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Possession
Kinds of Possession Terms modified by Possession Selected AbstractsAN IMPOSSIBLE LOVE: SUBJECTION AND EMBODIMENT IN PAULA REGO'S POSSESSIONART HISTORY, Issue 1 2007RUTH ROSENGARTEN Paula Rego's work is frequently considered in terms of a feminist subversion of the tenets of patriarchy. Here, I analyse a group of seven panels made in pastel, in order to throw light on the relationship between obedience and resistance in the formation of female subjects in Rego's work, exploring the interpellative underpinnings that shape and constrain them. Examined in relation both to the imagery of hysteria deployed by nineteenth-century French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and to the Freudian concept of transference, Possession, I argue, performs the condition of an impossible love in its address to an object empowered by the very relationship that instates it as object. I propose that Rego's work may be read in relation to a feminist politics that acknowledges the Symbolic Order and its paternal legacy. [source] Imitation Is Far More Than the Sincerest of Flattery: The Mimetic Power of Spirit Possession in Rajasthan, IndiaCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 1 2002Jeffrey G. Snodgrass First page of article [source] Detection of environmental androgens: A novel method based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of spiggin, the stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) glue proteinENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 9 2002Ioanna Katsiadaki Abstract We report the development and validation of a novel in vivo biomarker test for waterborne androgens. During breeding, male sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) manufacture a glue protein, spiggin, in their kidneys that they use to build their nests. Spiggin production is under the control of androgens. Until now, however, it has only been possible to quantify its production by measurement of the height of kidney epithelial cells. In the present study, we report the development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for spiggin and demonstrate its application to the measurement of spiggin in the kidneys of female sticklebacks that have been exposed to androgens in water. Results from the ELISA procedure revealed a strong correlation with measurement of kidney epithelial cell height (r2 = 0.93). However, the ELISA was much quicker and had a considerably higher response range (100,000-fold vs fourfold). Clear, graded responses in spiggin production were obtained by exposing intact females to increasing concentrations of 17,-methyltestosterone and 5,-dihydrotestosterone over three-week test periods. The lowest effective concentrations for these two steroids were 100 ng/L and 3 ,g/L, respectively. Female sticklebacks that were exposed to pulp mill effluent also produced spiggin in their kidneys. Possession of an androgen-regulated protein by the female stickleback makes it a unique bioassay organism for detecting androgenic contamination in the aquatic environment. [source] Transforming Possession: Josephine and the Work of CultureETHOS, Issue 2 2008Bambi L. Chapin After a 30-year career as a priestess during which she became renowned for deep possession trances, firewalking, and blood sacrifices, she no longer participates in these activities. The analysis of this case argues that problematic dissociation outside a ritual context can be used in and transformed by involvement in culturally available possession rituals to promote healing. This counters Melford Spiro and others who have viewed possession experiences as necessarily abnormal, psychotic, and symptomatic of mental disorder. It supports Gananath Obeyesekere's assertion that engagement with these symbolic systems can lead to "progressive transformations." Parallels between this priestess' lifestory and Western psychotherapy extend Obeyesekere's conception of "the work of culture" beyond the domain of meaning and symbol to include roles for embodied practice and interpersonal relationships. [spirit possession, Sri Lanka, dissociation, healing, mental health] [source] The Scourge of Demons: Possession, Lust, and Witchcraft in a Seventeenth-Century Italian Convent,by Jeffrey R. WattGENDER & HISTORY, Issue 1 2010NICKY HALLETT No abstract is available for this article. [source] ApoE allelic variability influences pupil response to cholinergic challenge and cognitive impairmentGENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 3 2007L.F.M. Scinto Exaggerated pupil response to dilute tropicamide has been suggested as an early biological marker for Alzheimer's disease. The current study links apolipoprotein E (ApoE) allelic variability to the magnitude of pupil response in a sample of community-dwelling elderly without a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Possession of an ,4 allele influences both the likelihood of exhibiting an exaggerated pupil response above a predetermined cut-off (13% above baseline diameter) and the absolute overall magnitude of the response. Allelic variability was also shown to correlate with cognitive impairments in memory and attention. The data in this study further elucidate the nature of the biological bond between an exaggerated pupil response and the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. ApoE allelic variability is probably linked to pupil response through its influence on tau hyperphosphorylation. The early Alzheimer's pathology seen in the Edinger,Westphal area of cranial nerve III, a major centre for pupil control, is primarily tau-based with