Consider also that in 2006, Amsterdam closed nearly half of their “coffee shops” for selling hard drugs and other violations. In total all this suggests to me that there is a distinct difference between Marijuana and alcohol, that increased availability does lead to higher rates of use, and that legalized marijuana leads to significant increases in hard drug manufacture, sale and use. Not a good thing. Holland is now the drug emporium of Europe.
When we consider, as you pointed out, that no state has FULLY legalized marijuana use, I think we can see why.
Thanks for the response. With respect to Holland I would agree that their system is not perfect. They still encourage organized crime by having a system where retail sales are allowed but retailers have to buy off the black market. Huge profits are still going to organized crime, and since they have a big infrastructure there for producing and smuggling marijuana and hashish into the country, it is no surprise that they are involved in distributing other illegal drugs. They would be much better off if they just legalized and regulated marijuana production too.
As for the increase in marijuana use I believe that actually covered the period beginning in 1976 when they first started allowing marijuana, but regardless, the fact is that marijuana use increased by several hundred percent in the U.S. when simple possession was still a serious felony offense in most states for which you could get major prison time. Most of the increase in marijuana use in Holland did take place after they “legalized it,” but at the same time marijuana use was going up throughout most of Western Europe. Now per capita marijuana use rates for the the Netherlands are middle of the road for Europe, and lower than per capita use rates for the U.S. A 200% increase isn’t that big of a deal when only a tiny percentage use it to begin with, and it doesn’t mean much when still a lower percentage of the Dutch use marijuana than the percentage of Americans who use it.