Marijuana Notes

In the United States legalization of drugs almost invariably refers to the legalization of marijuana rather than, for instance, heroin and cocaine. Use of "hard drugs" like these is relatively limited, and most Americans consider them to be highly addictive and damaging to one's physical and mental health. Marijuana's situation is different. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in 2003 more than three-quarters of all current drug users (75.2%) were using marijuana, and more than half of all current drug users used only marijuana and no other drugs. "Current drug use" is defined by SAMHSA as drug use in the thirty days before a person participated in SAMHSA's annual Household Survey of Drug Abuse. Some studies have suggested significant harm from marijuana use, including effects on the heart, lungs, brain, and social and learning capabilities. Others have found little or no harm from moderate marijuana use. Regardless of what the research says, marijuana is generally thought of as a relatively mild drug, an opinion supported by government initiatives in Canada, where marijuana possession has been decriminalized in many localities, or in the Netherlands, where marijuana sales are tolerated in "coffee shops."

In the United States legalization of drugs almost invariably refers to the legalization of marijuana rather than, for instance, heroin and cocaine. Use of "hard drugs" like these is relatively limited, and most Americans consider them to be highly addictive and damaging to one's physical and mental health. Marijuana's situation is different. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in 2003 more than three-quarters of all current drug users (75.2%) were using marijuana, and more than half of all current drug users used only marijuana and no other drugs. "Current drug use" is defined by SAMHSA as drug use in the thirty days before a person participated in SAMHSA's annual