significant cell loss in this nucleus leading to central denervation hypersensitivity even in elderly who are clinically silent but who have early pathology. [source] Vacant Possession: a story of proxy decision makingHEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 2 2006Claire Foster No abstract is available for this article. [source] Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677C/T gene polymorphism, gastric cancer susceptibility and genomic DNA hypomethylation in an at-risk Italian populationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 3 2006Francesco Graziano Abstract We performed a case-control study to examine the relationship between MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism (MTHFR677C/T) and gastric cancer susceptibility in at-risk populations in central Italy. To explore genomic DNA hypomethylation as a potential etiologic mechanism, this phenomenon was evaluated in carriers of the MTHFR677T/T genotype and carriers of the wild-type MTHFR677C/C genotype. Lymphocyte genomic DNA from 162 gastric cancer patients and 164 controls was used for MTHFR677C/T genotyping. Unconditional regression analysis with ORs and 95% CIs was used to investigate the association of the polymorphism with disease. Genomic DNA methylation status by an established enzymatic assay that measures the DNA accepting capacity of methyl groups (inversely related to endogenous methylation) was assessed in a random sample of 40 carriers of the wild-type MTHFR677C/C genotype and 40 carriers of the MTHFR677T/T genotype. The global allelic distribution was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The MTHFR677T allele was significantly associated with gastric cancer risk with an OR of 2.49 (95% CI 1.48,4.20) in heterozygous MTHFR677C/T carriers and an OR of 2.85 (95% CI 1.52,5.35) in homozygous MTHFR677T/T carriers. This risk association was retained in subgroup analyses by tumor histotype and location. Genomic DNA hypomethylation status in MTHFR677T/T carriers was significantly higher than in subjects with wild-type MTHF677C/C genotype (p = 0.012). In the studied population, MTHFR677T played the role of a moderate-penetrance gastric cancer susceptibility allele. Possession of the MTHFR677T/T genotype was significantly associated with genomic DNA hypomethylation. These findings deserve further investigation in the context of novel strategies for gastric cancer prevention. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Subantarctic flowering plants: pre-glacial survivors or post-glacial immigrants?JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2010Nathalie Van der Putten Abstract Aim, The aim here was to assess whether the present-day assemblage of subantarctic flowering plants is the result of a rapid post-Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) colonization or whether subantarctic flowering plants survived on the islands in glacial refugia throughout the LGM. Location, The circumpolar subantarctic region, comprising six remote islands and island groups between latitudes 46° and 55° S, including South Georgia in the South Atlantic Ocean, the Prince Edward Islands, Îles Crozet, Îles Kerguelen, the Heard Island group in the South Indian Ocean and Macquarie Island in the South Pacific Ocean. Methods, Floristic affinities between the subantarctic islands were assessed by cluster analysis applied to an up-to-date dataset of the phanerogamic flora in order to test for the existence of provincialism within the subantarctic. A review of the primary literature on the palaeobotany, geology and glacial history of the subantarctic islands was carried out and supplemented with additional palaeobotanical data and new field observations from South Georgia, Île de la Possession (Îles Crozet) and Îles Kerguelen. Results, First, a strong regionalism was observed, with different floras characterizing the islands in each of the ocean basins, and endemic species being present in the South Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean provinces. Second, the majority of the plant species were present at the onset of accumulation of post-glacial organic sediment and there is no evidence for the natural arrival of new immigrants during the subsequent period. Third, a review of geomorphological data suggested that the ice cover was incomplete during the LGM on the majority of the islands, and ice-free biological refugia were probably present even on the most glaciated islands. Main conclusions, Several independent lines of evidence favour the survival of a native subantarctic phanerogamic flora in local refugia during the LGM rather than a post-LGM colonization from more distant temperate landmasses in the Southern Hemisphere. [source] Assessing poverty, risk and vulnerability: a study on flooded households in rural BangladeshJOURNAL OF FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2010M.I. Rayhan Abstract Flood is a common catastrophe in Bangladesh. This study aimed to examine the poverty, risk and vulnerability for flood hazards. A cross-sectional household survey was carried out after 2 weeks of the flood in four districts in the year 2005. In total, 600 rural households were interviewed through a three-stage stratified random sampling. A utilitarian approach was used to assess flood vulnerability and its components. A set of households' characteristics and shock (flood) variables were used as explanatory variables. The results showed that poverty and idiosyncratic flood risks are positively correlated and highly significant. Households with higher educated members, headed by a male and owners of a dwelling place have been found to be less