http://www.opposingviews.com/users/dr-kevin-sabet Working in drug policy issues for more than a decade, Kevin Abraham Sabet, Ph.D., 30, is one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of drug policy. Kevin received his Ph.D. in Social Policy at Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar. He currently serves as the Special Advisor for Policy for Office of National Drug Control Policy Director R. Gil Kerlikowske in the Barack Obama Administration. He also served for a short time in the Administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. He is thought to be a key voice opposing drug legalization in the Obama Administration, though he supports sentencing reform and prevention and treatment efforts. He is a long time opinion-editorial writer for major North American and European newspapers and his research is regularly published in academic journals. He is the founder of three community-based non-profit organizations in the field of drug policy. http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/okay-then-let-s-schedule-the-debate How NORML can actually write that I don't debate this issue is beyond me. I am in favor of any forum where ideas can be discussed and exchanged openly and respectfully. In fact, I have debated almost every major legalization advocate -- either on... Dr. Kevin Sabet Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:17:03 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/okay-then-let-s-schedule-the-debate http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/smoked-marijuana-is-not-medicine-but-components-of-cannabis-might-be In recent years, marijuana activists have donned white coats and exclaimed a newfound concern for the seriously ill. A remarkable wedge issue, they have successfully used "smoked medical marijuana ," as with California's Proposition 215, to be... Dr. Kevin Sabet Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:13:52 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/smoked-marijuana-is-not-medicine-but-components-of-cannabis-might-be http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/if-it-were-only-so-easy With today's lagging economy, it is an attractive prospect to think we could introduce a new industry which would harmlessly usher in billions of new tax dollars annually.  If it were only so easy. It is unclear where the $12 billion figure... Dr. Kevin Sabet Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:13:52 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/if-it-were-only-so-easy http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/hemp-is-a-distracting-silly-issue-in-a-field-that-needs-answers Industrial hemp distracts us from the very serious drug problems we face everyday.  As Professor Mark Kleiman (a fan of gifting marijuana rather than having a commercial market for it) puts it: "Some years ago a man named Jack Herer wrote a... Dr. Kevin Sabet Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:13:52 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/hemp-is-a-distracting-silly-issue-in-a-field-that-needs-answers http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/marijuana-use-rarely-leads-to-arrest-it-s-not-20s-style-prohibition The writer is correct in asserting that there were 700,000 arrests for the simple possession of marijuana last year, but there are some very important caveats that have been left out in his position. First, the vast majority of marijuana smokers... Dr. Kevin Sabet Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:13:51 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/marijuana-use-rarely-leads-to-arrest-it-s-not-20s-style-prohibition http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/should-the-us-legalize-marijuana The recreational use of marijuana has been glamorized over the years by such on-screen duos as Cheech & Chong and Harold & Kumar, but is the drug everything that Hollywood makes it out to be? Then again, are we being hypocritical by allowing alcohol consumption but not cannabis usage? With passionate believers on both sides of the argument, it will be interesting to see what happens when the smoke clears. Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:19:02 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/should-the-us-legalize-marijuana http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/there-are-ways-to-make-current-policy-better Just because legalization would increase the use and thus the harmful effects of marijuana, it doesn’t mean that prohibition policies could not benefit from improvement (Reuter 1997). This chapter was written with the attention of assessing the... Dr. Kevin Sabet Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:38:44 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/there-are-ways-to-make-current-policy-better http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/legalization-advocates-never-answer-the-hard-questions Let us imagine that even knowing what we do about marijuana’s harmfulness, and the experience of other countries that have legalized the drug, we still opted for marijuana legalization. A spike in marijuana-related violence on the street, for... Dr. Kevin Sabet Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:38:43 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/legalization-advocates-never-answer-the-hard-questions http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/it-is-a-myth-that-small-time-marijuana-users-are-crowding-our-prisons Another chief argument for the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana is that a major chunk of criminal justice resources is used up to prosecute petty marijuana offenders, mainly users (Thomas 1999). Legalizers claim that ending the war on... Dr. Kevin Sabet Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:38:40 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/it-is-a-myth-that-small-time-marijuana-users-are-crowding-our-prisons http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/marijuana-use-can-be-addictive-while-also-damaging-the-lungs While clearly not as habit-forming as smoking crack-cocaine, for example, marijuana does appear to have the potential to addict its users by causing continuing, chronic use despite harm. In an article published in Nature in 2000, Tanda and... Dr. Kevin Sabet Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:38:38 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/marijuana-use-can-be-addictive-while-also-damaging-the-lungs http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/experts-agree-that-marijuana-contributes-to-mental-illness The 2002 edition of the respected British Medical Journal, reading “Marijuana and psychiatric illness: the link grows stronger” was a turning point in the medical literature regarding the connection between marijuana use and mental illness. In... Dr. Kevin Sabet Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:38:37 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/experts-agree-that-marijuana-contributes-to-mental-illness http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/where-legalization-has-flourished-drug-use-has-increased “Do as the Dutch Do” -- this phrase has become a clarion call for legalization advocates, who fondly imagine a day when the world, or at least the U.S., treats marijuana the way the Dutch do. Almost every drug legalization discussion leads both... Dr. Kevin Sabet Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:38:36 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/where-legalization-has-flourished-drug-use-has-increased http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/it-is-a-myth-that-everybody-is-doing-it Marijuana is the most common illegal drug used by the population, representing its popularity and strengthening the case for its legalization.  But how many people actually use the drug? When asked, only about 6 percent of Americans admitted to... Dr. Kevin Sabet Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:38:31 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/it-is-a-myth-that-everybody-is-doing-it