Our Sociologists Starting a New Project

The Institute of Sociology has won a competition for a research grant from the National Bureau for Drug Prevention (KBPN) and is going to carry out a two-year research project. The study will embrace patients of addiction centres and therapists. The scientists will try to find the best methods for measuring the effectiveness of the therapy. Then, the methods will be used by drug policy makers, as well as therapists themselves.

Tests are planned in such a way that the patients will have a chance to influence the development of the measuring method. The team will be employing a very innovative and demanding method that uses elements of deliberative workshops. The application of that methodology in the field of drug addiction was highly appreciated by the reviewers of the proposed project and as a result our sociologists will conduct their third project on psychoactive substances for KBPN. They have already carried out two projects: The creation of a sense of control among the marihuana users and Knowledge catalysts -analysis of an alternative discourse of psychoactive substances on the Internet.

The working name of the developed methodology is CanaQuass, i.e. Cannabis Psychosocial Treatment Output Quality Assessment and its completion is scheduled for the end of 2017. Michał Wanke, MA, from the Institute of Sociology of the UO, who is Project Manager, said that students of sociology will also have an opportunity to actively participate in the research. The amount of the grant is 70 thousand zlotys.

Photo: Grzegorz Gajos