Cannabis prohibition is being abandoned as a social experiment after nearly a century, but the shape of the new social experiment — regulated access — has yet to be determined, U of R expert says

William Dolphin is a lecturer at the University of Redlands and author of The Medicalization of Marijuana: Legitimacy, Stigma, and the Patient Experience.  

Dolphin, as an expert in the medicalization and market of marijuana, can comment on these topics, most recently discussed in the Los Angeles Times article, “Mexico is poised to become the biggest legal marijuana market in the world. Who will most benefit?” 

“Equity is a central question facing policymakers in North America as they consider how to regulate legal cannabis markets, medical or otherwise — whether to turn control of production over to large corporations or protect small artisanal farms and individuals who grow for themselves,” he says.

“This question is as relevant at the local level as it is the national level. Some U.S. states and cities have established special licensing rules that seek to ensure representation in the emerging cannabis market by those who have been most adversely affected by cannabis prohibition, which, universally, is people of color and the poor. Some states, such as Florida, have limited access to participating in the industry to only successful, existing agricultural businesses. 

“Cannabis prohibition is being abandoned as a social experiment after nearly a century, but the shape of the new social experiment — regulated access — has yet to be determined.”