Research Into Drug Use

Research On The Use Of Drugs Within Cypriot Higher Education.

Table Of Contents.

1. Abstract.....................................Pg 3

2. Motivation...................................Pgs 3-4

3. Problem......................................Pg 4

4. Objective.....................................Pg 4

5. Research Plan................................Pgs 4-5

6. Literature Review...........................Pgs 5-13

7. Hypothesis....................................Pgs 13-14

8. Comparison between Hypothesis and Empirical Review.............................................Pgs 14-17

9. Recommendations & Conclusions.........Pgs 17

10. References...................................Pg 19

11. Sample Questionnaire.....................Pg 20-23

12. Interesting Findings from our Research....Pg 24

The use of drugs in Cypriot Higher education.

Abstract.

With the spreading of globalization peoples views of drugs are changing. Various countries are adopting these new circumstances and making policy changes accordingly. This is not the case for Cyprus, as Cyprus has one of the strictest anti drug policies in Europe. Is this called for? Is the exploitation and use of drugs in Cyprus really such a big problem?

Motivation

Various countries legalizing or relaxing laws surrounding the use of certain illicit substances leads us to believe that Cyprus's strict anti-drug policy is out of date.

Past generations believe in the stereotype that all drugs fall into one category. This category being that all drugs are dangerous and that their use will in turn lead to a life of crime feeding your addiction, and will eventually lead to death. The above view is usually arrived at due to the lack of education and information about drugs. Older people are often overly influenced by the media and overzealous politicians trying to avoid addressing real social and economic problems. People must be educated about the real dilemma in hand.

We must look at the main problem here; the majority of illegal drugs use is harmless and merely recreational. The cause of problematic and hazardous drug use is typically the result of poverty and hopelessness within society. These are the core problems in this situation. Only by addressing these problems will the number of problematic drug users be reduced.

The way forward is not by banning all drug use; the increased use of drugs over time proves that prohibition does not work.

Why then do law makers continue to uphold anti-drug laws and legislation? Our motivation for this research is to prove that the use of soft drugs is widespread and that their negative effects are very limited. Furthermore we must point out that many other substances such as alcohol and cigarettes are a lot more hazardous and damaging to society then soft drugs in many situations. The inspiration of this research is not to advocate the use of soft drugs, or any drugs for that matter but to instead to educate the general public about certain aspects of drug use.

Problem.

The lack of the public's knowledge on the issue of drug use in Cyprus, Particularly among younger generations and within higher education.

Furthermore the unnecessarily strict laws and punishments, given out to the users of soft, illicit substances such as Marijuana, in Cyprus.

Objective.

The overall objective of this research is to inform people about the widespread use of soft drugs. This will be done by looking at the number of students attending Intercollege that have used illegal substances in the past. The type of substance they have used. How often they use the substance if they still do, and whether the use of these substances has a positive, negative or neutral effect on them.

Research plan.

Literature information will be based on a mixture of both primary and secondary sources. Many previous survey findings on issues of drug use were taken into consideration in the formation of the literature review. To add a variety of reports, government publications and other articles played a key role in the formation of the main body. A wide variety of sources most be used so as to maintain precision in literature findings.

Research was conducted using a quantitative method. The grounds for the usage of this method are based on our perception that accuracy would me attained to a greater extent with a large survey sample. Thus large survey sample can only be achieved using a quantitative method.

Regarding the research method a survey will be used. This as stated above is to allow for a sizeable population to be taken into consideration when conducting our research. Furthermore a survey's structured collection of data will allow for an easy comparison between data collected and the literature review.

The most appropriate form of research technique is that of a questionnaire. By using this method all people will be asked to answer a fixed set of questions in a well prepared sequence. Again this emphasizes the opportunity for comparability. Furthermore in a taboo subject such as that of drugs the sample will be able to remain anonymous and avoid the feeling of awkwardness. As a result accurate results will be achieved.

Due to time constraints and the impracticality of researching the whole population, a sample will be taken. The sample method used will be convenience sampling. This method allows for the easy access and availability of a sample population