Visions Of Cannabis Control

Visions of Cannabis Control argues that cannabis prohibition is the result of moral panic that has been instigated, perpetuated, and sustained in ways that are difficult to dislodge. The book documents the history of these cannabis policies and explores the impact of issues such as racism, labelling, and stigmatization. Stan Cohen argued that reforms designed to replace carceral tendencies within correctional institutions can instead extend such approaches into our communities. The idea that criminal justice reforms often reproduce what they were intended to disrupt can be applied to the cannabis revolution currently underway around the world. Racial disparities in arrests persist, exacerbated by laws that make it legal to possess cannabis but illegal to consume it anywhere but in your home. In this book, the authors argue that too often, cannabis liberalization comes at the cost of expanding paternalistic public health models and abstention-based diversion programs. The goal of dismantling and disrupting illicit markets has undermined onerous regulations, anaemic marketing efforts, and failure to promote consumer-centred approaches. Emphasizing public health goals ahead of market conditions complicates legal cannabis as an industry. To understand the future of cannabis policy, Visions of Cannabis Control examines the experience of six countries and several US states through the lens of criminological theory, recent research, and practice. The book presents several solutions for responsible regulation concluding that sustaining reform will require a more inclusive approach ensuring those affected by cannabis policies are consulted, respected, and involved.

"This book does not take a position on whether expanded legal use of non-medical cannabis should continue. It seeks to provide a consolidated source for the evidence, issues, challenges, and experiences with legalized cannabis for non-medical use and the lessons learned from America's long history with alcohol and tobacco control. It seeks to provide guidance for those who are and will continue to be in positions to struggle with the issue of cannabis control"--

With the legalization of recreational cannabis markets in Uruguay, Canada, and several U.S. states, a breakthrough in conventional cannabis policy is emerging. But legalization is not a binary choice between prohibition and some regulated commercial model (like alcohol). A commercial market is just one of many ways to implement legalizationand moving directly from prohibition to commercial legalization leaps from one extreme to the other. Tom Decorte, a criminologist and anthropologist at Ghent University (Belgium), who has published numerous articles on substance use, cannabis markets, and local drug monitoring systems, argues that most of us are bypassing other, safer forms of legalization, including the nonprofit model. He explores topics such as: Why we need to consider regulation of cannabis markets. How local authorities and grassroots movements are advocating change. How to best design and implement approaches to legalization. Join the author as he examines international regulatory controls over cannabis possession, use, and cultivationas well as a framework for regulating the cannabis market via a nonprofit corporate model that promotes public health and safety over profits

At the last Annual Representative Meeting of the British Medical Association a motion was passed that `certain additional cannabinoids should be legalized for wider medicinal use.'' This report supports this landmark statement by reviewing the scientific evidence for the therapeutic use of cannabinoids and sets the agenda for change. It will be welcomed by those who believe that cannabinoids can be used in medical treatment. The report discusses in a clear and readable form the use and adverse effects of the drug for nausea, multiple sclerosis, pain, epilepsy, glaucoma, and asthma.

Significant changes have taken place in the policy landscape surrounding cannabis legalization, production, and use. During the past 20 years, 25 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis and/or cannabidiol (a component of cannabis) for medical conditions or retail sales at the state level and 4 states have legalized both the medical and recreational use of cannabis. These landmark changes in policy have impacted cannabis use patterns and perceived levels of risk. However, despite this changing landscape, evidence regarding the short- and long-term health effects of cannabis use remains elusive. While a myriad of studies have examined cannabis use in all its various forms, often these research conclusions are not appropriately synthesized, translated for, or communicated to policy makers, health care providers, state health officials, or other stakeholders who have been charged with influencing and enacting policies, procedures, and laws related to cannabis use. Unlike other controlled substances such as alcohol or tobacco, no accepted standards for safe use or appropriate dose are available to help guide individuals as they make choices regarding the issues of if, when, where, and how to use cannabis safely and, in regard to therapeutic uses, effectively. Shifting public sentiment, conflicting and impeded scientific research, and legislative battles have fueled the debate about what, if any, harms or benefits can be attributed to the use of cannabis or its derivatives, and this lack of aggregated knowledge has broad public health implications. The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids provides a comprehensive review of scientific evidence related to the health effects and potential therapeutic benefits of cannabis. This report provides a research agendaâ€"outlining gaps in current knowledge and opportunities for providing additional insight into these issuesâ€"that summarizes and prioritizes pressing research needs.

