Topic Editors

Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Architecture and Planning, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
Dr. Kelly Patterson
School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA

Cannabis Legalization in the United States: Public Policy, Social Welfare, and Public Health Implications

Abstract submission deadline
closed (30 April 2024)
Manuscript submission deadline
31 January 2025
Viewed by
3934

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

During the last decade, there have been increased efforts to legalize cannabis across the United States. The trend toward legalization and decriminalization began with laws that permitted the sale and use of medical marijuana. These reforms were followed by laws permitting the sale and use of recreational marijuana. To date, medical and/or recreational cannabis is legal in some form in 37 states. Changes in the legal status of cannabis have a number of implications for society. A range of research questions stem from the legalization of cannabis across disciplines in the social sciences, health sciences, and the professional fields of public health, law, urban planning, social welfare, and public policy. This Special Issue will focus on recent research on cannabis legalization and decriminalization in the United States. We are interested in submissions that represent the spectrum of issues arising from reforms to cannabis policies at the federal, state, and local levels. We invite you to contribute to this Special Issue with an original research or review article.

Prof. Dr. Robert Mark Silverman
Dr. Kelly Patterson
Topic Editors

Keywords

  • cannabis legalization
  • cannabis decriminalization
  • medical marijuana
  • recreational marijuana United States
  • public health and health sciences
  • social welfare
  • social sciences
  • urban planning
  • public policy

Participating Journals

Journal Name Impact Factor CiteScore Launched Year First Decision (median) APC
Laws
laws
1.3 2.0 2012 31.4 Days CHF 1400 Submit
Societies
societies
1.7 3.1 2011 32.4 Days CHF 1400 Submit
Sustainability
sustainability
3.3 6.8 2009 20 Days CHF 2400 Submit

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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18 pages, 5949 KiB  
Article
Building the Prison to Legal Drug Dealing Pipeline: A Comparative Analysis of Social Equity Policies in Recreational Cannabis Licensing
by Kelly L. Patterson, Robert Mark Silverman, Ambreen Rehman-Veal, Li Yin and Suiyuan Wang
Societies 2024, 14(6), 88; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14060088 - 13 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 939
Abstract
Since 2012, twenty-four states have legalized adult-use recreational cannabis. To varying degrees, state laws allow for the production, distribution, retail sale, and on-site consumption of cannabis in licensed businesses. Accompanying cannabis, some legalization has acknowledged that black and brown communities were disproportionately impacted [...] Read more.
Since 2012, twenty-four states have legalized adult-use recreational cannabis. To varying degrees, state laws allow for the production, distribution, retail sale, and on-site consumption of cannabis in licensed businesses. Accompanying cannabis, some legalization has acknowledged that black and brown communities were disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs. To address this, social equity provisions have been a component of their public policies related to cannabis legalization. These provisions include measures to expunge cannabis-related criminal records and create social equity set-asides for cannabis business licenses. This paper’s research question asks if, under its current structure and implementation, recreational cannabis laws achieve social equity goals. The methods for the analysis apply content analysis to public policy documents and quantify recreational cannabis licensing outcomes. These methods were applied to a comparative analysis of social equity provisions in state and local cannabis laws applicable to large U.S. cities (2020 population > 600,000). This analysis focuses on the characteristics of set-asides for social equity licenses to sell recreational cannabis. The analysis examines the scope of social equity policies, their administration and implementation, and the characteristics of licensees. The findings from the analysis are used to identify a model policy framework and generate recommendations to strengthen social equity outcomes in recreational cannabis licensing. Full article
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