around the Socio-Ecological Model.
What this study cannot tell us
Small qualitative sample from two communities in one municipality. Findings may not generalize to other regions. Self-report data on illicit activity may be subject to social desirability bias. No quantitative verification of themes.
How to read the evidence
Small qualitative study with appropriate methodology for exploring complex social phenomena, but limited generalizability beyond the study communities.
When this study was published
Published in 2021.
The bigger picture
In many parts of the world, cannabis cultivation is deeply embedded in local economies and family traditions. Prevention efforts that ignore these structural realities in favor of education-only approaches are unlikely to succeed.
Questions still open
- Would economic development alternatives reduce adolescent involvement? How do these findings compare to adolescent involvement in cannabis cultivation in other countries? Could regulated markets reduce the harms associated with adolescent involvement in illicit trade?
Common questions
Why do adolescents farm marijuana in this region?
What do the researchers recommend?
Read the original research
Contextual influences of illicit adolescent marijuana cultivation and trading in the Inqguza Hill local municipality of South Africa: implications for public health policy.
Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy, 16(1), 6
Citation
Manu, Emmanuel; Douglas, Mbuyiselo; Ntsaba, Mohlomi Jafta. (2021). Contextual influences of illicit adolescent marijuana cultivation and trading in the Inqguza Hill local municipality of South Africa: implications for public health policy.. Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy, 16(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13011-020-00338-7
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