do criminal laws prohibiting marijuana possession deter marijuana use.?

Question

Marijuana use remains consistent despite a high level of enforcement, and there is no detectable relationship between changes in enforcement and levels of marijuana use over time.
REFERENCE: J. Morgan and L. Zimmer. 1997. Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts: A Review of the Scientific Evidence. The Lindesmith Center: New York, 46.

Marijuana users believe that their behavior will go undetected; thus fear of arrest is usually not a factor in people's decisions whether or not to use it.
REFERENCE: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse National Working Group on Addictions. 1998. Cannabis Control in Canada: Options Regarding Possession. Ottawa.

Marijuana laws have no "specific" deterrent impact on drug taking behavior. Studies show that marijuana offenders continue to use marijuana after their conviction at rates equal to those prior to their arrest. No relation between the actual or perceived severity of their previous sentence and subsequent use has been found.

REFERENCE: P. Erickson. 1980. Cannabis Criminals: The Social Effects of Punishment on Drug Users. Addiction Research Foundation: Toronto.

In surveys, most individuals cite health concerns and family responsibilities rather than legal concerns as their primary reasons for ceasing (or never initiating) marijuana use.
REFERENCE: National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine (IOM). 1982. Marijuana and Health. National Academy Press: Washington, DC.

A California police officer's study concluded, "The reduction in penalties for possession of marijuana for personal use does not appear to [be] a factor in people's decision to use or not use the drug."
REFERENCE: California State Office of Narcotics and Drug Abuse. 1977. A First Report on the Impact of California's New Marijuana Law. State Capitol: Sacramento.

Answer 1

Looks like you've answered your own question.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Of course the laws prohibiting marijuana possession deter the use. This is just as all criminal laws. A criminal law is defined as a deterrant to crime. It is a "think twice" action since now the action carries an added consequence.

Do you mean will all criminal activity stop if we pass the right law? Is your arguement if it can't be stopped, we should not make it criminal?

Why not focus more on why marijuana use is not a problem. I think most people believe that. I think most of us believe we have been lied to and the negative affects of marijuana use have been greatly exaggerated.

Answer 4

Certainly the antidrug laws deter drug use. I never smoke pot when my brother the cop is visiting. I don't smoke it when I am walking down busy downtown streets, and I certainly never smoke it when I am chairing a Parks Committee meeting.

I think you need to ask, "Do the antidrug laws deter people from using drugs at all?' Then the answer could be a solid "No!"

All antidrug laws and rhetoric have done is undermine the trust a huge number of us have for the lawmakers, and destroyed the faith of the public in the fairness of our legal system.

How would legalizing drugs affect the average person? Our taxes would go down, because we would not have to support the huge antidrug bureaucracies like the DEA, and the criminal system would have more time to deal with real lawbreakers. Fewer trials would mean that fewer lawyers would be needed, and that can't be bad.

Besides the lower taxes and unemployed lawyers, crime would be reduced when the prices of drugs was lowered. The criminally inclined addict would not need to steal as much to score.

So the overall effect would be to reduce the cost of government. If a few people die of overdoses, well I don't mean to be cynical, but aren't they dying anyway?

Answer 5

actualy they only deter the use when near somewhere sketchy to use it, otherwise no, not at all, people been smoking pot since pretty much earth started vegatating, and plus the reason why its illegal is for a lost cause, 70 years ago they tried to get rid of the mexicans in the west, now our health books are fileld with the bullshit propaganda of outdated made up material and if you ever get the chance, research the studies they made on the anti-drug commercials, youll be suprised how inaccurate and completley useless tests were made.

o yea and if drugs were legal, there would be no d.e.a, and as much as they want us to belive, they will never, never in this lifetime or any generation, stop drug use it will never happen, you cant destroy a mans will and desire.

Answer 6

Criminal Record Search Database : http://SearchVerifyInfo.com/Support