As some of you may know, Wiley-Blackwell has a new popular philosophy series aptly titled Philosophy for Everyone. One of the forthcoming volumes, edited by Dale Jacquette, is Cannabis & Philosophy: What Were We Just Talking About?. When I saw the call for papers I was reminded of my high school years when I used to write poorly argued papers about drugs for all sorts of courses. One of the papers was entitled Drugs, the Individual, and the Society. It was mainly because of this nostalgic factor that I decided to submit a paper for the Cannabis & Philosophy volume, and since it got accepted, I actually had to write the paper. Yes, you guessed it, the title is Cannabis, the Individual, and the Society. I have finished the first draft of the paper and I invite comments on it – not just from philosophers! Download it from here. The volume itself will consist of the following sections:

History and Aesthetics of Cannabis Gourmandise
Expanding Consciousness, Laughing at Nothing and Paranoia: Psychology and Phenomenology of Cannabis Intoxication
Ethical, Legal and Social Dimensions of Marijuana Prohibition
Naturally High on THC: Pharmacology, Medicinal Applications, and Public Health Issues
Marijuana, Spirituality, and the Impact of Cannabis Subculture on Society

I had a lot of fun writing this paper, as I got to browse journals that I had never even heard of and do some research of a very different kind from what I normally do. It’s also nice to write about something that actually has a bearing on the real world for a change! As the title suggests, my paper is a survey of the pros and cons of cannabis use from the point of view of the individual on one hand and of the society on the other hand. Unsurprisingly, my conclusion is that the current drug policy is obsolete, as it is still based on the idea that the production and use of drugs such as cannabis can be eliminated. With some 166 million cannabis users this seems like a ludicrous idea. I came across a number of recent studies into both the specific health effects of cannabis use as well as implications on public health. Some of the most interesting are the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) report, issued shortly before the reclassification of cannabis from class C to class B in the UK (in January 2009). As some may know, the report actually recommended against the reclassification. What makes this particularly interesting is that the goverment nevertheless accepted the other 20 recommendations of the ACMD. Why the most important one of them was ignored is a mystery. In a similar vein, The Beckley Foundation’s 2008 Global Cannabis Commission Report concludes as follows:

The principal aim of a cannabis control system should be to minimize any harms from cannabis use. In our view this means grudgingly allowing use and attempting to channel such use into less harmful patterns (e.g. by delaying onset of use until early adulthood, encouraging all users to avoid substantial daily use, driving a car after using, and smoking cannabis mixed with tobacco). (p. 183.)

Other interesting discussion includes critical notices of the recent UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs that took place in March 2009 in Vienna. The consensus among public health experts is that the whole event was a bit of a charade. See also Robin Room’s comment in New Scientist. As if all this weren’t enough, the Guardian recently reported that in these tough economic times, employers are starting to use drug tests to get rid of staff without having to pay redundancy fees. Most often these drug tests will reveal cannabis use, as it can remain detectable several weeks after use. However, whether this has any effect whatsoever on the efficiency of the employee is questionable at the very least.

That’s all for now, more news in due course. And please, do comment!