Chapter 4.

FIVE LEGISLATIVE OPTIONS

Rationales

Pragmatic rationales

The eradication of all illicit drug use is the central aim of US drug policy and it is thought that prohibition is the most effective means of reaching this goal. Cannabis use is seen as a part of a larger drug problem. Prohibition is thought to decrease cannabis usage in the following ways:

• prohibition discourages people from experimenting with drugs and
• deters people convicted of drug offences from re-offending; and
• prohibition causes the price of illicit drugs to increase, making them more difficult to obtain.