Policy Issues associated with Marijuana Legalization

  • Supply

    • Designated regulator(s)

    • Local growing of marijuana

    • Co-mingling of legal and illegal production

    • Purchases of supply from out of state

    • Development of pharmaceutical expertise

    • Drug product variations (smoked, vaped, ingested, etc.) and their implications for use, abuse, and drug perception

    • Approval, licensing and controls over producers and retail outlets (roll of municipalities)

    • Remote delivery policy and enforcement by post or courier

    • Reporting, monitoring and enforcement

    • Implementation roll-out

  • Consumption

    • Purchase standards

    • Expected usage trends

    • Impact of product variants on usage rates and public perception

    • Marijuana tourism and illicit exports from the state

  • Health and safety impacts

    • Risks related to driving, workplace absence

    • Potency standards, regulation and enforcement

    • Product purity standards, testing, monitoring and enforcement

    • Hospital and health facility reporting requirements and implementation

    • Addiction rates

    • Relationship to alcohol (complement or substitute)

    • Marijuana as a 'gateway' drug

    • Impact on the opioid crisis (the introduction of widespread use of fentanyl in illicit drug adulteration appears to be driven in signifcant part by an attempt from cartels to replace lost marijuana smuggling revenues; some fentanyl is making its way into the marijuana supply)


  • Fiscal Impact

    • Revenues

    • Development of legal v illegal market

    • Optimal taxation

    • Financial reporting, monitoring and enforcement

  • Public Outreach and Communication

    • Public perception of marijuana

    • Management of public awareness and concerns regarding legislation and implementation

    • Health warnings - TV, packaging, etc.

    • Prohibition / permitting of local retail outlets and marijuana cultivation

  • Impact on judicial system and sentencing

    • Impact of marijuana legalization on inner city crime rates

    • Impact on hard drug trade and related violence (Hard drug smuggling is up sharply as Mexican cartels are looking to replace lost marijuana sales.  Hard drugs from Mexico are distributed through Chicago and are the key contributor of the escalating violence there).

    • Impact on courts and prison system

  • Interstate issues

    • Potency harmonization

    • Best practices sharing

    • Coordinated enforcement

    • Data sharing