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Minors and the legality of cannabis

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The legality of cannabis has been in great debate for many years. Cannabis has many purposes, including medicinal, but the general public has started showing an interest in the legalization of cannabis within different countries such as the United States, Uruguay, and the Netherlands. While it has been a public health concern, the way minors interact with cannabis is also a concern.

Depending on the cannabis laws that are already in place determines the way in which minors interact with cannabis. Juvenile cannabis use tends to be higher in locations that passed or plan to pass a medical cannabis law.[1] The importance of this is the fact that a person's location determines the minor’s knowledge and familiarity with the drug.

The United States

The United States is going through a change in relation to cannabis. The drug has been classified as a schedule 1 drug, which means that it is classified as a drug that has a high potential for abuse and it has no medical use. Attempts have been made to decriminalize and legalize cannabis. While this has been a struggle, there has been some success in this battle against the government.

Medical use

While possession and sale of the drug is illegal at the federal level, it is legal at the state level for several states including Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. This is not limited to the fact that there are many states in the United States that medical cannabis is being implemented in many states despite the description of a schedule 1 classification of the drug. Therefore, recreational and medical use of cannabis is fairly prevalent within the United States.

There are many things that go into the consideration of medical cannabis and how it can be applied to individuals. Medical cannabis is typically used for those that are suffering from painful long term illnesses such as epilepsy, AIDS, and cancer. Very young children can be prescribed medical cannabis because of the severity of their illness. Also, no age requirement or age limit exists in regards to medical cannabis because it serves as a medical purpose, which is to ensure that individuals are no longer suffering from the illness.

Recreational use

In states where the drug is completely legalized, there is an age requirement. The current age requirement for possessing cannabis is 21. The drug has the same kind of age restrictions as alcohol. One reason for this is because while the legalization of cannabis is fairly new, it is not likely that the restrictions would be more lenient than the one’s that are tied to alcohol. Despite the fact that the legal age of cannabis consumption is 21, youth in the United States are still in possession of the drug. While there is a legal market, a black market is still in place, thus giving youth the opportunity to purchase the drug illegally.

Master at Arms 2nd Class Aaron M. Hendrickson, Naples area Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) officer, follows along with Justin Goldacker as they work to complete a lesson in the DARE workbook.

Effects on minors

Cannabis has be a very prevalent drug for youth in the United States. About 40% of students nationwide reported using cannabis at least once.[2] The use of cannabis was about 5% higher in male students that it is in female students. About half of youth (12 to 17 years old) considered it easy to obtain cannabis among other drugs.[2]

Teens perceptions of the risks of cannabis have steadily decreased over the past decade. The reason for this is because of the ongoing debate about legalizing cannabis.[3] Other instances have occurred where these laws have greatly influenced the way in which individuals use and are familiar with cannabis. For example, evidence has shown how cannabis use among youth is consistently higher in states that have passed medical cannabis laws compared to states that did not pass a medical cannabis law.[1] The passage of such laws influences a youth’s knowledge and familiarity with the drug. But evidence has also shown that after the legalization of cannabis was put in place, there was not an increase in teen usage.[4] Despite the accessibility to the drug, the teens still have an understanding about what is deemed as right and wrong within society. These social pressures often prevent, or promote, the use of the drug.

As a result of cannabis use within the United States, several studies have linked heavy cannabis use to lower income and a greater chance of unemployment. [5] Heavy cannabis users reported being affected negatively by their consistent use. Throughout studies, it has shown that many individuals feel as though cannabis has affected their social lives and physical and mental health negatively in the long run.[5]

Uruguay

Legality

The country of Uruguay legalized cannabis. Uruguay is the first nation in the world to regulate all aspects of the cannabis market (production, sales, and consumption).[6] The reason for it’s proposed legalization was in order to get rid of the organized crime and violence that came along with the illegal drug industry. Their efforts to legalize the drug were not done because of social pressure, but more so out of the efforts to protect society from the dangers that are produced from an illegal market. Uruguay’s government wanted to seize the market from criminals, not encourage individuals to smoke cannabis. The law that was put into place states that an individual can have up to six plants at their home, cannabis will be sold over the counter, buyers must sign up for a registry that permits the purchase of cannabis, and there is a 40 gram cap per month.[7]

Oppositions

Despite cannabis being legalized in Uruguay, over 60 percent of people in the country believe legalization should be repealed.[6] Many individuals are doubtful that the legalization of cannabis will get rid of criminal organizations, such as the drug cartel. While criminal groups will not be able to compete with the legalized cannabis costs, they will be able to fall back on other activities such as trafficking and selling harder drugs, which can lead to larger crime.[8] Because the purpose of legalization is for public heath and safety reasons, publicity or advertising is against the law. Any kind of publicity of cannabis is prohibited, meaning there cannot be any billboards or advertisements for the drug.[9]

Effects on minors

Despite the skepticism within society, data has shown that among regular consumers, young individuals are most likely to be the one’s consuming cannabis. The age in which one can possess and consume cannabis is 18. In comparison to the United States, this is three years younger. The cannabis consumption age in Uruguay is a reflection of the drinking age, because the legal drinking age in Uruguay is 18 years old as well. Like the United States, Uruguay applied the same kind of restrictions to cannabis as they did to alcohol.

