[Study of the social representations of drugs and cannabis: motivation for prevention]

Drugs and cannabis are two complex, multifaceted social objects. Two exploratory research projects were conducted from semi-directive interviews (n = 50) and questionnaires (n = 300) in order to investigate the social representations contained in these two objects according to both the social characteristics of individuals (gender, age) and their proximity to cannabis (consumption versus non-consumption). The study of their representations allows for emphasis to be placed upon the socio-cognitive reconstruction that individuals maneuver, reconstruction largely influenced by the social insertion of individuals but also by their method of cannabis consumption. Knowledge of these representations seems to be a tool for understanding the often complex realities linked to the world of drugs and allows for reflection upon more adapted prevention methods.