Marijuana Legalization
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Description
Should marijuana be legalized? The latest Gallup poll reports that exactly half of Americans say "yes"; opinion couldn't be more evenly divided.Marijuana is forbidden by international treaties and by national and local laws across the globe. But those laws are under challenge in several countries. In the U.S., there is no short-term prospect for changes in federal law, but sixteen states allow medical use and recent initiatives to legalize production and non-medical use garnered more than 40% support in four states. California's Proposition 19 nearly passed in 2010, and multiple states are expected to consider similar measures in the years to come.
The debate and media coverage surrounding Proposition 19 reflected profound confusion, both about the current state of the world and about the likely effects of changes in the law. In addition, not all supporters of "legalization" agree on what it is they want to legalize: Just using marijuana? Growing it? Selling it? Advertising it? If sales are to be legal, what regulations and taxes should apply? Different forms of legalization might have very different results.
Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know will provide readers with a non-partisan primer about the topic, covering everything from the risks and benefits of using marijuana, to describing the current laws around the drug in the U.S. and abroad. The authors discuss the likely costs and benefits of legalization at the state and national levels and walk readers through the "middle ground" of policy options between prohibition and commercialized production. The authors also consider how marijuana legalization could personally impact parents, heavy users, medical users, drug traffickers, and employers.
Features
- Authors are among the foremost public and scholarly authorities on U.S. drug policy
- Will provide a truly balanced and comprehensive introduction to and assessment of the current and future situation surrounding marijuana legalization
- Authors will lay out their individual views on what course of policy the United States should follow
- Lively writing, highly readable Q&A format; part of the popular What Everyone Needs to Know series.
Reviews
"For decades, the legal status of marijuana has provoked anger, controversy, wild accusations, and a remarkable amount of unreason. This book calmly and succinctly looks at the facts. It is essential reading for all who seek rational marijuana policies." -- Eric Schlosser, author of Reefer Madness
About the Author(s)
Jonathan P. Caulkins is Stever Professor of Operations Research and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University.
Angela Hawken is Associate Professor of Public Policy at Pepperdine University.
Beau Kilmer is Co-Director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center.
Mark A.R. Kleiman is Professor of Public Policy at UCLA, editor of The Journal of Drug Policy Analysis, and author of When Brute Force Fails and Against Excess.
