The Political Economy of Medical Marijuana Laws

摘要

Since 1996 fourteen states have passed medical marijuana laws and several more states are considering the possibility (Marijuana Policy Project, State-by-State Medical Marijuana Laws, 2008). According to this report, about 24% of the population of the United States lives in states that have legalized marijuana for medical purposes (and this number does not include New Jersey, which passed legislation in 2010).The 14 states that have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes are Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. At the state level, the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes means that state law prevents criminal penalties for patients who posses and grow marijuana as prescribed by their doctors. Each state has varying laws on the amount of marijuana that each patient can posses and grow at a particular time. Some states also require medical use ID cards that have varying fees by state. In addition, some states, such as California, require that individuals grow their own marijuana or obtain it from a cooperative that receives its product only from members.