title: Police officer attitudes toward marijuana: a replication and confirmation.
abstract: A replication of the original survey of police attitudes toward marijuana was conducted in an adjacent county. The survey dealt with three sets of beliefs: the effects of marijuana, the enforcement of marijuana laws, and the causes of marijuana use. The overall results were quite similar to the initial findings in that most officers felt that marijuana was harmful (physically and psychologically) but not more so than alcohol; almost 28% believed that the possession of an ounce or less should be decriminalized, while 75% felt that the laws for possession of this amount were not being actively enforced; most felt that peer pressure is the main reason why people start to use it, that youthful users are not well informed about its effects, and that parents are unaware of their children's usage or its effects.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001290:Attitude; D003415:Crime; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010379:Peer Group; D012926:Social Control, Formal; D012932:Social Facilitation