"In 2012, voters in Colorado shocked the nation's political establishment by making the use of marijuana legal for anyone in the state twenty-one years of age or older. In the wake of that unprecedented victory, nationally recognized marijuana-policy experts Steve Fox, Paul Armentano, and Mason Tvert revisit the 'Marijuana Is Safer' message that contributed to the campaign's success-as the first edition of this book predicted in 2009. This updated and expanded version of Marijuana Is Safer includes a new chapter on the Colorado victory and information about how supporters can model similar campaigns in other states, along with updates to research that supports the position that marijuana is safer than alcohol. The authors-through an objective examination of marijuana and alcohol, and the laws and social practices that steer people toward the latter-pose a simple yet rarely considered question: Why do we punish adults who make the rational, safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol? Marijuana Is Safer provides an introduction to the cannabis plant and its effects on the user, debunks some of the government's most frequently cited marijuana myths, and, most importantly, provides persuasive arguments and talking points for the millions of Americans who want to advance the cause of marijuana-policy reform and educate friends, family, coworkers, elected officials, and, of course, future voters." -- Publisher information.