On February 11, 2013, the RAND Drug Policy Research Center presented a program on Developing Public Health Regulations for Marijuana: Lessons from Alcohol and Tobacco at the RAND offices in Washington D.C.
A summary of the event discussion is forthcoming.
With Colorado and Washington both passing initiatives to legalize the commercial production, distribution, and possession of marijuana for non-medical purposes, policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels now face questions that have never been addressed. To help leaders better understand the possible consequences of these decisions, the RAND Drug Policy Research Center convened a session focused on issues surrounding the development of public health regulations for marijuana.
The purpose of this conference was not to address whether passage of these state initiatives was good or bad or whether the federal government should intervene; rather, it focused on raising awareness of the multitude of regulatory issues facing agencies trying to design a comprehensive policy. A special focus was placed on how different alcohol and tobacco regulations (e.g., licensing, advertising restrictions, user/sales restrictions) influence youth access and minimize public health harms.
Since 1989, the RAND Drug Policy Research Center has conducted research to help decisionmakers in the United States and throughout the world address issues involving alcohol and other drugs. In doing so, the Center brings an objective and data-driven perspective to this often emotional and fractious policy arena. For more information about RAND's research on marijuana and marijuana policy, please click here.
DPRC Quarterly is a newsletter that focuses on major drug policy issues.