What Happens When Marijuana Laws Clash?

Can a state legalize something that the federal government prohibits? The states retain a degree of sovereignty; the Constitution does not allow the federal government to order state governments to create any particular laws or to require state and local police to enforce federal...

What Is Happening in Alaska, Oregon, Jamaica, and Uruguay?

As noted in Chapter 14, five major jurisdictions have legalized large-​scale production for nonmedical purposes: Colorado and Washington State in 2012, Uruguay in 2013, and Alaska and Oregon in 2014. And there is Jamaica, whose 2015 law theoretically allows large-​scale production only...

What Do the Authors Think Ought to Be Done About Marijuana?

We don’t necessarily agree, and none of us is sure. Mark thinks that marijuana prohibition is so broken that even a relatively badly managed legalization is likely to turn out better, especially in terms of arrests and the illicit market, as well as the...

What Might the Future Hold?

As both Yogi Berra and Werner Heisenberg pointed out, it’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future. Many of the forecasts below are likely to turn out to be wrong. But there can still be value in trying to think systematically about the...

Where Are We, and How Did We Get Here?

How many states have legalized or decriminalized marijuana? Many states have liberalized their marijuana laws; the exact count depends on the definitions one uses. As of the fall of 2015, four states have legalized commercial for-​profit industries to produce marijuana for general adult use,...

How Stringent Is Marijuana Enforcement in the United States?

Does it make sense for marijuana to be a Schedule I substance? Yes, until the federal process finds it has medical value. The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) divides abusable drugs into five groups, called “schedules,” numbered from I to V. Schedule V includes only...

What Is Known About the Nonmedical Benefits of Using Marijuana?

Astoundingly little. Much is claimed, but little is known. One thing is certain: people across the globe have enjoyed it for thousands of years, and more than 100 million do so today. Users report that getting high is relaxing and pleasurable, and that it...

Who Uses Marijuana?

How many people use marijuana? Marijuana is the world’s most widely used illicit substance. Around the world, between 125 million and 225 million people use marijuana in the course of a year; that’s 3–​4 percent of the population aged 15 to 64. The amphetamine-​type...

What Is Marijuana?

What does “marijuana” mean? “Marijuana” is the common (and legal) American term for the dried flowers and leaves of the plant Cannabis sativa, and for the plant itself. The flowers contain concentrated amounts of psychoactive (mood-​altering) chemicals known as cannabinoids (produced only...

What Is Happening in Colorado and Washington?

If Uruguay, Alaska, and Oregon have all legalized, why focus on Colorado and Washington? As of this writing, five major jurisdictions have legalized large-​scale production and retail sale for nonmedical purposes: Colorado and Washington State in 2012, Uruguay in 2013, and Alaska and Oregon...