From the local to the global, the governance of illegal drug use is becoming increasingly fragmented. In some contexts, prohibitive regimes are being transformed or replaced, while in others there are renewed commitments to criminalized control. But what gives rise to convergence and divergence in processes of policy making, both across different countries as well as within them? Based upon empirical qualitative research with 'elite' insiders, David Brewster explores a diverse range of cannabis policy approaches across the globe. His original analysis reveals the factors which facilitate or hinder punitive or liberalising tendencies in cannabis policy processes, concluding with future directions for policy making and comparative criminology.

Some people suffer from chronic, debilitating disorders for which no conventional treatment brings relief. Can marijuana ease their symptoms? Would it be breaking the law to turn to marijuana as a medication? There are few sources of objective, scientifically sound advice for people in this situation. Most books about marijuana and medicine attempt to promote the views of advocates or opponents. To fill the gap between these extremes, authors Alison Mack and Janet Joy have extracted critical findings from a recent Institute of Medicine study on this important issue, interpreting them for a general audience. Marijuana As Medicine? provides patientsâ€"as well as the people who care for themâ€"with a foundation for making decisions about their own health care. This empowering volume examines several key points, including: Whether marijuana can relieve a variety of symptoms, including pain, muscle spasticity, nausea, and appetite loss. The dangers of smoking marijuana, as well as the effects of its active chemical components on the immune system and on psychological health. The potential use of marijuana-based medications on symptoms of AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and several other specific disorders, in comparison with existing treatments. Marijuana As Medicine? introduces readers to the active compounds in marijuana. These include the principal ingredient in Marinol, a legal medication. The authors also discuss the prospects for developing other drugs derived from marijuana's active ingredients. In addition to providing an up-to-date review of the science behind the medical marijuana debate, Mack and Joy also answer common questions about the legal status of marijuana, explaining the conflict between state and federal law regarding its medical use. Intended primarily as an aid to patients and caregivers, this book objectively presents critical information so that it can be used to make responsible health care decisions. Marijuana As Medicine? will also be a valuable resource for policymakers, health care providers, patient counselors, medical faculty and studentsâ€"in short, anyone who wants to learn more about this important issue.

How the future of post-legalization marijuana farming can be sustainable, local, and artisanal. What will the marijuana industry look like as legalization spreads? Will corporations sweep in and create Big Marijuana, flooding the market with mass-produced weed? Or will marijuana agriculture stay true to its roots in family farming, and reflect a sustainable, local, and artisanal ethic? In Craft Weed, Ryan Stoa argues that the future of the marijuana industry should be powered by small farms—that its model should be more craft beer than Anheuser-Busch. To make his case for craft weed, Stoa interviews veteran and novice marijuana growers, politicians, activists, and investors. He provides a history of marijuana farming and its post-hippie resurgence in the United States. He reports on the amazing adaptability of the cannabis plant and its genetic gifts, the legalization movement, regulatory efforts, the tradeoffs of indoor versus outdoor farms, and the environmental impacts of marijuana agriculture. To protect and promote small farmers and their communities, Stoa proposes a Marijuana Appellation system, modeled after the wine industry, which would provide a certified designation of origin to local crops. A sustainable, local, and artisanal farming model is not an inevitable future for the marijuana industry, but Craft Weed makes clear that marijuana legalization has the potential to revitalize rural communities and the American family farm. As the era of marijuana prohibition comes to an end, now is the time to think about what kind of marijuana industry and marijuana agriculture we want. Craft Weed will help us plan for a future that is almost here.

The place of cannabis in global drug prohibition is in crisis, opening up new directions for socially engaged cannabis research. The Routledge Handbook of Post-Prohibition Cannabis Research invites readers to explore new landscapes of cannabis research under conditions of legalization with, not after, prohibition: "post-prohibition." The chapters are organized into five multidisciplinary sections: Governance, Public Health, Markets and Society, Ecology and the Environment, and Culture and Social Change. Case studies from the United States, Uruguay, Morocco, and the United Kingdom show readers alternative ways of thinking about human–cannabis relationships that move beyond questions of legality and illegality. Representing a cross-section of cannabis scholarship, the contributors provide readers with critical perspectives on legalization that are not based upon orthodoxies of prohibition. While legalization signals a global shift in the legitimacy of cannabis research, this collection identifies openings for academics, policy makers, and the public interested in ending the drug war, as well as a way to address broader social problems evident in the age of neoliberal governance within which prohibition has been entangled.

This book emphasizes concepts and methods for solving problems that occur through the interaction of the eyes and vision of people with their environment. Student clinicians will learn to assess their patient's visual tasks, visual environments, and visual performance needs in order to provide quality eye care.