NCJ Number
124176
Date Published
1989
Length
35 pages
Annotation
Since the early 1960s, the use of marijuana as an intoxicant by a growing proportion of the American population has been an issue of major national concern.
Abstract
The policy debate about marijuana use has brought into focus two conflicting beliefs: that the use of drugs for the purpose of producing states of intoxication is abhorrent and that individuals have the right to indulge their desires as long as others are not adversely affected. Marijuana has the capacity to reduce the effective functioning of individuals under its influence, and prolonged or excessive use may cause serious harmful biological and social effects in many users. Although marijuana possession and sale are prohibited, possession has been reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor offense; the maximum penalty for a first offense is $5,000 and one year's imprisonment. In recent years the prohibition of marijuana use has come under increasing criticism, suggesting that existing laws be repealed. These suggestions have been prompted by the failure of current policies to deter large numbers of users, the consequent criminalization of large numbers of young Americans, and the high social costs of such law enforcement. Marijuana regulation would permit systematic provision of comprehensive, clearly communicated health warnings, in public health education, by medical practitioners, and by public health interest groups as well as by the government.