ABSTRACT
For the vast majority of Americans, experimentation with illegal substances begins—and ends—with marijuana. Across racial/ethnic groups, the prevalence of marijuana use is many times higher than use of any other illegal drug. The proportion of adults 12 or over who report past month marijuana use (about 6.6 percent) is more than double the proportion who have misused prescription drugs and more than 10 times higher than the proportion reporting the use of any other illegal drug. 1 The same surveys indicate that the vast majority of marijuana users do not progress to regular use of other “harder” drugs. In fact, most individuals age out of drug use altogether as they take on more adult social roles and responsibilities. Among 18–20-year olds, 22 percent had used an illicit drug in the past month (overwhelmingly, this was marijuana); by age 40, the proportion is 6 percent. 2 Some have argued that marijuana is a “gateway” to the use of other, more dangerous drugs, basing this assertion is on the fact that very few people who try drugs such as cocaine or heroin have not also tried marijuana. But, this “causal” link is merely a consequence of the much higher prevalence of marijuana use, and it is also true of the relationship between other common vs. uncommon activities. Very few people ride motorcycles who have not ridden a bicycle, yet bicycle riding does not cause motorcycle riding (Clayton & Mosher 2007). This chapter will argue that although differences in marijuana use exist by race/ethnicity, the greatest public-health impact of marijuana on communities of color is due to its status as an illegal drug. The chapter focuses on arrests and incarceration for marijuana offenses, the drug trade, and their impact on public health in inner-city urban communities.
