Macau Matters | Legalizing Mary Jane

Richard Whitfield

I remember going to university parties in the early 1980’s in Australia where many friends illegally smoked pot (Mary Jane) and drank coca-cola but little alcohol. Then, later in the mid 1990’s I remember the unforgettable, but frequent, smell of pot in cinemas in Mong Kok in Hong Kong.

Because of fears surrounding its use, cannabis/marijuana/pot/Mary Jane or whatever you want to call it has been a controlled substance for most of the 20th century. It is a psychoactive drug and medicine that originated from Central/South Asia but is now grown in many places, and according to the United Nations is the most widely used illicit drug in the world (accounting for around 2/3 of total global illicit drug use when counted by number of users, and around 1/2 of the illicit trade by value). While it is illegal in most countries there is a growing trend to legalize, or at least decriminalize, pot but not other more dangerous drugs.

Since 1996, over 20 US states and territories have (at least partially) legalized or decriminalized different levels of pot cultivation, distribution and use. Several other countries (including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, Spain and Uruguay) are following suit. This trend is being driven by libertarians (who want to maximize people’s personal and commercial liberties) and by conservatives (who want to eliminate criminals from the pot trade and minimize its social costs).

While it has never been my recreational drug of choice, pot has always seemed no more harmful than alcohol to me, in terms of its effects and side-effects. This also seems to be the general medical opinion, but the evidence is sparse – it is difficult to properly evaluate the medical effects of illegal substances. Given the large number of global users, we really do need to know more about the medical and social effects of pot.

Taxes and pricing are one major concern when pot is legalized. Generally, governments want to set prices relatively high to discourage use (especially among price sensitive youth) but low enough to drive the criminal element out of business. This seems to be working in the US states that have legalized pot, where the trend seems to be to initially set the taxes low to drive out the criminals and then progressively raise the taxes to discourage too much growth in use.

Another concern is advertising. Generally, experts advise totally banning advertising and attractive packaging (and forcing the use of child-proof packaging) and limiting the places where pot can be purchased. Experts also seem to advise limiting the use of cannabis based oils to lace foods and drink because they allow people to get higher doses.

At one time there were fears that pot could be a “gateway” drug leading users to other more harmful illegal drugs. The available evidence is that this is not the case, and where pot is legal users seem to stick to it (and because it is legal they actually have less exposure to criminals who might want to “hook” them on more dangerous drugs). The statistics also show no increases in drug related crime after pot legalization.

Very interestingly, since pot was legalized in Colorado, it has quickly become the most favored destination for spring breakers (young people travelling for fun during school/university breaks) in the USA. Macau, as a popular rest and relaxation destination could fill the same role in Asia, and it would certainly diversify our economy.

More seriously, Macau could be regional test-bed and role model for pot legalization, but this is probably something that the conservative local government does not want to hear.