THE MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION MOVEMENT Marijuana is grown in almost every country in the world, ranging from personal home cultivation to large-scale farm and warehouse operations. In 2012, more than 5 tons of cannabis were seized. The largest quantity was seized in the United States, which accounts for over 60% of the seizures worldwide. The area with the second-highest number of seizures was Central and South America and the Caribbean (UNODC 2014). The small South American country of Uruguay was the first in the world to legally regulate the production, sale, and consumption of marijuana for adults. (Portugal was the first country to decriminalize the use of all drugs. Norway decriminalized drugs at the end of 2017.) 

Beginning in 2014, Uruguayans over the age of 18 have had legal access to marijuana through home cultivation of up to 6 plants per household, membership clubs where 15 to 45 members can collectively grow up to 99 plants, or sales of up to 10 grams per week through licensed pharmacies. The system is regulated by the Institute for Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCCA) and includes educational and health programming for residents (Hetzer 2014). The 2012 legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington has been credited with encouraging legalization efforts in other states and other countries. In its 2014 report, the UNODC expressed concern regarding cannabis legalization in Washington and Colorado. The organization warned, “While it is not yet clear how the market will change, the commercialization of cannabis may also significantly affect drug-use behaviors. Commercialization implies motivated selling, which can lead to directed advertisements that promote and encourage consumption” (p. 43). Since 2012, there has been no systematic data collection or assessment of the impact of marijuana legalization. According to the Drug Policy Alliance (2016), “It is too early to draw any line-in-the-sand conclusion about the effects of marijuana legislation. However, preliminary reports suggest that the effects of legalization have either been positive or negligible” (p. 3). 

Results from the Washington Healthy Youth Survey and the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, collected post-legalization, revealed no increase in the overall rate of marijuana use among youth. Similar results were reported for Alaska and Oregon youth. Marijuana tax revenues in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon have all exceeded initial revenue estimates. Jamaica, Mexico, Morocco, and other countries have expressed interest in changing their marijuana laws, moving to some form of legalization. Economics is often cited as the motivation for legalization. Do you agree with the UNODC’s concern about the commercialization of marijuana? Why or why not?