Do Medical Cannabis Laws Encourage Cannabis Use?
Dennis M. Gorman and J. Charles Huber Jr., "Do medical cannabis laws encourage cannabis use?" International Journal of Drug Policy 18, issue 3 (May 2007): 160-167.
Gorman and Huber provide evidence against the fear that laws permitting medical use of marijuana will lead to increased recreational use by the general public. The study looked at reported marijuana use among several metropolitan populations of "high risk" individuals in California, Oregon, and Colorado. In each of these states, marijuana use did not increase after the passage of medical marijuana laws. This research supports the findings of other studies that acknowledging the medical benefits of marijuana does not appear to "send the wrong message" and cause widespread non-medical use.
Free abstract and full text available for a fee: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09553959.
