Abstract
Marijuana regulation in the United States is contradictory, decentralized, and rapidly changing. Although the production, distribution, and sale of marijuana remain illegal under federal law, an increasing number of states are authorizing the drug for medical and recreational purposes. This chapter describes the way marijuana regulation in the United States has evolved over the last 20 years and the constraints imposed on state regulatory frameworks by both the continuing federal prohibition of the drug and the complications of the federal system.
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Notes
- 1.
This chapter refers to these jurisdictions as either “recreational” or “adult-use” states, which permit marijuana use by adults without a doctor’s recommendation.
- 2.
It is important to note that Congress has left adult-use regulations in the states unprotected from the possibility of federal enforcement.
- 3.
Although several conditions such as PTSD have been suggested for addition to the list of approved conditions, every such application has been rejected.
- 4.
The principal exception to this is Uruguay, which has been very slowly rolling out a national program for the distribution and consumption of cannabis (Graham 2015). The Uruguay project is discussed more in detail below.
- 5.
In June 2016, Governor Hickenlooper signed a bill into law making it illegal to sell edible marijuana products that are in the form of a “human, animal, or fruit” (Colorado Legislature 2016).
- 6.
For example, in Colorado there were two high-profile instances of deaths attributable to marijuana consumption—a homicide and a suicide, each attributed to the overconsumption of marijuana edibles. Without in any way minimizing the seriousness of these events, it should be noted that alcohol contributes to 100,000 premature deaths in the United States each year while tobacco contributes nearly five times as many. Marijuana has a long way to go before it poses even a tiny fraction of the public health danger associated with these products, or of the destructive effects of prescription opioids.
- 7.
Uruguayans may also produce their own cannabis—either individually or in collectives—but if they choose to do so they are denied the option of purchasing it from a pharmacy.
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Kamin, S. (2017). Marijuana Regulation in the United States. In: Savona, E., Kleiman, M., Calderoni, F. (eds) Dual Markets. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65361-7_7
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