Related Research Articles
The gateway drug effect is a comprehensive catchphrase for the often observed effect that the use of a psychoactive substance is coupled to an increased probability of the use of further substances. Possible reasons for the connection include environmental influence, impulsive people seeking both soft and hard drugs, alterations in the brain due to earlier substance exposure, as well as similar attitudes of people who use different substances, and therefore experience a "common liability to addiction". In 2020, the National Institute on Drug Abuse released a research report which supported allegations that marijuana is a "gateway" to more dangerous substance use; one of the peer-reviewed papers cited in the report claims that while "some studies have found that use of legal drugs or cannabis are not a requirement for the progression to other illicit drugs [...] most studies have supported the "gateway sequence"." However, a 2018 literature review conducted by the National Institute of Justice, which analyzed 23 peer-reviewed research studies, concluded "that existing statistical research and analysis relevant to the "gateway" hypothesis has produced mixed results", and that "no causal link between cannabis use and the use of other illicit drugs can be claimed at this time."
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) is an independent treaty body, one of the four treaty-mandated bodies under international drug control law.
Cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, weed, and pot, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various traditional medicines for centuries. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive component of cannabis, which is one of the 483 known compounds in the plant, including at least 65 other cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabis can be used by smoking, vaporizing, within food, or as an extract.
Cannabis in Palau is illegal, but reports indicate the drug is widely produced and consumed on the island nation. Palau is a former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands of the United States which gained independence in 1994, and has a population under 20,000.
Cannabis in Guyana is illegal for all uses, but is both grown and consumed in the nation. Possession of 15 grams or over can result in charges of drug trafficking.
Cannabis has been illegal in Nepal since 1976, but the country has a long history of use of cannabis for Ayurvedic medicine, intoxicant and as a holy offering for Hindu god Shiva and continues to produce cannabis illicitly.
Cannabis in Algeria is mostly illegal, although widely consumed. Under Law No. 04-18 13 Dhou El Kaada 1425, and enforcement decree No. 07-228 15 Rajab 1428, cultivation, commerce, and possession are forbidden, except for medical purposes, subject to prior authorization by the Minister of Health.
Cannabis in Suriname is illegal. Cannabis is the most popular illegal drug in Suriname.
Cannabis in New Caledonia is illegal, but is cultivated illicitly. Sources note that "hard drugs" are rare in New Caledonia, and their drug issues are primarily confined to cannabis, with local Kanak chiefs being anti-drug and working to eradicate cannabis plantations.
Cannabis in Réunion is illegal, but is grown illicitly and is locally known as zamal. It is used both recreationally and ritually.
Cannabis in Guadeloupe is illegal, but is cultivated and transported illicitly. A 2007 report noted the prevalence of cannabis among youth in Guadeloupe at 7%.
Cannabis is illegal in Kenya.
Cannabis in Azerbaijan is illegal but is cultivated illicitly, and has a long history as a medical remedy in the nation.
Cannabis in Ghana is illegal without license from the Minister of Health, but the nation is, along with Nigeria, among the top illicit cannabis-producing countries of West Africa. Cannabis in Ghana is known as weed or devil's tobacco.
Cannabis in Cameroon is illegal; the drug is locally referred to as banga.
Cannabis in Mozambique is illegal; the drug is locally referred to as suruma.
Cannabis in Mali is illegal.
Cannabis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is legal for industrial, medicinal and scientific use. It continues to be illegal for recreational use.
Cannabis in Tajikistan is illegal with severe penalties for the production, sale, and possession of marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes. Punishments include up to five years in prison for possession and capital punishment or 25-year sentence for sale.
Cannabis in Kosovo is illegal for both medicinal or recreational purposes. Penalties are defined by Article 269 of the Kosovo Criminal Code, last revised in January 2019. For first-time offenders, possession of illicit substances leads to either a one-year sentence or, more likely, a financial penalty of €250-300. A 2014 survey of 5500 reported that 10% of Kosovans knew someone who had used cannabis and 12.6% reported having easy access to cannabis.
References
- ↑ Cannabis Eradication in Foreign Western Hemisphere Nations, Effects in the U.S.: Environmental Impact Statement. 1982. pp. 5–.
- ↑ Paul V. Daly (1 July 1996). The Supply of Illicit Drugs to the United States: The Nnicc Report. DIANE Publishing. pp. 58–. ISBN 978-0-7881-3942-0.
- ↑ World Health Organization (20 June 2007). Health in the Americas 2007. World Health Organization. p. 356. ISBN 978-92-75-11622-7.
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