vulnerable to idiosyncratic flood risk. Possession of arable land and a small family size can reduce poverty and the aggregate flood risk. [source] Children at Risk: Legal and Societal Perceptions of the Potential Threat that the Possession of Child Pornography Poses to SocietyJOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, Issue 3 2002Suzanne Ost This article examines legal and social discourses surrounding the phenomenon of child pornography, considering the legal responses to child pornography (particularly when an individual is found to be in possession of such material), and the way in which such material, the child, and the possessor of child pornography are socially constructed. The article raises the question of whether there has been a moral panic regarding child pornography and the possession of such material, but also considers whether there are real reasons to consider that the possession of child pornography should remain illegal. Research studies which aim to establish the existence of a causal link between possessing child pornography and the act of committing child sexual abuse are examined, as is the argument that criminalizing the possession of child pornography reduces the market for such material. Finally, there is an analysis of the possible impact of social constructions of the child as innocent. [source] Book Reviews: The Mind Possessed: The Cognition of Spirit Possession in an Afro-Brazilian Religious Tradition by Emma CohenAMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 3 2010Lindsay Hale No abstract is available for this article. [source] Biography Matters: Carol Shields, Mary Swann, A. S. Byatt, Possession, Deborah Crombie, Dreaming of the BonesORBIS LITERARUM, Issue 5 2003Heidi Hansson The interest in life writing in recent years has led to an awareness of the close connections between biographical and fictional writing, which in turn has made the art of biography an important theme in contemporary fiction influenced by feminism, New Historicism and poststructuralism. The main issue in works like A. S. Byatt's Possession, Carol Shields's Mary Swann and Deborah Crombie's Dreaming of the Bones is to what extent a biography can be trusted to tell the truth of someone's life, and how far it is compromised by the biographer's motives. Works like these can be said to stand in a metaphorical relationship to the genre of biography, drawing attention to the epistemological problems of biography-writing by emphasising the slippage between fiction and biography. Yet, while these novels continually question the veracity of biographical evidence, they also make clear that biography is of vital importance for our understanding of literature. [source] Legal Implications Regarding Self-Neglecting Community-Dwelling Adults: A Practical Approach for the Community Nurse in IrelandPUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 2 2010Julianne Ballard ABSTRACT This paper explores the current literature related to legal issues encountered by the public health nurse in Ireland in visiting clients exhibiting self-neglecting behavior. Nurses working in community settings where home visiting of clients is required will at some point encounter situations of client self-neglect. Possession of a clear legal framework for the local area that addresses both the nurse's professional responsibility and the client's rights is needed. Because a high incidence of depression and dementia seen in self-neglecting adults has prompted calls for wider screening of the agreeable client, an understanding of the definition of competence and capacity in the national legal system for that client becomes critical. In Ireland, as in many other countries, refusal of care or screening is the right of any competent adult. However, issues of mandatory reporting, confidentiality, and trespass may differ from other areas. Nursing care delivered at the community level to a client exhibiting self-neglecting behavior involves a delicate balance of trust and support. Through this overview of the legal implications for self-neglecting clients in Ireland, nurses have the opportunity to begin an exploration of similarities and differences in approach on a global level. [source] Possession, Power and the New Age: Ambiguities of Authority in Neoliberal Societies , By Mathew WoodRELIGIOUS STUDIES REVIEW, Issue 3 2008Ann Gleig No abstract is available for this article. [source] Possession: Jung's Comparative Anatomy of the Psyche,by Stephenson, Craig E.THE JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Gretchen Heyer No abstract is available for this article. [source] Reassessing the Impact of Donor HLA-C Genotype on Long-Term Liver Transplant SurvivalAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 7 2009T. H. Tran HLA-C is the major inhibitory ligand for killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) that are expressed on natural killer (NK) cells. Based on their KIR specificity, HLA-C alleles can be divided into two groups, termed HLA-C1 and HLA-C2. Donor HLA-C group has recently been identified by Hanvesakul et al. (Am J Transplant 2008) as a critical determinant of clinical outcome following liver transplantation: Possession of at least one HLA-C group 2 allele by the donor was associated with significantly improved long-term graft and patient survival, presumably due to an inhibition of host NK cell function. To verify this study, we performed genotyping of 913 deceased liver donors for the relevant KIR epitopes of HLA-C and correlated the presence or absence of donor HLA-C2 genotype with graft and patient survival. In our study, donor HLA-C2 genotype had no