That chemo cachet: medical marijuana and kids.

• Author: Sullum, Jacob
• Position: California - Brief Article

Two MONTHS before California voters approved a 1996 ballot initiative that legalized the medical use of marijuana, Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates warned that passing the measure would "be sending absolutely the wrong message to kids" Two months after the election, the Office of National Drug Control Policy warned that medical marijuana laws "send the wrong message to our children," undermining efforts "to achieve a healthy, drug-free society."

A recent study by the Marijuana Policy Project indicates that such fears, which still play a role in debates about medical marijuana, are unfounded. The study examines survey data on drug use by minors in eight of the 10 states with functioning medical marijuana laws. (The other two states enacted their laws too recently for data to be available.) It finds that...