Table 1.
Description of policies surrounding alcohol and cannabis use in 3 countries; higher scores are consistent with a penalty approach and lower scores are consistent with a harm reduction approach.
| Indicator for children age 11–15 | Country | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | Canada | Netherlands | ||||
| Policy (range) | Policy Score | Policy Score | Policy Score | |||
| Alcohol | ||||||
| Minimum age to purchase (1–3) | 21 | 3 | 19 | 2 | 16 | 1 |
| Possession a criminal offense (1–2) | Yes | 2 | No | 1 | No | 1 |
| Consumption a criminal offense (1–2) | Most statesa | 2 | No | 1 | No | 1 |
| Purchase a criminal offense (1–2) | Yes | 2 | Yes | 2 | No (fine) | 1 |
| Jurisdiction of legislation (1–3) | Federal; state; local | 3 | Federal; Provincial | 2 | National | 1 |
| Subtotal | 12 | 8 | 5 | |||
| Cannabis | ||||||
| Minimum Age (buy or use?) (1–2) | None | 2 | None | 2 | 18 | 1 |
| Possession of small amounts criminal offense? (1–2) | Yesb | 2 | Yes | 2 | No | 1 |
| Consumption a criminal offense (1–2) | Some states | 2 | No | 1 | No | 1 |
| Purchase a criminal offense (1–2) | Yes; mandatory sentencing | 2 | Yes | 2 | Yesc | 1 |
| Jurisdiction of legislation (1–3) | State & federal | 3 | Federal | 2 | Local; Federal | 1 |
| Subtotal | 11 | 9 | 6 | |||
| TOTAL | 23 | 17 | 12 | |||
Some states provide exceptions for private consumption with parent permission
Mandatory sentencing for federal offense (e.g., transporting across state lines); state policies vary considerably – 38 states have less harsh penalties for possession of small amounts, defined variously as .5 oz to 2.2 lb (1 kilo); fines range from $50–$5000; however, incarceration for possession of amounts ranging from any to larger amounts is mandatory in 23 states and conditional in 23 states
Authorized “coffee” shops can sell ≤5 grams of cannabis/customer at least 18 years of age; no prosecution for possession of ≤5 grams at any age.