Utah's Liberal Drug Laws: Structural Foundations and Triggering Events

Utah was one of the first states to reduce the penalty for first-offense possession of marihuana, as well as other drugs, to a misdemeanor. Such innovative legislation in Utah was not expected given the Mormon domination of the state legislature and Mormons' strict prohibition of drug use. To shed light on this development, interviews were conducted with a number of Mormon and non-Mormon citizens of Utah, including a variety of state officials. Other sources of information included Mormon Church documents, local newspapers and Utah state records including legislative floor debates. By distinguishing between legislative triggering events and relevant structural conditions it appears that the legislation was triggered by powerful special interest groups but seems to have been supported by many citizens in this unusually homogeneous state as a way of protecting their children. A corollary of the conflict perspective, which is supported by these results, is that consensus on lenient drug penalties is most easily achieved if the drug in question is not associated with a threatening minority.