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Drawing on scientific evidence from medicine, psychology, criminology, and sociology, this book explores the veracity of claims about marijuana use and misuse. Is marijuana an innocent recreational pleasure and medicinal boon or an evil that must be outlawed to protect the American public? With the legal and social status of marijuana in transition, accurate and objective information regarding its use is necessary for informed decisionmaking in both the personal and political arenas. To distinguish truth from fiction, this book draws on scientific evidence from medicine, psychology, criminology, and sociology, exploring many of the most commonly held beliefs about marijuana and documenting the scope and impact of its use-and abuse-in the United States.The work is organized around five broad topics: patterns and trends; risks and benefits; causes and consequences; criminalization; and practice and policy. It opens with examinations of use and abuse trends among various U.S. subpopulations, then goes on to scrutinize claims about the medical risks associated with the substance. Social and interpersonal causes and consequences of marijuana use are addressed, as is the history and future of marijuana legislation in the United States. Readers will come away from this book with broad-based knowledge about marijuana-and a scientifically grounded understanding of the benefits and risks of marijuana use.>
List of contents
How to Use This Book
Introduction
1 Patterns and TrendsQ1. Is Marijuana Use or Misuse More Widespread Than Ever Before?
Q2. Does Marijuana Use or Misuse Vary by Race or Ethnicity?
Q3. Does Marijuana Use or Misuse Vary by Population Density?
Q4. Does Marijuana Use or Misuse Vary by Family Income Level?
Q5. Does Marijuana Use or Misuse Vary by Employment Status?
Q6. Does Marijuana Use or Misuse Vary by Education Level?
Q7. Does Marijuana Use or Misuse Vary by Marital Status?
2 Risks and BenefitsQ8. Is Accurate Information about the Risks and Benefits of Marijuana Widely Available?
Q9. Does Marijuana Use or Misuse Increase Risk for Physical Health Problems?
Q10. Does Marijuana Pose More of a Health Risk than Tobacco or Alcohol?
Q11. Does Marijuana Pose Less of a Health Risk than Other Illicit Drugs?
Q12. Is Marijuana Safe and Effective for Treating Medical Disorders?
Q13. Are All Medical Uses for Marijuana Substantiated by Research?
Q14. Does Marijuana Cause Cancer?
Q15. Is Marijuana Addictive?
3 Policy ConsiderationsQ16. Was Marijuana Criminalized to Protect Public Health and Safety?
Q17. Do Most Americans Support the Criminalization of Marijuana?
Q18. Is Marijuana Use a "Gateway" to Other Illicit Drug Use or Misuse?
Q19. Does Marijuana Use or Misuse Increase Criminal Behavior?
Q20. Is Driving under the Influence of Marijuana Safe?
Q21. Are Marijuana Infractions Fairly Punished?
Q22. Is Treatment for Marijuana Misuse Needed?
Q23. Is Treatment for Marijuana Misuse Effective?
Q24. Is Marijuana Prohibition Effective?
Index
About the Authors
About the author
Karen T. Van Gundy is associate professor of sociology, core faculty in justice studies, and a faculty fellow at the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire, USA.Michael S. Staunton is a doctoral candidate in sociology and a graduate research assistant at the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire, USA.
