Marihuana Position

THE

DEA POSITION ON

Table
 of
 Contents
 
The DEA Position On Marijuana............................................................................................................. 2
  The Fallacy of Marijuana For Medicinal Use ...................................................................................... 3
  Smoked Marijuana Is Not Medicine................................................................................................ 3 The Legalization Lobby ................................................................................................................... 6 The Failure of Legalized Marijuana Efforts .................................................................................. 11 The Consequences Of Marijuana Grows....................................................................................... 15 Dangers of Marijuana ........................................................................................................................ 22
  Marijuana Is Dangerous To The User And Others ........................................................................ 22 Mental Health Issues Related To Marijuana.................................................................................. 23 Physical Health Issues Related To Marijuana ............................................................................... 26 Marijuana As A Precursor To Abuse Of Other Drugs ................................................................... 31 Dependency And Treatment.............................................................................................................. 32
  Dangers To Non Users ....................................................................................................................... 33
  Delinquent Behaviors..................................................................................................................... 33 DruggedDrivers............................................................................................................................. 34 Other Consequences Of Marijuana Use ............................................................................................. 38
  Marijuana And Incarceration ......................................................................................................... 41 The Foreign Experience WithMarijuana ...................................................................................... 42 Other Considerations ......................................................................................................................... 47
  Marijuana Use Among Youth Is Rising As Perception Of Risk Decreases .................................. 47 Increased Eradication..................................................................................................................... 48 In Their Own Words ...................................................................................................................... 49 Appendix ................................................................................................................................................ 51  Acronyms Used In “The DEA Position on Marijuana” ..................................................................... 51
  Endnotes................................................................................................................................................. 52
 

January 2011

1

THE DEA POSITION ON MARIJUANA
Marijuana is properly categorized under Schedule Iof the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), 21 U.S.C. § 801, et seq. The clear weight of the currently available evidence supports this classification, including evidence that smoked marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no accepted medicinal value in treatment in the United States, and evidence that there is a general lack of accepted safety for its use even under medical supervision. The...