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Washington -- A new study appearing in the May issue of the American Journal of Public Health debunks several of the major claims made by the federal government and other proponents of marijuana prohibition. The study, which compared patterns of marijuana use in Amsterdam, where possession and purchase of small amounts of marijuana by adults are allowed under a legally regulated system, and San Francisco, where such activities are illegal and punishable by fines or jail, found no significant differences in patterns of marijuana use in the two cities, and greater use of hard drugs in San Francisco.
Researchers from the University of California and the University of Amsterdam conducted detailed interviews with hundreds of randomly chosen marijuana users -- people who had used marijuana at least 25 times-in both cities. "Proponents of criminalization attribute to their preferred drug-control regimen a special power to affect user behavior," the authors write. "Our findings cast doubt on such attributions. Despite widespread lawful availability of cannabis [marijuana] in Amsterdam, there were no differences between the two cities in age at onset of use, age at first regular use, or age at the start of maximum use. ... We also found consistent similarities in patterns of use across the different policy contexts."
One significant difference: Marijuana users in San Francisco were much more likely to use powder or crack cocaine, opiates, amphetamines or ecstasy than their Amsterdam counterparts. Lifetime crack cocaine use in the San Francisco sample was five times that of the Amsterdam group. "Dutch decriminalization does not appear to be associated with greater use of other drugs," the researchers report. "Indeed, to judge from the lifetime prevalence of other illicit drug use, the reverse may be the case."
Bruce Mirken, communications director for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, commented, "Despite the claims by federal officials like White House Drug Czar John Walters, the evidence continues to grow that marijuana prohibition not only doesn't curb marijuana use, it actually contributes to the so-called 'gateway effect,' by exposing marijuana users to criminal dealers of hard drugs. A system of responsible regulation can break the link between marijuana and far more dangerous substances."
Complete Title: Study Debunks Feds' Marijuana Claims - Regulated Sales May Stop "Gateway Effect" Without Increasing Marijuana Use
Source: Common Dreams (ME)
Published: May 3, 2004
Copyright: 2004 Common Dreams
Contact: editor@commondreams.org
Website: Common Dreams
Researchers from the University of California and the University of Amsterdam conducted detailed interviews with hundreds of randomly chosen marijuana users -- people who had used marijuana at least 25 times-in both cities. "Proponents of criminalization attribute to their preferred drug-control regimen a special power to affect user behavior," the authors write. "Our findings cast doubt on such attributions. Despite widespread lawful availability of cannabis [marijuana] in Amsterdam, there were no differences between the two cities in age at onset of use, age at first regular use, or age at the start of maximum use. ... We also found consistent similarities in patterns of use across the different policy contexts."
One significant difference: Marijuana users in San Francisco were much more likely to use powder or crack cocaine, opiates, amphetamines or ecstasy than their Amsterdam counterparts. Lifetime crack cocaine use in the San Francisco sample was five times that of the Amsterdam group. "Dutch decriminalization does not appear to be associated with greater use of other drugs," the researchers report. "Indeed, to judge from the lifetime prevalence of other illicit drug use, the reverse may be the case."
Bruce Mirken, communications director for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, commented, "Despite the claims by federal officials like White House Drug Czar John Walters, the evidence continues to grow that marijuana prohibition not only doesn't curb marijuana use, it actually contributes to the so-called 'gateway effect,' by exposing marijuana users to criminal dealers of hard drugs. A system of responsible regulation can break the link between marijuana and far more dangerous substances."
Complete Title: Study Debunks Feds' Marijuana Claims - Regulated Sales May Stop "Gateway Effect" Without Increasing Marijuana Use
Source: Common Dreams (ME)
Published: May 3, 2004
Copyright: 2004 Common Dreams
Contact: editor@commondreams.org
Website: Common Dreams
