I usually copy and paste, but this is a very long article. Very nice though with a lot of information.
www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/the-re-legalization-of-drugs/http://www.ucsc.edu/currents/03-04/05-03/drug_study.html <post below This one wasn't so long.
• The mean age at onset of use was 16.95 years in Amsterdam and 16.43 years in San Francisco.
• The mean age at which respondents began using marijuana more than once per month was 19.11 years in Amsterdam and 18.81 years in San Francisco.
• In both cities, users began their periods of maximum use about two years after they began regular use: 21.46 years in Amsterdam and 21.98 years in San Francisco.
• About 75 percent in both cities had used cannabis less than once per week or not at all in the year before the interview.
• Majorities of experienced users in both cities never used marijuana daily or in large amounts even during their periods of peak use, and use declined after those peak periods.
The Netherlands effectively decriminalized marijuana use in 1976, and it is available for purchase in small quantities by adults in licensed coffee shops; in the United States, marijuana use carries stiff criminal penalties, and more than 720,000 people were arrested for marijuana offenses in 2001.
The study was funded by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Dutch Ministry of Health.
In identical questionnaires administered in Amsterdam and San Francisco (cities chosen for their similarities as politically liberal northern port cities with universities and populations of roughly 700,000 people), nearly 500 respondents who had used marijuana at least 25 times were asked detailed questions about their marijuana use. The questionnaire explored such issues as age at first use, regular and maximum use, frequency and quantity of use over time, intensity and duration of intoxication, career use patterns, and use of other illicit drugs.
“In the United States, marijuana policy is based on the assertion that strict penalties are the best way to inhibit use,” said Reinarman.
The study’s findings cast doubt on that scenario, he said. Despite widespread lawful availability of cannabis in Amsterdam, there were no differences between the two cities in age at onset of use, age at first regular use, or age at the start of maximum use.
The study found no evidence that lawfully regulated cannabis provides a “gateway” to other illicit drug use. In fact, marijuana users in San Francisco were far more likely to have used other illicit drugs--cocaine, crack, amphetamines, ecstasy, and opiates--than users in Amsterdam, said Reinarman.
“The results of this study shift the burden of proof now to those who would arrest hundreds of thousands of Americans each year on the grounds that it deters use,” said Reinarman.
Here is a response I posted in another thread here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_murder_rate
USA: 5.7 murders per 100,000, Netherlands: .97 murders per 100,000.
Poor decision, poor actions, and poor behavior that infringes on my rights as an individual, as indicative of the effect on The People overall definitely falls within the domain of my activities...not to mention public duty. People can do what ever they want to themselves, but when they profess or advocate for a culture and activities that may infringe on my personal rights, wherein I can realize private and public coast, physical damages, and cultural damages; then I have a right to prevent it.
I agree with you, here TM7, but I think you are still in the "reefer madness" phase. The problem is that there IS no threat to the greater good from legalization of drug use. I don't think that I should have access to nuclear or biological weapons, I have no need of a tank or crusie missle. I acknowledge that there are certain "freedoms" that must be sacrificed for the greater good. I just don't think that a joint is one of them. As far as the "designer drugs" you are talking about I am only aware of 4; crack, heroine, PCP, and meth. The 1st link discusses the correlation between drugs being forced into the criminal underground and the production of the superdrugs. I relates to "more bang for your buck."