National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse
Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding
Chapter III
Social Impact of marihuana use
Marihuana, Public Health and Welfare
As the feared threat to public safety through violent crime has diminished in recent
years, policy-makers and the public have begun increasingly to view marihuana and other
illicit drug use as a public health concern. The National Survey indicates that American
adults regard drug abuse as the third most pressing problem of the day, closely following
the economy and Vietnam. However, public attitudes reflect considerable confusion about
the facts concerning marihuana and drugs in general.
This confusion has resulted from too little understanding of the motives for drug use
as well as inadequate knowledge of the classification of drugs according to their main
effects. Legal penalties have frequently mirrored this confusion, and the resulting
inconsistencies cause, many young people to lose confidence in adult authority. Even in
the medical profession, much uncertainty is evident, and for most of the general public
there is no clear authority to whom they can turn for guidance.
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