ALL of the info below is directly off of Norml.org there is a link to it
right up there. To learn more visit NORML.
Principles of Responsible Cannabis Use
When marijuana is enjoyed responsibly, subjecting users to harsh
criminal and civil penalties provides no public benefit and causes
terrible injustices. For reasons of public safety, public health,
economics and justice, the prohibition laws should be repealed to
the extent that they criminalize responsible marijuana use.
By adoption of this statement, the NORML Board of Directors has
attempted to define "responsible cannabis use."
I. Adults Only
Cannabis consumption is for adults only. It is irresponsible to
provide cannabis to children.
Many things and activities are suitable for young people, but
others absolutely are not. Children do not drive cars, enter
into contracts, or marry, and they must not use drugs. As it is
unrealistic to demand lifetime abstinence from cars, contracts
and marriage, however, it is unrealistic to expect lifetime
abstinence from all intoxicants, including alcohol. Rather,
our expectation and hope for young people is that they grow up to
be responsible adults. Our obligation to them is to demonstrate what that means.
II. No Driving
The responsible cannabis consumer does not operate a motor vehicle
or other dangerous machinery while impaired by cannabis, nor
(like other responsible citizens) while impaired by any other
substance or condition, including some medicines and fatigue.
Although cannabis is said by most experts to be safer than alcohol
and many prescription drugs with motorists, responsible cannabis
consumers never operate motor vehicles in an impaired condition.
Public safety demands not only that impaired drivers be taken off
the road, but that objective measures of impairment be developed
and used, rather than chemical testing.
III. Set and Setting
The responsible cannabis user will carefully consider his/her set
and setting, regulating use accordingly.
"Set" refers to the consumer's values, attitudes, experience and
personality, and "setting" means the consumer's physical and social
circumstances. The responsible cannabis consumer will be vigilant as
to conditions -- time, place, mood, etc. -- and does not hesitate to
say "no" when those conditions are not conducive to a safe, pleasant
and/or productive experience.
IV. Resist Abuse
Use of cannabis, to the extent that it impairs health, personal
development or achievement, is abuse, to be resisted by responsible
cannabis users.
Abuse means harm. Some cannabis use is harmful; most is not. That which
is harmful should be discouraged; that which is not need not be.
Wars have been waged in the name of eradicating "drug abuse", but
instead of focusing on abuse, enforcement measures have been diluted
by targeting all drug use, whether abusive or not. If marijuana abuse is
to be targeted, it is essential that clear standards be developed to identify it.
V. Respect Rights of Others
The responsible cannabis user does not violate the rights of others,
observes accepted standards of courtesy and public propriety, and respects
the preferences of those who wish to avoid cannabis entirely.
No one may violate the rights of others, and no substance use excuses
any such violation. Regardless of the legal status of cannabis, responsible
users will adhere to emerging tobacco smoking protocols in public and private places.
Adopted by the NORML Board of Directors
February 3, 1996
Washington, DC
Recreational Use
"Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual
than use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws
against possession of marijuana in private for personal use."
President Jimmy Carter, August 2, 1977
It's time to stop arresting responsible marijuana smokers. Millions of
Americans use marijuana; few abuse it. Arresting these otherwise law-abiding
citizens serves no legitimate purpose; extends government into inappropriate
areas of our private lives; and causes enormous harm to the lives, careers
and families of the more than 500,000 marijuana smokers arrested each year
in this country.
Marijuana smokers are no different from their nonsmoking peers, except
for their marijuana use. Like most Americans, they are responsible
citizens who work hard, raise families, contribute to their communities,
and want a safe, crime-free neighborhood in which to live. They are not
part of the crime problem and should not be treated like criminals.
Responsible marijuana use causes no harm to society and should be of
no interest to state and federal governments. Today, far more harm is
caused by marijuana prohibition than by the use of marijuana itself.
Decriminalization
NORML supports the removal of all penalties for the private possession
of marijuana by adults, cultivation for personal use, and the casual
nonprofit transfers of small amounts. NORML also supports the development
of a legally controlled market for marijuana.
Harm Reduction
All drugs, including marijuana, can be abused. Our marijuana policies
should discourage irresponsible use, including use by adolescents.
The best way to prevent drug abuse is with honest, credible and factual
drug education. Only in a climate in which marijuana is viewed from a
public health perspective, instead of a criminal justice perspective,
can prevention efforts be effective.
Reasonable Restrictions
As with alcohol consumption, marijuana smoking should be limited to
adults. Driving or operating heavy machinery after smoking marijuana
should be prohibited. NORML's "Principles of Responsible Cannabis Use"
defines acceptable conduct (available upon request).
