Embark on a transformative journey through uncharted realms of research and industry with the first book of the "Cannabis Innovations" series. This multidisciplinary effort breaks the mold of typical cannabis texts by providing chapters written by a diverse array of professionals actively shaping the frontiers of cannabis science and business. Regulatory consultants, lawyers, pharmacologists, industry operators, and academics unite to offer seldom encountered perspectives found in traditional cannabis discourse. Our compilation is a carefully curated exploration of the advanced and interconnected complexities of cannabis and is tailored for those with a foundational understanding, ready to delve deeper into the subject. This is part of a larger DeGruyter initiative which focuses on innovative and novel topics, each volume of this series serves as a guide through the multifaceted landscape of cannabis. Step into a pragmatic view of the cannabis industry’s future, where research and innovation converge to advance our understanding of this complex plant, helping us become poised to balance the risks and benefits for the challenges that lay ahead.

Defenders of marijuana use may seize on the ambiguity or absence of evidence for such damage and ignore any other effects on education or safety; those opposed to marijuana use may emphasize the possibility of chronic disease that is suggested by some laboratory findings and ignore the social, political, and economic costs of fighting a well-established custom. The Committee wishes to make clear what it regards as the limits of this report for the selection of policy alteratives. Scientific judgment can estimate the prevalence of different kinds of use, risks to health, economic costs, and the like under current policies and can try to project such estimates for new policies. It can come to some conclusions based on those estimates. But selection of an alternative is always a value-governed choice, which can ultimately be made only by the political process.

From the leading authority on marijuana—a man who has served as White House advisor on drugs to three different administrations and who NBC News once called “the prodigy of drug politics"—comes the remarkable and shocking exposé about how 21st century pot, today’s new and highly potent form of the drug, is on the rise, spreading rapidly across America by an industry intent on putting rising profits over public health. Smokescreen: What the Marijuana Industry Doesn't Want You to Know examines the inside story behind the headlines, containing accounts from Sabet’s time in the Obama administration to stunning revelations from whistleblowers speaking out for the first time. What it finds is how the marijuana industry is running rampant without proper oversight, leaving Americans’ health seriously at risk. Included are interviews with industry insiders who reveal the hidden dangers of a product they had once worshipped. Also contained in these pages are insights from a major underground-market dealer who admits that legalization is hastening the growth of the illicit drug trade. And more to the heart of the issue are the tragic stories of those who have suffered and died as a result of marijuana use, and in many cases, as a result of its mischaracterization. Readers will learn how power brokers worked behind the scenes to market marijuana as a miracle plant in order to help it gain widespread acceptance and to set the stage for the lucrative expansion of recreational pot. The author of this compelling first-person narrative leading the national fight against the legalization of cannabis through his nonprofit, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (aka SAM) is Kevin Sabet. As a policy advisor to everyone from county health commissioners to Pope Francis, and a frequent public speaker on television, radio and through other media outlets, his analysis is consistently relied upon by those who recognize what’s at stake as marijuana lobbyists downplay the risks of massive commercialization. A book several years in the making, filled with vivid characters and informed by hundreds of interviews and scores of confidential documents, Sabet's Smokescreen lays bare the unvarnished truth about marijuana in America.

Significant changes have taken place in the policy landscape surrounding cannabis legalization, production, and use. During the past 20 years, 25 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis and/or cannabidiol (a component of cannabis) for medical conditions or retail sales at the state level and 4 states have legalized both the medical and recreational use of cannabis. These landmark changes in policy have impacted cannabis use patterns and perceived levels of risk. However, despite this changing landscape, evidence regarding the short- and long-term health effects of cannabis use remains elusive. While a myriad of studies have examined cannabis use in all its various forms, often these research conclusions are not appropriately synthesized, translated for, or communicated to policy makers, health care providers, state health officials, or other stakeholders who have been charged with influencing and enacting policies, procedures, and laws related to cannabis use. Unlike other controlled substances such as alcohol or tobacco, no accepted standards for safe use or appropriate dose are available to help guide individuals as they make choices regarding the issues of if, when, where, and how to use cannabis safely and, in regard to therapeutic uses, effectively. Shifting public sentiment, conflicting and impeded scientific research, and legislative battles have fueled the debate about what, if any, harms or benefits can be attributed to the use of cannabis or its derivatives, and this lack of aggregated knowledge has broad public health implications. The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids provides a comprehensive review of scientific evidence related to the health effects and potential therapeutic benefits of cannabis. This report provides a research agendaâ€"outlining gaps in current knowledge and opportunities for providing additional insight into these issuesâ€"that summarizes and prioritizes pressing research needs.

Embark on a transformative journey through uncharted realms of research and industry with the first book of the "Cannabis Innovations" series. This multidisciplinary effort breaks the mold of typical cannabis texts by providing chapters written by a diverse array of professionals actively shaping the frontiers of cannabis science and business. Regulatory consultants, lawyers, pharmacologists, industry operators, and academics unite to offer seldom encountered perspectives found in traditional cannabis discourse. Our compilation is a carefully curated exploration of the advanced and interconnected complexities of cannabis and is tailored for those with a foundational understanding, ready to delve deeper into the subject. This is part of a larger DeGruyter initiative which focuses on innovative and novel topics, each volume of this series serves as a guide through the multifaceted landscape of cannabis. Step into a pragmatic view of the cannabis industry’s future, where research and innovation converge to advance our understanding of this complex plant, helping us become poised to balance the risks and benefits for the challenges that lay ahead.

This book explores one of the most pressing public policy questions for the 2020s: how should we regulate cannabis? The global cannabis prohibition regime is fragmenting as more countries experiment with decriminalization and legalization, and this book aims to make sense of this rapidly changing world. The ‘cannabis challenge’ is complex. How do we balance creating a potentially lucrative legal cannabis industry with protecting public health? How do we hardwire social and racial justice into our reform initiatives? How do we build a cannabis trade that is environmentally sustainable? The book seeks to make sense of our present through a state-of-the-art global review of cannabis law reform initiatives – mapping what has been done, where, and with what impacts. It attempts to generate new ideas for the future of cannabis regulation by viewing it through the lens of business regulation and learning lessons from how other consumer products are regulated.

As the largely illicit cannabis market transitions to a legal, regulated industry, the "canna-curious" and experienced industry participants alike are experiencing the harsh truth: Making a fortune in the legal cannabis industry is a challenge made even more difficult by a complex patchwork of state and federal laws. The Cannabis Business clears the confusion around topics such as the distinction between hemp and cannabis and why it matters for consumers and regulators, why CBD isn’t completely legal in the U.S., why and how states differ in their licensing processes, and how deal structuring is impacted by state regulations. Written by attorneys from the nation’s leading cannabis law and policy firm, this comprehensive primer on all things cannabis law is a must-have for anyone seeking to understand the major practical legal issues facing the cannabis industry in the U.S.