In today's liberal society, the cultural norms seem to be heavily influenced by pop and celebrity icons whose vicarious lifestyles would be consider deviant from that of the past. Similarly, the marijuana problem could be a conscious response to social conditions. Specifically, the high cost of living within the province of British Columbia could be driving individuals into the lucrative, albeit illegal marijuana trade. On the other hand, since societies around the world vary in organization and values, what is considered criminal in one culture may be embraced in another. Such is the case concerning the consumption of marijuana. While it is illegal in North America, you can find its use prevalent in the Netherlands, specifically Amsterdam.
Edwin Sutherland's concept of differential association argues that criminal behavior is learned in small groups (Sacco and Kennedy, 2002). Another theory asserts that certain criminals are born into environments that tend to generate criminal behavior including extreme poverty or minority groups (Sacco and Kennedy, 2002). These theories could be used to explain the type of individuals who commit the crime of supplying and distributing marijuana. A countering theory suggests that since only some people surrender to environment influences, additional factors must be considered. For instance, Strain Theory could be used to explain the motivations of the individual who does not come from an economically disadvantaged background yet still becomes involved with the lucrative drug trade. Although hereditary physical and psychological traits are generally ruled out as independent causes of crime, psychological states are believed to determine an individual's reaction to his environment. The arguable value of the consumption of marijuana is due to its anti-depressant properties. Moreover, psychologists consider crime to result from emotional disorders stemming from childhood experience (Santrock, 2003).
