The "Hang-Loose" Ethic and the Spirit of Drug Use

A cross-sectional, sampling survey of drug use on a college campus reveals the close association between the use of drugs (overwhelmingly marijuana) and adherence to what might be characterized as a "hang-loose" ethic. Use of drugs was more likely to occur among those students whose behavior, attitudes or values, and self-image were indicative of opposition to the traditional, established order. Such differences occurred regardless of those demographic characteristics of the students also related to drug use, such as sex, socio-economic status, and religion. For these students, marijuana was the recreational drug of choice and its use became a central core of their sub-culture.