Date Posted:09:40:25 04/06/08 Sun Author:Jonathan Dunn Subject: Marijuana & National Review
I recently read an article in the National Review supporting the legalization of marijuana. An important argument for those opposing such a legalization is that, even if marijuana use is not dangerous to adults, allowing adults to use it encourages and allows youths to use it as well. In other words, marijuana use provides a bad example to the young.
The article observes that the use and availability of marijuana in high schools has remained constant despite variations in the use of marijuana among adults.
The issue seems to go back to Dr. Jackson's question of whether he should warn his daughters against the electric socket: first, if marijuana is illegal for even adults, teenagers will think it is rebellious and cool; second, if marijuana is legal for adults, parents will be permitting it by example. In other words, either policy will tend in some circumstances to influence the young to use marijuana. And thus the marijuana use in the young is constant even though marijuana use in adults fluctuates.
The point is that it seems the imitated desire doesn't affect actual behavior in a uniform manner. The same number of kids will use marijuana whether or not it is illegal for adults.
