Cannabis Use and Dependence

Wayne Hall is Director of the Office of Public Policy and Ethics at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Australia. He has been an advisor to the World Health Organisation and is a current member of their Expert Advisory Panel on Drug Dependence and Alcohol Problems. Rosalie Pacula is an Associate Economist with the RAND Corporation and a Research Fellow with the United States National Bureau of Economic Research. She has published extensively on drug administration and policy and is a leading advisor in her field.

• List of figures and tables; Foreword Peter Reuter; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; Section 1. Cannabis the Drug and How it is Used: 2. Cannabis the drug; 3. Patterns of use; Section 2. The Health Effects of Cannabis: 4. The acute effects of cannabis; 5. The cellular, immunological and reproductive effects of chronic cannabis use; 6. The cardiovascular, respiratory and gastrointestinal effects of chronic cannabis use; Section 3. The Psychological Effects of Chronic Cannabis Use: 7. Cannabis dependence; 8. The effects of cannabis use on cognitive functioning; 9. Cannabis use and psychotic disorders; Section 4. Effects on Adolescent Development: 10. Is cannabis a gateway drug?; 11. Adolescent psychosocial outcomes; Section 5. Harms and Benefits of Cannabis Use: 12. Comparing the health effects of cannabis with alcohol and tobacco; 13. The benefits of cannabis use; Section 6. The Effectiveness and Costs of Cannabis Prohibition: 14. The impact of prohibition on cannabis use; 15. The monetary cost of enforcing prohibition; 16. Other costs of cannabis prohibition; Section 7. Policy Alternatives: 17. Variations on prohibition; 18. Cannabis as a legal substance; 19. Summing up; Appendices; References; Index.