Marijuana ― Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control

"A timely, tightly reasoned, thought-provoking examination of ways to select policies for the enforcement of federal marijuana drug laws." Choice "Mark Kleiman has written a thorough . . . analysis of federal law enforcement policy options regarding marijuana. The genesis of this work began when he worked as a policy analyst with the U.S. Department of Justice. . . . Kleiman presents a number of major arguments against increased federal enforcement of laws prohibiting marijuana, including that it would: (1) increase the use of other drugs such as PCP and alcohol, (2) increase drug dealing and theft among adolescent users, and (3) increase the involvement of organized crime in the illicit distribution and sale of marijuana due to the attraction of greater profits. Regarding this last item, he argues that as enforcement efforts increase it gives people with a propensity for using violence and corruption a competitive advantage in the marijuana trade. Because Kleiman argues for a severe curtailment of federal law enforcement efforts against marijuana, it will stimulate the debate about the role of federal law with regard to marijuana." Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice

MARK A.R. KLEIMAN is in the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management at Harvard University. He has written numerous articles which appeared inLaw and Contemporary Problems, Crime and Justice: An Annual Review of Research, and theJournal of Policy Analysis and Management.