impact on 10-year graft or patient survival. We cannot confirm a major role of donor HLA-C2 genotype on long-term allograft survival after liver transplantation. [source] In search of lost time from "Demonic Possession" to anti,N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitisANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 1 2010Guillaume Sébire MD No abstract is available for this article. [source] The Living and the Lost: War and Possession in VietnamANTHROPOLOGY OF CONSCIOUSNESS, Issue 2 2007Mai Lan Gustafsson The war in Vietnam claimed the lives of five million of its citizens, many of whom died in ways thought to have turned them into malevolent spirits who prey on the living. These angry ghosts are held responsible for a host of physical ailments and other misfortunes suffered by survivors of the war and their descendants. Known in the anthropological literature as possession illness, the cross-cultural treatment for such maladies is typically provided by practitioners like mediums and exorcists, who cure victims by interacting with noncorporeal entities. In Vietnam, such spirit healers were banned after the communist takeover of the North in 1945. This has posed a problem for the large numbers of Vietnamese who suffer from ghost-induced sickness. This paper focuses on three victims of angry ghosts, presenting the common origin, context, and resolution of their suffering. In doing so, it provides an overview of Vietnamese beliefs about death and the after-life, the ideal relationship between the living and the dead, and the connection between state politics and spirit practice. [source] Pathologizing Possession: An Essay on Mind, Self, and Experience in DissociationANTHROPOLOGY OF CONSCIOUSNESS, Issue 2 2003Ashwin Budden In this paper, critique the classic psychoanalytic anthropological construal of dissociative spirit possession as a pathological phenomenon. I review some of the relevant theoretical and ethnographic literature on this subject but focus on the work of two prominent psychoanalytic anthropologists to explore divergent views of the psychological nature of pathological and religious experience. Emphasis is placed on the necessity for taking into account the culture specific factors that shape dissociative possession, particularly with regard to spiritual experiences. I also move beyond this view to an embodiment approach that is useful for analyzing the experiential ground of spirit possession, and thus for providing insight into how particular individual and cultural realities are constructed through dissociation. Key words: dissociation, embodiment, possession, psychoanalytic anthropology, self "Perception is never an absolute revelation of 'what is' " -A.l. Hallovvell (1955: 84) [source] Trance, Possession, Shamanism and SexANTHROPOLOGY OF CONSCIOUSNESS, Issue 1 2003I. M. Lewis Altered States of Consciousness is an umbrella term applied in the study of psychological, sociological and religious phenomena that are regularly encountered experientially in the study of trance, possession, and shamanism, all of which have complex and problematic links with music. Beginning with trance, and stressing the pervasive sexual imagery invoked, this paper reviews the role ofASC in these three areas in the anthropology of religion. [source] AN IMPOSSIBLE LOVE: SUBJECTION AND EMBODIMENT IN PAULA REGO'S POSSESSIONART HISTORY, Issue 1 2007RUTH ROSENGARTEN Paula Rego's work is frequently considered in terms of a feminist subversion of the tenets of patriarchy. Here, I analyse a group of seven panels made in pastel, in order to throw light on the relationship between obedience and resistance in the formation of female subjects in Rego's work, exploring the interpellative underpinnings that shape and constrain them. Examined in relation both to the imagery of hysteria deployed by nineteenth-century French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and to the Freudian concept of transference, Possession, I argue, performs the condition of an impossible love in its address to an object empowered by the very relationship that instates it as object. I propose that Rego's work may be read in relation to a feminist politics that acknowledges the Symbolic Order and its paternal legacy. [source] A Possession for Ever: Charles Bean, the Ancient Greeks, and Military Commemoration in AustraliaAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF POLITICS AND HISTORY, Issue 3 2007Peter Londey For many people after the First World War, the classical world of Greece and Rome provided a language of commemoration; those who fought on Gallipoli were often keen to see parallels with the Trojan war of 3,000 years earlier. Charles Bean, Australia's classically-educated war correspondent, Official Historian, and chief visionary behind the Australian War Memorial, was as imbued with the classics as any. What is striking, however, is that Bean largely ignored parallels with Troy, focusing instead almost exclusively on fifth-century BC Athens. Bean wanted more than a language of commemoration; he desired an historical backdrop which would emphasise the place in history of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Only the Athenians could provide a fitting parallel for the youthful democracy of Australia. [source] 4-Hydroxynonenal Immunoreactivity is Increased in Human Hippocampus After Global IschemiaBRAIN PATHOLOGY, Issue 4 2001Eileen McCracken Ph.D Oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation may contribute to the pathology of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cerebral ischemia. 