Implementation is Politics: Effects of Variation in State Cannabis Policy

Session Submission Type: In-Person Full Paper Panel

Session Description

While cannabis policies in the United States have been widely studied by public health scholars, political scientists have mainly focused on the electoral and cultural implications of marijuana policies. Less work has explored the variation in policies and implications of this variation. Moreover, the dissonance in federal and state law creates a number of administrative challenges in implementing cannabis policies. And while states move to adopt medical and adult-use cannabis policies, new issues arise related to social justice, burgeoning markets, and international changes.

This panel aims to bring together political science, public policy, and public administration scholars to focus on the political questions that arise when implementing cannabis policy. Each paper leverages variation in state laws to provide insights on how policy design shapes implementation and policy outcomes. The first paper addresses the social equity concerns with cannabis liberalization. These concerns emerged late in the spread of medical cannabis, but have been central to the adoption of recreational. The second paper focuses on changes in the criminal justice system post legalization, in particular referrals to cannabis treatment programs. The third examines the density of cannabis point of sale locations and how density is shaped by legal provisions. Finally, the fourth paper addresses the public health impacts of cannabis legalization. Namely, it explores the linkages between legalization and mental health, opioid use, mortality, and morbidity. Each of these papers highlights the rich research being conducted in a policy domain that is increasingly central in state and national debates.

Sub Unit

• Division 25: Public Policy

Individual Presentations

• Race Neutral: Social Equity and Disparities in State Cannabis Policy - Daniel J Mallinson, Penn State, Harrisburg; Lauren Azevedo, Penn State Harrisburg; Lee Hannah, Wright State University

• The Impact of Cannabis Policy Reform on Referrals to Treatment for Cannabis Use - Katharine Harris, Rice University; Christopher Kulesza, Rice University

• Public Health Effects of Medical and Recreational Marijuana - Mitchell Dylan Sellers, Tulane University

Chair

• Lee Hannah Wright State University

Discussant

• Aaron Wachhaus