Does my kid have to meet dealers at school? That’s what I don’t want. And we’re talking about cannabis here? A censorship, really? Everlasting teetering on the edge of the law. Nonsense. A rational regulation, effective and fair legislation for cannabis is the solution. So let’s talk about cannabis.
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In the U.S., legalization has reduced of underage users. Regulating cnnbis protects minors by by suppressing the black market.
THEY HAVE NAMES
Šárka is a Czech who moved to Colorado, USA, 20 years ago, where she started a family and still lives there today. She has two teenage daughters and remembers very well the transition from prohibition to regulation. “Before the legal sale of cannabis started in 2014, there was a lot of ,dealing‘ like everywhere else,” says Šárka.
Thanks to regulation, tax money started flowing into prevention and education on drug use among young people, as well as into the construction and repair of schools. Last but not least, cannabis became an unattractive commodity for illegal dealers.
Both daughters have spent most of their lives in a state where cannabis is regulated and legalization has not negatively affected them, according to their mother, quite the opposite. “I have an open relationship with my daughters, so I know they don’t consume cannabis and don’t care about it, just like their friends don’t,” Šárka says. “At least, I’ve never heard from other parents that their children have problems with weed. We adults, on the other hand, like to choose from the legal selection in the dispensaries, where we know what percentage of THC is in the product.” Openness, trust and truthful information work much better than intimidation, threats and punishment.
FACTS
Few doubt that the potential regulation of cannabis will have a major impact on the illegal market. After all, we still like to tell stories about the effects of alcohol prohibition on the formation of mafias in the USA, there is even a popular Czech computer game on the subject, and all available statistics and drug experts say the same thing: prohibition and repression do more harm than good. However, there is still speculation that the introduction of a regulated market will rapidly increase crime, or that loosening restrictions will put cannabis in the hands of more children and adolescents.
Here it should be stressed again and again that the research available does not support any such thing. Statistics have repeatedly shown that if cannabis prohibition has been loosened or even a regulated market has emerged, this has not had any significant impact on crime and interest in cannabis (i.e. the number of users). In some cases, it is even possible to register a decline in interest among at-risk groups of children and adolescents. Here we can quote the prestigious Cato Institute, which concludes its report on legalisation in the US by saying: “The absence of adverse consequences of legalization is striking, especially in view of the black predictions of opponents.”
Resources:
DILLS, Angela; GOFFARD, Sietse; MIRON, Jeffrey a PARTIN, Erin. The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations: 2021 Update. Online. HTTPS://WWW.CATO.ORG/. Cato Institue. 2021. Dostupné z: https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/effect-state-marijuana-legalizations-2021-update. [cit. 2024-09-11].
HELCMAN, Martin. Mýty a fakta o regulaci: Dopad na černý trh. Online. HTTPS://MAGAZIN-KONOPI.CZ/. Magazín konopí. 2024. Dostupné z: https://magazin-konopi.cz/myty-a-fakta-o-regulaci-dopad-na-cerny-trh/. [cit. 2024-09-11].
MCCARTHY, Kylie E. The Effect of Marijuana Legalization on Crime Rates. Online. Evidence-Based Professionals Society. 22 Sep 2022n. l. Dostupné z: https://www.ebpsociety.org/blog/education/525-the-effect-of-marijuana-legalization-on-crime-rates. [cit. 2024-09-11].
NATIONAL SURVEY ON DRUG USE AND HEALTH. 2023 NSDUH Annual National Report. Online. HTTPS://WWW.SAMHSA.GOV/. SAMHSA. 2024. Dostupné z: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-annual-national-report. [cit. 2024-09-12].
