Cohen, Peter (1989),
Cocaine use in Amsterdam In non-deviant subcultures. In: Peter Cohen (1990),
Drugs as a social construct. Dissertation. Amsterdam, Universiteit
van Amsterdam. pp. 132-147.
© Copyright 1990 Peter Cohen.
All rights reserved.
10. Effects of cocaine - Notes
Peter Cohen
- Cocaine users are probably as sensitive to folklore about this drug as both the public at large and as drug experts, this being above all true for ambiguous effects. A large group as the present sample at least has the advantage of speaking from first hand experience. A real validity check can only be realized in large longitudinal research projects with control groups, as has been undertaken for smokers. (See also .)
- One of the characteristics of cocaine that is often mentioned in the literature (but rarely by users of any level), is cocaine's alleged power to make people `psychologically' dependent. The psychological dependency assumption logically implies that the proportion of ex-users among high level users would be significantly smaller than with the other groups. This is not the case in our sample.
- A complete description of the Mokken-procedure can be found in , available at the Technical Center of the faculty of social sciences of the University of Amsterdam.
- The level of significance used in this procedure was a=0.05. Reliability factors for the scales are: (scale 1) rho=0.91; (scale 2) rho=0.72; (scale 3)
- On an individual level it might be possible that respondents have experienced both a positive and a negative effect of cocaine on their sexual experience, but this would more probably be a result of chance or very personal characteristics, than of a structural phenomenon
- Dose, age, length of top period, education and frequency of use were defined ascending (high score means high dose, age, etc.). Gender high means female, steady partner high means having a steady partner.