Policy Analysis and Alternatives
MPP handouts, reports, briefing papers, etc.
Outside reports, studies, etc.
Global Cannabis Commission Report - On October 2, 2008, the Global Cannabis Commission, a group of top scientists commissioned by the Beckley Foundation, a British think tank, issued its groundbreaking report, "Cannabis Policy: Moving Beyond Stalemate," at a seminar in the Moses Room of the House of Lords in the Palace of Westminster. These distinguished researchers lay out what's known about marijuana's physical and psychological risks and -- something most other commission reports have not done -- what is known about the effects of various types of marijuana policies and reforms thereof.
Marijuana Arrests in the United States - 2007 - The most exhaustive collection of data ever on U.S. marijuana arrests, penalties and related information finds no relationship between marijuana arrest and use rates, while penalty structures act as a price support mechanism that boosts the illegal market.
Youth Tobacco Sales: Enforcement Efforts and SAMHSA's Synar Regulation Monitoring - 2006 was the first year that all 50 states were in compliance with federal rules designed to curb tobacco sales to youth. The report highlights the progressive success of the cigarette sales enforcement program in the U.S., noting that the national average of illegal tobacco sales to minors has dropped since the program's inception.
Revenue & Taxes from Oakland's Cannabis Economy: Report to Measure Z Oversight Committee - This analysis by Dale Gieringer and Richard Lee concludes that the medical marijuana business in the city of Oakland, Calif., could contribute tens of millions of dollars to the local economy.
Medical Marijuana: Politics Trumps Science at the FDA - In this commentary for Medscape General Medicine, Dr. Greg Carter of the University of Washington and MPP's Bruce Mirken analyze the Food and Drug Administration's April 2006 statement criticizing medical marijuana laws.
Marijuana Growth in British Columbia - This analysis from the Fraser Institute, a Canadian think tank, analyzes the economic and policy implications of British Columbia's marijuana industry.
The Limited Relevance of Drug Policy: Cannabis in Amsterdam and in San Francisco - Officials often claim that marijuana must be banned in order to deter use, but this study from the American Journal of Public Health casts doubt upon such assumptions.
Legalisation of Cannabis - Discussion Document - This paper from the British group Action on Smoking and Health lays out the case for ending marijuana prohibition from the point-of-view of a major anti-tobacco group.
Further Consideration of the Classification of Cannabis Under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 - Unlike the U.S., the British government maintains an independent group of scientific experts to advise it on drug policy, called the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. In 2005, concerned about reports linking marijuana use to mental illness, the government asked the council to take another look at the 2004 "downgrading" of marijuana, which had placed it in the least harmful category of illicit drugs and eliminated most marijuana possession arrests. The council recommended continuing the reduced penalties.
The Evidence Base for the Classification of Drugs - As part of its evaluation of Britain's system for classifying illicit drugs, Parliament commissioned the European branch of RAND Corporation, one of the world's most respected think tanks, to study the evidence underlying the classification of several specific drugs, including marijuana. The section on cannabis (marijuana) notes the relatively mild risks of marijuana use and the effective impossibility of a fatal overdose.
Effects of the Cannabis Expiation Notice Scheme on Levels and Patterns of Cannabis Use in South Australia - Three of Australia's leading substance abuse researchers investigated the effect of marijuana decriminalization in South Australia, using data from Australia's major national drug use survey, reporting no evidence that the change had any significant effect.
Drugs - Facing Facts - This report, from a diverse commission made up of government, health, social services, academic, business, and other interests investigates and answers the question of whether current drug policies are working and how they may be improved. The report finds that current drug policy and law are misguided, ineffective and even "driven by moral panic."
Drug Misuse Declared: Findings from the 2006/07 British Crime Survey - A year after the 2005-06 survey listed below, this British government survey tracks the continuing drop in marijuana use by both adults and teens after Britain ended most marijuana possession arrest in 2004.
Drug Misuse Declared: Findings from the 2005/06 British Crime Survey - When Britain legally downgraded marijuana in 2004, ending arrests for most marijuana possession cases, critics complained that the move would encourage marijuana use, particularly among young people. This official British government survey -- one of an annual series -- charts a continuing drop in overall drug use, and a significant drop in the use of marijuana, particularly by young people.
Drug Classification: Making a Hash of It? - Like the U.S., British law ranks drugs into several levels, with the worst drugs supposedly drawing the most severe sanctions. And like the U.S., this system draws considerable criticism. This 2006 report from the Science and Technology Committee of the British House of Commons contains a number of pointed observations about drug policy in general and marijuana in particular.
CRS Report for Congress: Medical Marijuana: Review and Analysis of Federal and State Policies - This report, prepared by the public policy research arm of the U.S. Congress, provides a comprehensive overview of medical marijuana policy developments since 1937. The report includes many interesting nuggets rarely reported in the U.S. news media.
The Classification of Cannabis Under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 - Unlike the U.S., the British government maintains an independent group of scientific experts to advise it on drug policy, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. This 2002 report formed the basis for the British government's decision to "downgrade" marijuana to the lowest category of illicit drugs, eliminating most marijuana possession arrests.
Cigarette Sales In U.S. Reach Historic 55-Year Low - This March 2006 announcement from the National Association of Attorneys General hails the success of tobacco regulation in curbing cigarette smoking in the U.S. The report charts a dramatic, 28% drop in U.S. cigarette sales from 1990 to 2005.
Cannabis Policy and the Burden of Proof: Is It Now Beyond Reasonable Doubt That Cannabis Prohibition Is Not Working? - "Innocent until proven guilty" is how many policymakers have thought about the prohibition of marijuana in the U.S. and elsewhere. In this analysis, Australian researcher Simon Lenton finds that comparisons between states that have decriminalized cannabis and prohibitionist states show decriminalization has not led to higher rates of current cannabis use.
Cannabis Policies and User Practices: Market Separation, Price, Potency, and Accessibility in Amsterdam and San Francisco - To get an idea of how drug policies affect marijuana users in the real world, researchers studied marijuana users in two roughly comparable cities with very different policies: San Francisco, where marijuana sales and possession are illegal, and Amsterdam, where regulated sales of small amounts of marijuana constitute a sort of de facto regulated "legalization."
MPP op-ed columns
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