What's Happened to the Cannabis Debate?

Summary The public debate on cannabis is showing signs of extinction. Little has been heard about this drug from political authorities in recent years, and the scientific community appears to be losing interest itself. Social complacency, the emergence of other drug habits which are perceived as being more threatening, and the rather limited progress made in answering some major cannabis research questions could explain this course of events. History shows that scientific work on cannabis is usually prompted by apolitical need to respond to a high level of social concern over this drug. When such social pressure diminishes, scientific interest tends to fade away. This paper warns against the repetition of previous historical episodes and gives an account of the many research issues that remain unanswered at this point.