INTERPRETING DUTCH CANNABIS POLICY - REASONING BY ANALOGY IN THE LEGALIZATION DEBATE

Authors
MACCOUN R REUTER P
Citation
R. Maccoun et P. Reuter, INTERPRETING DUTCH CANNABIS POLICY - REASONING BY ANALOGY IN THE LEGALIZATION DEBATE, Science, 278(5335), 1997, pp. 47-52
Citations number
50
Categorie Soggetti
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Journal title
Science → ACNP
ISSN journal
00368075
Volume
278
Issue
5335
Year of publication
1997
Pages
47 - 52
Database
ISI
SICI code
0036-8075(1997)278:5335<47:IDCP-R>2.0.ZU;2-1
Abstract
The Dutch depenalization and subsequent de facto legalization of canna bis since 1976 is used here to highlight the strengths and limitations of reasoning by analogy as a guide for projecting the effects of rela xing drug prohibitions. While the Dutch case and other analogies have flaws, they appear to converge in suggesting that reductions in crimin al penalties have limited effects on drug use-at least for marijuana-b ut that commercial access is associated with growth in the drug-using population.