Marijuana Policies and Policy Reform
Related Chapters:
Marijuana
Medical Marijuana
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1. States That Legally Regulate Medical and/or Adult Social Use of Marijuana As of June 27, 2018, a total of 30 states plus the District of Columbia and Guam have what are called "effective" state medical marijuana laws, and one more state has created an academic program which may in the future help that state's patients. These states include: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington state, and West Virginia. Eight states have legalized adult (aged 21 and older) personal use of marijuana and legally regulate the production, distribution, and sale of marijuana: Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington state. Additionally, the state of Vermont and the District of Columbia have legalized limited personal possession and cultivation of marijuana by adults aged 21 and older. According to the Marijuana Policy Project: "Currently, 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam have laws on the books that recognize marijuana’s medical value -- or the value of certain strains: Marijuana Policy Project, "State by State Medical Marijuana Laws 2015 with a December 2016 Supplement - How to Remove the Threat of Arrest," (Washington, DC: MPP, February 2017), p. 1, last accessed September 27, 2017. |
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2. Washington State Data On Marijuana Use Following Enactment of I-502 "In these initial investigations, we found no evidence that I-502 enactment, on the whole, affected cannabis abuse treatment admissions. Further, within Washington State, we found no evidence that the amount of legal cannabis sales affected cannabis abuse treatment admissions. "The bulk of outcome analyses in this report used the within-state approach to focus on identifying effects of the amount of legal cannabis sales. We found no evidence that the amount of legal cannabis sales affected youth substance use or attitudes about cannabis or drug-related criminal convictions. "We did find evidence that higher levels of retail cannabis sales affected adult cannabis use in certain subgroups of the population. BRFSS respondents 21 and older who lived in counties with higher levels of retail cannabis sales were more likely to report using cannabis in the past 30 days and heavy use of cannabis in the past 30 days. "We also found two effects that are difficult to interpret. Among the portion of the population aged 18 to 21, BRFSS respondents living in counties with higher "We also found that in the portion of the BRFSS sample who smoked cigarettes, respondents living in counties with higher levels of legal cannabis sales were less likely to report past-month cannabis use. It is particularly difficult to explain why increased sales would lead to lower cannabis use among cigarette smokers." Darnell, A.J. & Bitney, K. (2017). I-502 evaluation and benefit-cost analysis: Second required report. (Document Number 17-09-3201). Olympia: Washington State Institute for Public Policy, September 2017, p. 34. |
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3. Prevalence and Trends in Marijuana Use Rates in Colorado Before and After Amendment 64 Total US Colorado State Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2017). National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Comparison of 2008-2009 and 2015-2016 Population Percentages (50 States and the District of Columbia). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/ |
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4. Netherlands Drug Policy "All recent policy documents state that the Dutch drug policy has two cornerstones - and this was confirmed by the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport during the major drug debate in the House of Representatives in March 2012: to protect public health and to combat public nuisance and drug-related crime (TK 24077-259; TK Handelingen 69-28 maart 2012). In the current Opium Act Directive the objective of the drug policy is described as: 'The [new] Dutch drugs policy is aimed to discourage and reduce drug use, certainly in so far as it causes damage to health and to society, and to prevent and reduce the damage associated with drug use, drug production and the drugs trade' (Stc 2011-11134)." Van Laar, M.W., Cruts, A.A.N., Van Ooyen-Houben, M.M.J., Van Gageldonk, A., Croes, E.A., Meijer, R.F., et al. (2013). The Netherlands drug situation 2012: report to the EMCDDA by the Reitox National Focal Point. Trimbos-instituut/WODC, Utrecht/Den Haag, p. 16. |
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5. Uruguay Legalizes Marijuana “President José Mujica has quietly signed into law the government’s plan to create a regulated, legal market for marijuana, the president’s spokesman said Tuesday. The presidential secretary Diego Canepa said Mr. Mujica signed the legislation on Monday night. That was the last formal step for the law to take effect. Officials now have until April 9 to write the fine print for regulating every aspect of the marijuana market, from growing to selling in a network of pharmacies. They hope to have the whole system in place by the middle of next year. But as of Tuesday, growing marijuana at home was legal, up to six plants per family and an annual harvest of 480 grams, or about one pound.” Source: Associated Press, “Uruguay: Marijuana Becomes Legal,” in the New York Times, December 24, 2013. |
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6. Limitation on Federal Interference With Implementation of State Medical Marijuana Laws In December 2014, the federal budget for FY2015 was enacted, containing this provision: "Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015," US Congress, Enrolled Bill Published December 17, 2014, p. 88. |
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7. Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 and Federal Prohibition "Marijuana essentially became illegal in 1937 pursuant to the Marijuana Tax Act.39 The use of marijuana required the payment of a tax for usage; failure to pay the tax resulted in a large fine or stiff prison time for tax evasion.40 Drug prohibition was elevated to another level by targeting 'marijuana,' a plant that had never demonstrated any harm to anyone.41 Gilmore, Brian, "Again and Again We Suffer: the Poor and the Endurance of the 'War on Drugs,'" University of the District of Columbia Law Review (Washington, DC: The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, 2011) Volume 15, Number 1, p. 64. |