The Report of the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse

Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding

Commissioned by President Richard M. Nixon, March, 1972

Table of Contents

The Report

Letter of Transmittal

Introduction

I. Marihuana and the Problem of Marihuana

II. Marihuana Use and Its Effects

III. Social Impact of Marihuana Use

IV. Social Response to Marihuana Use

V. Marihuana and Social Policy

Addendum

Ancillary Recommendations

Legal and Law Enforcement Recommendations

Medical Recommendations

Other Recommendations

Index of Contributors, Contractors and Consultants



The Appendix

The Technical Papers of the First Report of the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, March, 1972

Letter of Transmittal

Members and Staff

Preface

Part One -- Biological Aspects

II. Biological Effects of Marihuana

III. Behavioral and Biological Concomitants of Chronic Marihuana Smoking by Heavy and Casual Users

Part Two -- Social Aspects

I. Marihuana Use in American Society

Surveys of Marihuana Use

The Incidence and Prevalence of Marihuana Use

The Future of Marihuana

Why People Use Marihuana

Becoming a Marihuana User

Circumstances of First Marihuana Use

The Marihuana User

The Patterns of Marihuana Use

Marihuana Use and the User: 1972

II. Marihuana and the Use of Other Drugs

Empirical Data on the Escalation Process

Youth Drug Use Survey

Summary

III. Marihuana and Public Safety

Part Three -- Legal Aspects

I. Control of Marihuana, Alcohol and Tobacco

II. The Legal Status of Marihuana

International Control

The Control of Marihuana Under Federal Law

Control of Marihuana at the State Level

The Role of Ancillary Offenses and Constructive Possession in Controlling Marihuana

Marihuana Control at the Local Level

Analysis of Statutes Requiring Physicians to Report Drug Addiction

III. Trafficking Patterns of Marihuana and Hashish

Marihuana Traffic From Mexico

Marihuana Traffic From Jamaica

The Growing Hashish Traffic

Part Four -- Response of the Criminal Justice System to Marihuana Use

Introduction

I. Enforcement Behavior at the State Level

Enforcement Behavior at the Federal Level

General Trends

Federal Enforcement of the Marihuana Laws: 1970

III. Opinion Within the Criminal Justice System

Prosecutorial Opinion

Opinion of Court Officials

Part Five -- National Survey

I. A Nationwide Study of Beliefs, Information and Experiences

Main Report

Methods and Procedures

Part Six -- Social Policy Aspects

I. The Constitutional Dimensions of Marihuana Control

Substantive Limitations on the Criminal Law

Federal Preemption of Marihuana Control

II. Models and Statutory Schemes for Controlling Marihuana

Law and Social Policy

Legal Implementations of Marihuana Control Policies

Formulating a Legal Scheme

Implementation of Alcohol Prohibition

Marihuana and Education

Drug Programs in American Education

State Departments of Education Survey

Commission Visits

Drug Education Programs of Special Interest

Marihuana Education in State Programs

Surveys of College Drug Courses

The Federal Government and Drug Education

Research Needs and Directions

Biomedical

Psychosocial

Legal and Law Enforcement

Index of Contributors, Contractors and Consultants

Research Papers Prepared for the Commission

