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Responsible Use

An appropriate place to conclude this summary is an example of responsible use guidelines such as those of the U.S. National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML):

 

Principles of Responsible Cannabis Use  
  1. Cannabis consumption is for adults only. Many things and activities are suitable for young people, but others absolutely are not. Children do not drive cars, enter into contracts or marry, and they must not use drugs.

 

  1. The responsible cannabis user does not operate a motor vehicle or other dangerous machinery impaired by cannabis. Although cannabis is said by most experts to be safer than alcohol and many prescription drugs with motorists, public safety demands that impaired drivers be taken off the road and that objective measures of impairment be developed and used, rather than chemical testing.

 

  1. The responsible cannabis user will carefully consider his/her setting and regulate use accordingly. The responsible cannabis consumer will be vigilant as to conditions -- time, place, mood, etc. -- and does not hesitate to say "no" when those conditions are not conducive to a safe, pleasant and/or productive experience.

 

  1. Use of cannabis, to the extent that it impairs health, personal development or achievement, is abuse and should be resisted by responsible cannabis users. Abuse means harm. Some cannabis use is harmful; most is not. That which is harmful should be discouraged; that which is not need not be.

 

  1. The responsible cannabis user does not violate the rights of others, observes accepted standards of courtesy and public propriety, and respects the preferences of those who wish to avoid cannabis entirely. Regardless of the legal status of cannabis, responsible users will adhere to emerging tobacco smoking protocols in public and private places.

 

It must be remembered however that while NORML has envisioned their guidelines from a harm reduction perspective, this is only their interpretation of responsible cannabis use and different perspectives do exist. For example, many people begin experimenting with cannabis well before they are legally adults. In fact, according to Statistics Canada, the highest rate of cannabis use is found among teenagers (http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040721/d040721a.htm). Since it is unclear what, if any, effect cannabis smoke has on a developing brain beyond the normal psychedelic results, it is a mistake to condemn outright the use of cannabis among young people. A more constructive way of reducing recklessness would be open, honest and reality based discussions within the family household about the potential benefits and the unknown factors of psychedelic drug use (as discussed in the MAPS Rights of Passage Project www.maps.org/rightsofpassage/).

 

The impact of cannabis on driving ability is likewise mired in mystery and debate. The Canadian Senate Special Committee on Cannabis has concluded that “cannabis alone, particularly in low doses, has little effect on the skills involved in automobile driving” even though it has a generally negative impact on decision time and trajectory (http://cannabislink.ca/gov/senatesumm. htm). Another study on cannabis and driving has concluded that the effect THC has on one’s ability to drive differs little from many other medicinal drugs. Furthermore, the study found that while alcohol encourages risky driving, cannabis encourages greater caution. Cannabis users are also better able to compensate for the adverse effects the drug has on driving ability (Hindrik, Marijuana use and driving, p.44-48). Since multiple studies have concluded that the mere presence of cannabis is not a sufficient factor in reducing the ability to drive, more focus should be placed on a driver’s coordination, awareness and response time rather than their blood/THC levels.

 

Because of the very subjective nature of the cannabis experience steadfast universal guidelines of any perspective are doomed to irrelevance. Defining the personal risks and benefits of cannabis use is best left to the individual. Individuals armed with knowledge of their herb, themselves and their needs will be better able to build a positive relationship with cannabis. Ultimately, mass education campaigns such as this (TRIP) will be vastly more effective in reducing the potential harm of cannabis (or any other drug) than the failed programs of the abstinence/prohibitionist status quo.

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