4-Hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) is a toxic byproduct of lipid peroxidation, and immunoreactivity to 4-HNE has been used to examine lipid peroxidation in the pathogenesis of AD and ischemia. This study sought to determine 1) if there are cellular alterations in 4-HNE immunoreactivity in the human hippocampus after global ischemia, and 2) whether possession of an apolipoprotein E (APOE) ,4 allele influenced the extent of 4-HNE immunoreactivity. 4-HNE immunoreactivity was assessed semi-quantitatively in the temporal lobe of a group of controls (n = 44) and in a group of patients who had an episode of global ischemia as a result of a cardiorespiratory arrest and subsequently died (n = 56, survival ranged from 1hr to 42days). There was minimal cellular 4-HNE immunoreactivity in the control group. However, compared to controls, 4-HNE immunoreactivity was significantly increased in neurons (p<0.0002) and glia (p<0.0001) in the hippocampal formation after global ischemia. Possession of an APOE,4 allele did not influence the extent of neuronal or glial 4-HNE immunostaining in the control or global ischemia group. There was a significant negative correlation between the extent of neuronal 4-HNE immunoreactivity with survival period after global ischemia (r2= 0.0801; p<0.036) and a significant positive correlation between the extent of glial 4-HNE immunoreactivity and survival after global ischemia (r2= 0.2958; p<0.0001). The data indicate a marked increase in neuronal and glial 4-HNE. This substantiates a role for lipid peroxidation in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia. There was no indication that APOE genotype influenced the extent of 4-HNE immunoreactivity. [source] The Establishment and Defeat of Hierarchy: Inalienable Possessions and the History of Collective Prestige Structures in the Pueblo SouthwestAMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 2 2004BARBARA J. MILLS ABSTRACT The role of social valuables in establishing and defeating hierarchies in prestate societies is explored through the use of Annette Weiner's concept of "inalienable possessions." Inalienable possessions are objects made to be kept (not exchanged), have symbolic and economic power that cannot be transferred, and are often used to authenticate the ritual authority of corporate groups. Ethnographic examples from Zuni are used to understand the range of individually and collectively owned inalienable objects in Pueblo societies. I then use three classes of these objects from archaeological contexts to gain insight into the history of collective prestige structures in the Southwest. I argue that inalienable goods are more useful than shape prestige goods for understanding the role of social valuables in many nonstate societies, especially those in which inequalities are based on ritual knowledge. [source] Unequal Knowledges in Jharkhand, India: De-Romanticizing Women's Agroecological ExpertiseDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 5 2000Sarah Jewitt Taking the Jharkhand region of India as a case study, this article uses empirical data to intervene in ,women, environment and development' and ecofeminist debates regarding women's environmental knowledge. The article first outlines the adoption of gender/environmental issues into development planning and considers the dangers of overestimating women's agroecological knowledges and assuming that they can easily participate in development projects. It then highlights the local complexities of environmental knowledge possession and control with reference to gender and other variations in agricultural participation, decision-making and knowledge transfers between villagers' natal and marital places. Particular emphasis is placed on the economic, socio-cultural and ,actor' related factors that supplement gender as an influence on task allocation, decision-making, knowledge distribution and knowledge articulation. The article concludes that given the socio-cultural constraints women face in accumulating and vocalizing environmental knowledge, simplistic participatory approaches are unlikely to empower them. Instead, more flexible, site-specific development initiatives (coupled with wider structural change) are required if opportunities are to be created for women to develop and use their agroecological knowledges. [source] How ideology shapes the evidence and the policy: what do we know about cannabis use and what should we do?ADDICTION, Issue 8 2010John Macleod ABSTRACT In the United Kingdom, as in many places, cannabis use is considered substantially within a criminal justice rather than a public health paradigm with prevention policy embodied in the Misuse of Drugs Act. In 2002 the maximum custodial sentence tariff for cannabis possession under the Act was reduced from 5 to 2 years. Vigorous and vociferous public debate followed this decision, centred principally on the question of whether cannabis use caused schizophrenia. It was suggested that new and compelling evidence supporting this hypothesis had emerged since the re-classification decision was made, meaning that the decision should be reconsidered. The re-classification decision was reversed in 2008. We consider whether the strength of evidence on the psychological harms of cannabis has changed substantially and discuss the factors that may have influenced recent public discourse and policy decisions. We also consider evidence for other harms of cannabis use and public health implications of preventing cannabis use. We conclude that the strongest evidence of a possible causal relation between cannabis use and schizophrenia emerged more than 20 years ago and that the strength of more recent