7 Tips for California: How to Make Legalizing Marijuana Smart

The International Centre for Science in Drug Policy considers setting a smoking age as a potentially useful way to regulate cannabis effectively. Some research in drinking behavior has suggested, for example, that raising the drinking age to 21 in the U.S. has reduced alcohol consumption among youth. But experts disagree on the utility of a smoking age. "It's a waste of time. It's even easier with cannabis than with alcohol for it to leak across the age barrier," says UCLA's Kleiman. Making underage smoking a status offense for youth could also lead to increased incarceration and place more young people with minor problems in treatment or in prison, which could increase their drug use by exposing them to more troubled peers. Another potential problem is racial disparities in enforcement of the law. Right now, for example, African Americans are arrested for marijuana possession in Los Angeles seven times more often than whites — even though white youth are more likely to smoke pot than blacks. These types of differences occur across the country, and they — as well as the resulting jail time and loss of educational, housing and job opportunities for prosecuted youth — are some of the most compelling arguments for regulation of marijuana, rather than prohibition. They're also potential risks of instituting a smoking age. (More on TIME.com: Why Juvenile Prison Makes Kids Worse) Next: Regulate Where and When Pot Is Sold More on Time.com: See photos of cannabis culture Is Marijuana Addictive? It Depends How You Define Addiction