After the legalization had passed within Uruguay, there was an increase in secondary school students’ prevalence with the drug. In 2003, 8.4% of students had consumed marijuana during the previous twelve months, and in 2014, 17% had.[10] The typical user at this age was much more likely to be male than female. There are many concerns about this increase in cannabis use, which is why new prevention strategies are being suggested, such as drug education courses.[9]

The Netherlands

Legality

All drugs, including cannabis, are technically illegal in the Netherlands.[11] This means it is illegal to produce, possess, and sell the drugs. Dutch police conduct about 5,000 marijuana raids annually throughout the country.[12] But the government designed a drug policy that tolerates cannabis under strict conditions, such as coffee shops.

Coffeeshops are establishments in the Netherlands where the sale of cannabis for personal consumption by the public is tolerated by the local authorities.

Coffee Shops

The only places individuals can really smoke cannabis is within "coffeeshops". In these coffeeshops, they sell cannabis, which is considered to be Soft drugs in comparison to Hard drugs, which are drugs such as heroin.[13] The purpose of these coffee shops are to prevent people who use soft drugs such as cannabis from coming into contact with hard drugs.[13] The legal age to get into these coffeeshops is 18 years old.[14] While cannabis can be sold legally through coffeeshops, trafficking the drug is illegal under Dutch law, which means that the coffeeshops have to obtain their cannabis secretly and illegally.[15]

Criteria for coffee shops:[13]

  • must not cause any nuisance;
  • are not permitted to sell hard drugs;
  • are not permitted to sell cannabis to minors;
  • are not permitted to advertise drugs;
  • are not permitted to sell large quantities (over 5 grams of cannabis) in a single transaction.

Effects on minors

Many children as young as twelve years old are feeling pressured to try cannabis in the Netherlands.[16] The reason for this is because of the tolerance principle that is in place, meaning that authorities cannot prosecute someone for possessing cannabis if it is under five grams.[14] Because of the lack of enforcement in this, it is giving children the opportunity to possess marijuana in small amounts. Dutch youth have reported higher than average availability of cannabis, but no higher compared to the United States.[17] Many coffee shops have been shut down because of how close they are to schools. Local authorities were afraid that the location of the businesses would influence the youth and take advantage of them.[16]

Amsterdam's Mayor, Eberhard van der Laan stated “I think the more relaxed you look at this phenomena, the easier people will stop with it because there is no thrill in using it [if it’s tolerated]".[12] This is a common perception among many individuals within the Netherlands. While they fear substance abuse, citizens of the Netherlands are accepting of the decriminalization of cannabis because individuals will often start to find it "boring" and no longer want to consume cannabis.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Stolzenberg, Lisa; D'Alessio, Stewart; Dariano, Dustin. "The Effect of Medical Cannabis Laws on Juvenile Cannabis Use". International Journal of Drug Policy. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  2. ^ a b "Adolescents". Drug War Facts. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  3. ^ "What is the scope of marijuana use in the United States?". National Institute of Drug Abuse. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  4. ^ Borchardt, Debra. "Legalized Medical Marijuana Doesn't Increase Teen Usage, Study Finds". Forbes. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  5. ^ a b "How does marijuana use affect schools, work, and social life?". National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  6. ^ a b Giraldo, Camilo. "Continued Opposition to Uruguay Marijuana Law and Challenge for Government". InSight Crime. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  7. ^ Room, Robin. "Legalzing a Market for Cannabis for Pleasure: Colorado, Washington, Uruguay and beyond". Addiction: 345–349. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  8. ^ Lopez, German. "Why the first country to legalize marijuana might give up". Vox. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  9. ^ a b Walsh, John; Ramsey, Geoff. "Uruguay's Drug Policy: Major Innovations, Major Challenges". Foreign Policy at Brookings. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  10. ^ Fernanda Boidi, Maria; Miguel Crus, José; Queiroloe, Rosario; Bello-Pardo, Emily. "Marijuana Legalization in Uruguay and Beyond" (PDF). Retrieved 8 October 2015. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ "Dutch Drug Policy". Holland. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  12. ^ a b c Grether, Nicole. "In the Netherlands, 38 years of tolerating pot". Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  13. ^ a b c "Toleration policy regarding soft drugs and coffee shops". Government of the Netherlands. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  14. ^ a b "FAQ Coffeeshops in Amsterdam". I Amsterdam.
  15. ^ Rolles, Steve. "Cannabis policy in the Netherlands: moving forwards not backwards". Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  16. ^ a b McKenzie, Alecia. "Netherlands to see increase in youth smoking pot; taking steps to revise cannabis laws". The World Post. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  17. ^ MacCoun, Robert. "What Can We Learn from the Dutch Cannabis Experience". RAND. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
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