evidence may have been overstated,for a number of possible reasons. We also conclude that cannabis use is almost certainly harmful, mainly because of its intimate relation to tobacco use. The most rational policy on cannabis from a public health perspective would seem to be one able to achieve the benefit of reduced use in the population while minimizing social and other costs of the policy itself. Prohibition, whatever the sentence tariff associated with it, seems unlikely to fulfil these criteria. [source] Benefits of communal breeding in burying beetles: a field experimentECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3 2000Anne-Katrin Eggert Summary 1. The ultimate causes of communal breeding and joint parental care in various species of Nicrophorus burying beetles have not been resolved satisfactorily. One hypothesis suggests that females remain on the carcass for extended periods of time because joint defence affords them improved probabilities of retaining the carcass successfully in the face of intense competition from intra-generic competitors. 2. In a field experiment designed to test this hypothesis in N. defodiens (Mannerheim), breeding associations of two females and a male were no more successful at retaining their carcass than were monogamous pairs, lending no support to the hypothesis. 3. Intra-generic intruders that usurped already-buried carcasses were typically much larger than the original residents. 4. The body size of original residents affected both the burial depth and the probability of a takeover. Larger beetles buried the carcass deeper and were more likely to retain possession of the carcass. Group composition also did not affect the depth at which carcasses were buried. 5. Severe and even fatal injuries incurred by some residents indicated the occurrence of violent and damaging fights between competitors over carcasses in the field. [source] A tale of CIN,the Cannabis Infringement Notice scheme in Western AustraliaADDICTION, Issue 5 2010Simon Lenton ABSTRACT Aims To describe the development and enactment of the Western Australian (WA) Cannabis Infringement Notice scheme and reflect on the lessons for researchers and policy-makers interested in the translation of policy research to policy practice. Methods An insiders' description of the background research, knowledge transfer strategies and political and legislative processes leading to the enactment and implementation of the WA Cannabis Control Act 2003. Lenton and Allsop were involved centrally in the process as policy-researcher and policy-bureaucrat. Results In March 2004, Western Australia became the fourth Australian jurisdiction to adopt a ,prohibition with civil penalties' scheme for possession and cultivation of small amounts of cannabis. We reflect upon: the role of research evidence in the policy process; windows for policy change; disseminating findings when apparently no one is listening; the risks and benefits of the researcher as advocate; the differences between working on the inside and outside of government; and the importance of relationships, trust and track record. Conclusions There was a window of opportunity and change was influenced by research that was communicated by a reliable and trusted source. Those who want to conduct research that informs policy need to understand the policy process more clearly, look for and help create emerging windows that occur in the problem and political spheres, and make partnerships with key stakeholders in the policy arena. The flipside of the process is that, when governments change, policy born in windows of opportunity can be a casualty. [source] Cannabis and crime: findings from a longitudinal studyADDICTION, Issue 1 2010Willy Pedersen ABSTRACT Aim To examine the association between cannabis use during adolescence and young adulthood, and subsequent criminal charges. Methods Data were obtained from the Young in Norway Longitudinal Study. A population-based sample (n = 1353) was followed from 13 to 27 years of age. Data were gathered on cannabis use, alcohol consumption and alcohol problems, and use of other illegal substances such as amphetamines, cocaine and opiates. In addition, extensive information on socio-demographic, family and personal factors was collected. This data set was linked to individual-level information from official Norwegian crime statistics. Findings We found robust associations between cannabis use and later registered criminal charges, both in adolescence and in young adulthood. These associations were adjusted for a range of confounding factors, such as family socio-economic background, parental support and monitoring, educational achievement and career, previous criminal charges, conduct problems and history of cohabitation and marriage. In separate models, we controlled for alcohol measures and for use of other illegal substances. After adjustment, we still found strong associations between cannabis use and later criminal charges. However, when eliminating all types of drug-specific charges from our models, we no longer observed any significant association with cannabis use. Conclusions The study suggests that cannabis use in adolescence and early adulthood may be associated with subsequent involvement in criminal activity. However, the bulk of this involvement seems to be related to various types of drug-specific crime. Thus, the association seems to rest on the fact that use, possession and distribution of drugs such as cannabis is illegal. The study strengthens concerns about the laws relating to the use, possession and distribution of cannabis. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||