DEFINITELY, MAYBE NOT - THE NORMALIZATION OF RECREATIONAL DRUG-USE AMONGST YOUNG-PEOPLE

Increasing numbers of social scientists, policy makers and other socia l commentators suggest that drug use has become a relatively common fo rm of behaviour among young people who accept it as a 'normal' part of their lives. Although there is quite strong empirical evidence that t he proportion of young people using drugs at some point in their lives is growing, there is little evidence to support the contention that i t is so widely accepted as to be normal. Drawing on quantitative and q ualitative data, we develop a critique of what we term the 'normalisat ion thesis'. In doing so we argue that this thesis exaggerates the ext ent of drug use by young people, simplifies the choices that young peo ple make, and pays inadequate attention to the meaning that drug use h as for them. Crucially, we argue that in their reliance on large-scale survey data the main proponents of the normalisation thesis pay insuf ficient attention to the normative context within which drug use occur s.