Marijuana Use and Laws Relating to Marijuana The difference between laws regarding marijuana in the 1950s and 1960s and public attitudes (and usage) regarding marijuana today is striking. Usage, laws, and attitudes regarding marijuana (or cannabis) have dramatically changed over the past 40 or 50 years. This paper will use data and journalistic research to present the huge changes in laws, usage, and public attitudes as regards the issues surrounding marijuana.

CEDRO -- Center for Drug Research, University of Amsterdam (Library Data)

According to research conducted by the Center for Drug Research at the University of Amsterdam, the first empirical survey on the use of marijuana was conducted in 1971. It was launched by the "Shafer Commission" (under the auspices of the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Use) and it conducted what is believed to be the very first in-depth survey of the American general population on drug use (in particular, use of cannabis) (Harrison, et al., 1996)

The results showed that 14% of young people (12-17 years of age) had tried the drug. About 18% of those over 18 years of age had tried cannabis; of those young people, 27% of the 16- to 17-year-olds had tried it and of those 18-21, 40% had tried cannabis (Harrison, p. 3).

Meanwhile, several years before the Shafer Commission report, in 1967, a Gallup poll (by telephone) -- not as precise as a survey -- showed that among college students in the U.S. 5% indicated they had a "lifetime prevalence of marijuana use" (Harrison, p. 3). In 1969, 12% of those in the 21-29 age group, 3% in the 30-49 age group and only 1% in the 50 years of age and older group reported ever trying marijuana. But by 1970, following the youth revolution -- combined with the anti-war movement against Vietnam War -- another Gallup poll showed that 43% of college students had experimented with marijuana (Harrison, p. 4).

In 1971, "over half (51%) of the nation's college students...

Another "comprehensive national survey" in 1972 by the Shafer Commission found that "daily use" was rising among young people. The "startling" statistics showed that 5% of junior high students, 11% of high school students, and 8% of college students were daily users of marijuana. Continuing the data from a survey indicated a rapid growth in marijuana use in America: a) prior to the mid-1960s, less than a million people had even tried marijuana; b) by 1972, "twenty-four million people had smoked marijuana at least once, and eight million people were using it "regularly"; and c) 8 million people were using the drug daily (Harrison, p. 4).
Marijuana Use in the 1990s

The 1993 Household Survey reported that 13.6% of "youth," 26.6% of "young adults," and 17.4% of "middle adults" and 6.3% of "older adults" reported using "some illicit drug during the previous year" (Harrison, p. 5). About 5.1 million Americans reported that they were using marijuana on a weekly basis; the Household Survey also showed that alcohol use "…far exceeded marijuana use at all prevalence points" (Harrison, p. 5).

Looking at the age differences of those who use cannabis from the 1993 survey, 59.2% of middle-aged adults had been using marijuana for much of their adult lives; 47.4% of young adults reported long-term use; 26.6% of "older adults" and 11.7% of youthful persons had long-term habits.

The racial and ethnic breakdown from the 1993 survey -- of those who used marijuana -- reflected that 35.6% of Caucasians and 30.7% of African-Americans were reported to have used marijuana regularly. Only 28.1% of Latinos that reported using marijuana had regular habits (Harrison, p. 6).

Gallup Polls Reflect Changing Attitudes about Marijuana

The views of Americans regarding marijuana have changed, as was noted earlier in this paper. How much have…