Contents

• NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
• COMMITTEE ON SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND HABITUAL BEHAVIOR
• PREFACE
• INTRODUCTION
• THE DANGERS OF MARIJUANA
• OVERVIEW OF CURRENT MARIJUANA POLICIES
• A REVIEW OF THE REPORT OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON MARIJUANA AND DRUG ABUSE
• THE USE OF MARIJUANA: COMPARING COMPLETE AND PARTIAL PROHIBITION
  • Effects of Partial Prohibition
  • Costs of Prohibition of Use
  • Public Attitudes Toward Partial Prohibition
• THE SUPPLY OF MARIJUANA: COMPARING PROHIBITED AND REGULATED MARKETS
  • Costs of Prohibition of Supply
  • Costs of Regulating Supply
  • Regulatory Systems: Some Concrete Aspects
• CONCLUSIONS
• RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RESEARCH
  • Health and Behavior
  • Drug Markets
  • Effects on Use
• REFERENCES
• APPENDIX: SUMMARY OF MARIJUANA AND HEALTH

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was established by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and of advising the federal government. The Council operates in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy under the authority of its congressional charter of 1863, which establishes the Academy as a private, non-profit, self-governing membership corporation. The Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in the conduct of their services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. It is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. The National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine were established in 1964 and 1970, respectively, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences.