Post-Prohibition Frameworks Part One: Marijuana

While most of my posts will take the form of railing against prohibition, I'd like to set aside a few posts to deal primarily with what a post-prohibition regulatory framework might look like. In this one, I will present my idea for an appropriate marijuana distribution model.

It is worth noting that the only identifiable country with a model that actually regulates cannabis sales is Holland; the catch is that marijuana is technically only "decriminalized" there. This simply means that use, possession of a certain amount, and sales in a licensed coffee shop is not punishable. Yet, at the same time, cannabis distribution TO the dispensaries from a larger producer is illegal, so Dutch authorities do make some efforts to curb large-scale marijuana trafficking. I personally don't think America would take this somewhat confusing approach, but even if we are dealing with outright legalization the coffee shop model offers some clear benefits.

First, the model promotes responsible use by confining cannabis consumption to licensed and professional coffee shops. When you smoke in a coffee shop, you order what you want off of a menu, something that doesn't seem to make sense with any other drug. With cannabis, you must have a variety of options: different strains, different smoking devices, and different methods of delivery (edibles). With a full menu and a clean setting, marijuana use is controlled, isolated, and essentially comparable to wine tasting in Northern California.

Second, controlled use is good because the smoking of tobacco in public places has already come under attack from numerous city ordinances. Smoking weed on the street wouldn't necessarily be a problem, but if people are concerned with tobacco smokers I doubt they would want their children to run into a guy smoking a blunt at the bus stop.

Finally, the coffee shop model includes limited advertising and requires that interested consumers take affirmative steps to enter a setting where cannabis is sold. Of course it's not hard to find a coffee shop, but this model prevents the kind of abuses that could come with selling packages of joints at grocery stores. If marijuana is that easily accessible, it may promote underage consumption or some irresponsible consumption. It's hard to accept the argument that this would promote irresponsible consumption because it seems like marijuana cannot be used irresponsibly in a way that alcohol would. Still, I think likening marijuana sales to alcohol or tobacco sales will only serve to cast a shade of inferiority on it, which is the last thing we need after all we've struggle for. Also, I believe, as Pete Guither at DrugWarRant pointed out, that a marijuana regulatory framework should provide for the "cannabis connoisseur." This cannot be achieved through a model similar to cigarette sales because you cannot smell, touch, feel the cannabis.

There should be three primary goals for an effective regulatory regime: discouraging underage use, discouraging corporate takeover, and promoting the Cannabis Connoisseur. This can only come through regulations that limit advertising