The Limited Relevance of Drug Policy: Cannabis in Amsterdam and in San Francisco

Craig Reinarman, Peter D. Cohen, and Hendrien L. Kaal, "The limited relevance of drug policy: cannabis in Amsterdam and in San Francisco," American Journal of Public Health 94, issue 5 (May 2004): 836-42.

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. Researchers compared use of marijuana and other drugs in San Francisco, where possession and sale of marijuana are illegal, to Amsterdam, where adults are allowed to purchase small amounts of marijuana from licensed businesses. They found little difference between the two cities, except that use of hard drugs was more common in San Francisco, and concluded, "We found no evidence to support claims that criminalization reduces use or that decriminalization increases use."

Full text available for free at: http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/full/94/5/836