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Cannabis laws: an analysis of costs
Author(s) -
MARKS ROBERT E.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
drug and alcohol review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.018
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1465-3362
pISSN - 0959-5236
DOI - 10.1080/09595239400185451
Subject(s) - cannabis , decriminalization , legalization , law enforcement , enforcement , government (linguistics) , illicit drug , effects of cannabis , economics , law , business , medicine , drug , political science , psychiatry , linguistics , philosophy , cannabidiol
There is evidence that the use of cannabis is increasing in Australia, with stable black‐market prices, despite the 9‐year National Campaign Against Drug Abuse, increasing expenditure to enforce the laws against cannabis use, and the seizure of large plantations of cannabis plants. Recent government data are used to estimate the conservative cost of drug‐law enforcement against cannabis use as being $329m in 1991‐92. Alternatives to the existing regime are examined, including expiation, decriminalization, and legalization. [Marks RE. Cannabis laws: an analysis of costs. Drug Alcohol Rev 1994;13:341–346.]