Evaluating alternative cannabis regimes
- PMID: 11157425
- DOI: 10.1192/bjp.178.2.123
Evaluating alternative cannabis regimes
Abstract
Background: Cannabis policy continues to be controversial in North America, Europe and Australia.
Aims: To inform this debate, we examine alternative legal regimes for controlling cannabis availability and use.
Method: We review evidence on the effects of cannabis depenalisation in the USA, Australia and The Netherlands. We update and extend our previous (MacCoun & Reuter, 1997) empirical comparison of cannabis prevalence statistics in the USA, The Netherlands and other European nations.
Results: The available evidence indicates that depenalisation of the possession of small quantities of cannabis does not increase cannabis prevalence. The Dutch experience suggests that commercial promotion and sales may significantly increase cannabis prevalence.
Conclusions: Alternatives to an aggressively enforced cannabis prohibition are feasible and merit serious consideration. A model of depenalised possession and personal cultivation has many of the advantages of outright legalisation with few of its risks.
Comment in
-
Cannabis regimes.Br J Psychiatry. 2001 Jun;178:574-5. doi: 10.1192/bjp.178.6.574. Br J Psychiatry. 2001. PMID: 11388979 No abstract available.
-
Comparative cannabis use data.Br J Psychiatry. 2001 Aug;179:175-7. doi: 10.1192/bjp.179.2.175-b. Br J Psychiatry. 2001. PMID: 11483483 No abstract available.
-
Pragmatic approach to the dangers of cannabis use.Br J Psychiatry. 2001 Sep;179:270-1. doi: 10.1192/bjp.179.3.270-b. Br J Psychiatry. 2001. PMID: 11532812 No abstract available.
-
Cannabis regimes--a response.Br J Psychiatry. 2001 Oct;179:369-70. doi: 10.1192/bjp.179.4.369-a. Br J Psychiatry. 2001. PMID: 11581124 No abstract available.
Similar articles
-
What can we learn from the Dutch cannabis coffeeshop system?Addiction. 2011 Nov;106(11):1899-910. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03572.x. Epub 2011 Sep 11. Addiction. 2011. PMID: 21906196
-
Cannabis decriminalization and the age of onset of cannabis use.Int J Drug Policy. 2017 May;43:122-129. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.02.014. Epub 2017 Apr 7. Int J Drug Policy. 2017. PMID: 28395168
-
Evaluating the public health impacts of legalizing recreational cannabis use in the United States.Addiction. 2016 Oct;111(10):1764-73. doi: 10.1111/add.13428. Epub 2016 Jun 7. Addiction. 2016. PMID: 27082374 Review.
-
The long and winding road to cannabis legalization.Addiction. 2012 May;107(5):872-3. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03625.x. Addiction. 2012. PMID: 22471565 No abstract available.
-
The impact of marijuana policies on youth: clinical, research, and legal update.Pediatrics. 2015 Mar;135(3):584-7. doi: 10.1542/peds.2014-4146. Epub 2015 Jan 26. Pediatrics. 2015. PMID: 25624383 Review.
Cited by
-
The influence of transformations in supply on methamphetamine initiation among people injecting opioids in the United States.Harm Reduct J. 2024 Mar 5;21(1):57. doi: 10.1186/s12954-024-00976-1. Harm Reduct J. 2024. PMID: 38443903 Free PMC article.
-
Trends in use of marijuana and attitudes toward marijuana among youth before and after decriminalization: the case of California 2007-2013.Int J Drug Policy. 2015 Apr;26(4):336-44. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2015.01.009. Epub 2015 Jan 14. Int J Drug Policy. 2015. PMID: 25662893 Free PMC article.
-
The Influence of College Attendance on Risk for Marijuana Initiation in the United States: 1977 to 2015.Am J Public Health. 2017 Jun;107(6):996-1002. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.303745. Epub 2017 Apr 20. Am J Public Health. 2017. PMID: 28426314 Free PMC article.
-
Medical marijuana laws in 50 states: investigating the relationship between state legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use, abuse and dependence.Drug Alcohol Depend. 2012 Jan 1;120(1-3):22-7. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2011.06.011. Epub 2011 Nov 17. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2012. PMID: 22099393 Free PMC article.
-
Cannabis Liberalization and Adolescent Cannabis Use: A Cross-National Study in 38 Countries.PLoS One. 2015 Nov 25;10(11):e0143562. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143562. eCollection 2015. PLoS One. 2015. PMID: 26605550 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
