Abstract
Prohibition has been the fundamental tenet of drug policy in most countries throughout much of this century, despite mounting evidence of its ineffectiveness in reducing production, trafficking, and consumption. Proposals for policies that favor relaxation of criminal penalties for drug use are frequently defeated with the argument that decriminalization will lead to increased use. However, this effect has not been observed in the few countries and states which have decriminalized cannabis. The most recent instance of cannabis decriminalization occurred in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in 1992. To evaluate the effect of decriminalization on cannabis use in the ACT, a sample of students at the Australian National University were surveyed to determine their patterns of use before and since enactment of the legislation. A control group was recruited from students at the University of Melbourne. Patterns of cannabis use were found to be very stable over time, with no significant changes discernible for either sample.
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