Cannabis Policy: Moving Beyond Stalemate

Cannabis, marijuana, pot, ganja – it goes by many names – is by far the most widely used illegal substance, and accounts for more arrests than any other drug.  Politicians the world over have tied themselves in knots trying to decide how to deal with it.

Cannabis Policy: Moving Beyond Stalemate is unique in providing the materials needed for deciding on policy about cannabis, and will be of interest to a wide range of readers interested in drugs and drug policy.  It reviews the state of knowledge on the health and psychological effects of cannabis, and its dangerousness relative to other drugs, legal and illegal.  It considers patters of use, the size of illicit markets and the effects of attempts to enforce a global prohibition.  It examines countries that have tried reforming their regimes and softening prohibition and evaluates the effects of such changes on cannabis usage, drug markets, and in mitigating the adverse consequences of prohibition.  For policy makers willing to look outside the box of the global prohibition regime, the book examines the options and possibilities for a country or group of countries to bring about change in, or opt out of, the global control system.

Throughout, the book examines cannabis within a global frame, and provides in accessible form information which anyone considering reform will need in order to make decisions on cannabis policy (much of which is new or has not been readily available). This book will be essential for those involved in policymaking and be of interest to a wide range of readers interested in drugs and drug policy, as well as being an excellent supplementary text for university courses in criminology, policy science, social science, or public health.

For more information on Cannabis Policy: Moving Beyond Stalemate, please visit the Oxford Press website at http://www.oupcanada.com/catalog/9780199581481.html.

This book is co-published with The Beckley Foundation Global Cannabis Commission Report, Cannabis Policy: Moving Beyond Stalemate.