Sources on Decriminalization of Marijuana on the Federal Level

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Washington Examiner. 2015. Don't legalize marijuana. WashingtonExaminer. Accessed 24 Feb 2016.  HYPERLINK "/dont-legalize-marijuana/article/2564219" /dont-legalize-marijuana/article/2564219
The article articulates the existence of wrangle between the federal law and the States over the issue of legalizing Marijuana use either for medicinal or recreational purposes. According to the author, the federal law still regards marijuana as a Schedule One drug, meaning that the drug up to date have not substantially proven any medicinal benefit. Accordingly, the drug continues to remain an illegal substance under the Controlled Substances Act.
Gerber, Rudolph J. 2004. Legalizing marijuana: drug policy reform and prohibition politics. Westport, Conn: Praeger.
The book provides a conscious narration of the federal government century-long campaign opposing the decriminalization of marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes. The author of the book points out that several federal administrations in the U.S, for instance, under the Clinton’s, Reagan and two Bush administrations all stood firmly against all forms of marijuana use.
Melberg, O., Jones M., & Bretteville-Jensen, A. 2010. Is cannabis a gateway to hard drugs? Empir Econ, 38, 583–603.
According to the article, the federal government prohibits the use of marijuana in the country because of the belief that the drug is a getaway drug that can accelerate the use of other hard drugs in the country. The article provides some of the federal lawmakers such as Senator John McCain who emphasizes that it is the belief of the federal drug enforcers that marijuana should not be legalized as it may increase the use of others drugs such as alcohol, cocaine, and heroin in the country.
Reinarman Craig, Cohen D.A., & Hendrien L. Kaal. 2004.The Limited Relevance of Drug Policy: Cannabis in Amsterdam and in San Francisco. American Journal of Public Health, 94(5), 836-842.
The article provides a study on the effects of decriminalizing recreational marijuana on the level of marijuana use. It compares the use of marijuana in Amsterdam (decriminalizing) and San Francisco (criminalizing). The study concluded that proper control both federal and informal should be put in place to regulate marijuana use especially for recreational purposes to help make effective of the existing federal drug policies against other illicit drugs.
Hall, Wayne & Degenhardt, Louisa. 2003. Medical Marijuana Initiatives: Are They Justified? How Successful Are They Likely to Be? CNS Drugs, 17(10), 689-697.
The article articulates how States’ governments in the U.S are supporting initiatives to decriminalize medical marijuana. The authors note that the federal government is experiencing a hard time trying to fight such initiatives in an attempt to uphold its stand in legalizing marijuana in the country. However, the article affirms that the States’ governments seem to win against the federal government specifically in decriminalizing the medical marijuana, as exhibited by some states such as California and Washington who seem to have achieved some power to control their own drug policies.
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