| Although relatively unknown until the 1996 California and Arizona ballot initiatives, medical marijuana laws were first introduced in 8 states in the late 1970s and another 13 states passed laws during the 1980s. These laws vary considerably in their breadth of medical allowances and their coordination of the distribution system. This paper provides the legislative policy background for future analyses by examining the different types of medical marijuana laws that currently exist across the fifty states, and identifying key elements that define these laws, such as how marijuana is to be supplied and to whom. Medical marijuana laws are examined within the context of each states' larger treatment of marijuana, specifically drug scheduling, decriminalization, and legal penalties imposed for sale and possession. By examining these policies within the context of the states' marijuana policies, it may be possible understand the range and severity of marijuana policies which exist between states. These policies are then correlated with various drug enforcement statistics from Uniform Crime Reports, State Court Processing Statistics and enforcement budgets to see if particular policies are associated with identifiable patterns of implementation. |
Updated 05/20/2006