In other parts of the US and the world where marijuana has been decriminalized, the statistics show that its use does not increase over the long term. An article* published in 2000 examined the deterrent effect of marijuana prohibition and concluded that prohibition provided little or no deterrence. According to the authors of this study, people who lived in areas where marijuana use was decriminalized had lower or comparable rates of use to those who lived in places where marijuana was illegal. In fact, one study cited in an Institute of Medicine report found that in states where marijuana was decriminalized, emergency room patients had lower rates of use of other illicit drugs.

* E. Single et al. 2000. The Impact of Cannabis Decriminalization in Australia and the United States. Journal of Public Health Policy 21: 157-186.

There is no definitive evidence that implicates marijuana as a "gateway drug." Several government-commissioned analyses have found no evidence supporting the gateway hypothesis, including a 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine: "There is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs." And yet this "theory" has been repeated enough times that most people believe it is true.

Furthermore, decriminalizing marijuana separates it from the black market for other illicit substances, decreasing the exposure of marijuana users to harder drugs.

Decriminalizing marijuana does not mean condoning its use by children. Our current system of marijuana policy is clearly not working to reduce marijuana use among kids. It is possible that our current system even encourages teens to try marijuana by virtue of the fact that it is prohibited.

There are many potentially dangerous activities in our society that we do not allow children to do, for instance: drinking alcohol, driving cars, and gambling. However, we do not prohibit responsible adults from engaging in these activities. No matter how public policy deals with the use of marijuana, it is most effective in preventing teen marijuana use for parents and other adults to talk openly with children about the dangers of using drugs or engaging in other risky behaviors.

And besides, what message does it send to children when adults refuse to reconsider an apparently bad decision by government to prohibit marijuana? We believe adults should be willing to admit when they make a mistake, and correct it.

It is not responsible to drive while impaired for any reason. We have policies in place in New Hampshire that reflect this belief. Driving under the influence of marijuana is already illegal under current DUI laws, and can be best discouraged by honest education, not prohibition.

Our goal is to promote marijuana decriminalization, not marijuana usage. We acknowledge that marijuana can be a harmful substance, but we believe the social harms caused as a direct result of marijuana prohibition far outweigh the harm associated with legal, recreational marijuana use. It is one thing to say people shouldn't do things which are bad for them, quite another to say such people should face arrest and incarceration.

Yes, especially with your help. A Zogby poll released in March of 2006 found that more than half (53%) of Americans on the East coast believe that marijuana should be regulated in a manner similar to alcohol. Twelve states (Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon) have enacted some version of marijuana decriminalization since 1973.

This is a documentary about the history of marijuana prohibition, narrated by Woody Harrelson and freely available on Google Video.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) has an excellent primer on responsible cannabis use.