[Regulatory elements on marijuana, for the effective population health protection]

When discussing the public health approach to the use of marijuana, the complexity of rigorous regulatory interventions for population protection is omitted. Using the experience of governments where these practices already exist, regulation is introduced as an essential public health function, spelling out seven purposes for controlling marijuana. The technical elements of institutional capacity -including the technical and financial capacity- and of governance that must be covered by any rigorous regulation of its use are detailed below. The difficulty of regulating psychoactive substances is addressed when considering the capacity to control other legal substances manifested with their increased consumption. It is concluded that for an effective regulation of marijuana, the need for strengthening the institutional and governance aspects of the regulatory authority should not be minimized.