THE SCIENCE OF DECRIMINALIZING DRUGS
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN STATES EASE UP ON PENALTIES FOR POSSESSION
By Francie Diep
2/2/2015
The legal landscape for marijuana has never looked this relaxed. Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. voted during the recent election season to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Other states reduced the punishments for possessing small amounts of the drug, a move the American
Academy of Pediatrics just endorsed. According to polls, more Americans than ever support legalizing Cannabis.
As legal and public views shift, we thought we'd take a look at the science of decriminalizing drugs.
What can science actually answer about the effects of looser drug laws?
Researchers know the most about the outcomes of decriminalizing marijuana. That's because decriminalization laws are much more common than legalization laws--we'll get to that next--and because many more states and nations have decriminalized marijuana than other recreational drugs.
So researchers have more pot-related case studies to examine.
Is there a difference between decriminalization and legalization?
Yes. Decriminalization generally means laws that reduce or eliminate the punishments associated with possessing small amounts of marijuana or other recreational drugs.
In a decriminalized state, selling lots of drugs is still a serious crime. Legalization, on the other hand, means allowing people not only to consume, but also to sell bulk amounts of a drug. A legalized state may even try to set up a system for regulating and taxing drug sales.
Of course, every state has its own particular laws. Those laws may fall anywhere in a spectrum between lax and strict. Still, researchers like to distinguish between decriminalization-type laws and legalization-type laws because they may have quite different effects. Economist Rosalie
Pacula told Popular Science that the outcomes researchers have seen from decriminalized states likely won't help predict what will happen in
legalized states, such as Colorado and Washington. Colorado's and Washington's marijuana-legalization laws are unprecedented in modern times.
Now that it's been about a year since Colorado and Washington's laws went into effect, however, we're going to start seeing thorough research about their consequences very soon. Some early findings are already slipping out.
continued here http://www.popsci.com/science-decriminalize-legalize-drugs-marijuana-weed
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Decriminalization would be a step in the right direction, but it would not address the black market and all the problems it creates. The problems the Black market creates are arguably much worse than the problems that come with drug use. Pluss people are still forced to use sketchy unregulated products and this leads to health problems and overdoses.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN STATES EASE UP ON PENALTIES FOR POSSESSION
By Francie Diep
2/2/2015
The legal landscape for marijuana has never looked this relaxed. Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. voted during the recent election season to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Other states reduced the punishments for possessing small amounts of the drug, a move the American
Academy of Pediatrics just endorsed. According to polls, more Americans than ever support legalizing Cannabis.
As legal and public views shift, we thought we'd take a look at the science of decriminalizing drugs.
What can science actually answer about the effects of looser drug laws?
Researchers know the most about the outcomes of decriminalizing marijuana. That's because decriminalization laws are much more common than legalization laws--we'll get to that next--and because many more states and nations have decriminalized marijuana than other recreational drugs.
So researchers have more pot-related case studies to examine.
Is there a difference between decriminalization and legalization?
Yes. Decriminalization generally means laws that reduce or eliminate the punishments associated with possessing small amounts of marijuana or other recreational drugs.
In a decriminalized state, selling lots of drugs is still a serious crime. Legalization, on the other hand, means allowing people not only to consume, but also to sell bulk amounts of a drug. A legalized state may even try to set up a system for regulating and taxing drug sales.
Of course, every state has its own particular laws. Those laws may fall anywhere in a spectrum between lax and strict. Still, researchers like to distinguish between decriminalization-type laws and legalization-type laws because they may have quite different effects. Economist Rosalie
Pacula told Popular Science that the outcomes researchers have seen from decriminalized states likely won't help predict what will happen in
legalized states, such as Colorado and Washington. Colorado's and Washington's marijuana-legalization laws are unprecedented in modern times.
Now that it's been about a year since Colorado and Washington's laws went into effect, however, we're going to start seeing thorough research about their consequences very soon. Some early findings are already slipping out.
continued here http://www.popsci.com/science-decriminalize-legalize-drugs-marijuana-weed
..........................................................................................................................
Decriminalization would be a step in the right direction, but it would not address the black market and all the problems it creates. The problems the Black market creates are arguably much worse than the problems that come with drug use. Pluss people are still forced to use sketchy unregulated products and this leads to health problems and overdoses.
