Independently Commissioned Reports
“The [criminal] law’s implementation damages individuals in terms of criminal records and risks to jobs and relationships to a degree that far outweighs any harm that cannabis may be doing to a society. … [Therefore,] prison should no longer be a penalty for possession [of cannabis.]” – The Police Foundation (United Kingdom). 2000. Drugs and the Law: Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971. London.“The current law prohibiting cannabis possession and trafficking appears to have a very limited deterrent effect, yet entails high social costs and diverts limited police resources from other pressing needs. … The severity of punishment for a cannabis possession charge should be reduced. Specifically, cannabis possession should be converted to a civil violation. … The available evidence indicates that removal of jail as a sentencing option would lead to considerable cost savings without leading to increases in the rates of cannabis use.” – Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse National Working Group on Addictions. 1998. Cannabis Control in Canada: Options Regarding Possession. CCSA, Ottawa.
“A number of studies have found experiencing contact with the police for a cannabis offense is likely to have a negative influence on young people’s confidence in the police … Reclassification [of marijuana so it is no longer a criminal offense] is likely to remove some of the friction between the police and communities that currently prevent more cooperative relationships.” – The Joseph Roundtree Foundation. 2002. The Policing of Cannabis as a Class B Drug. London.
“New Zealand politicians and the public should accept that cannabis has become part of our culture. Whatever harms are associated with cannabis are magnified by driving its use underground. A Tobacco, Alcohol, and Cannabis Authority should be created and charged with responsibility for developing and enforcing regulations concerning the production, distribution, sale, and use of these three substances.” – New Zealand Drug Policy Forum Trust. 1998. New Zealand Should Regulate and Tax Cannabis Commerce. Wellington.
“It appears clear that … a move toward more lenient laws for small scale cannabis offenses … will not lead to increased cannabis use. Thus, we can limit cannabis use without harsh penalties. … It may be that other governments, on reviewing the findings presented here and in other reports, will see fit to consider a similar approach for dealing with small scale cannabis offenses to the Cannabis Expiation System [decriminalization] of South Australia.” – Drug and Alcohol Services Council of South Australia, Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Unit. 1991. The Effects of Cannabis Legislation in South Australia on Levels of Cannabis Use. DASC Press: Parkside, South Australia.
Reference:
http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3382
- Tags: cannabis, cannabis use, marijuana, studies
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