Green Rush

The Rise of Medical Marijuana in the United States

Daniel J. Mallinson, A. Lee Hannah

• Publisher: NYU Press
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN:
  9781479827930
• eBook ISBN:
  9781479827947
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Alternative & Complementary Medicine
• Index: Biological Sciences

A state-by-state analysis of the expansion of medical marijuana access in the United States

As of 2023, thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia have legalized the medical use of marijuana. Twenty-three have legalized recreational use, supporting what is now a flourishing multibillion-dollar industry. In Green Rush, Daniel J. Mallinson and A. Lee Hannah offer a fascinating history of cannabis legalization in America, highlighting the people, states, and policies that made these victories possible.

With sharp insight, Mallinson and Hannah explore the backdrop to this sea change in policy, including shifts in public opinion, growing opposition to the War on Drugs, the promise of new revenue streams, and more. They examine the complex web of state actors—and the steps they took—to chart a path forward for marijuana legalization, from grassroots activists and interest groups to elected officials and other key policymakers.

Mallinson and Hannah show us how states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia not only created, legitimized, and spread medical marijuana policy but also learned from each other's successes and failures throughout the process. As marijuana legalization increasingly finds its way onto state ballots, Green Rush offers fresh insight into how we got here as a country and where we are going—one state at a time.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction: The States’ Rush
• 1. Selling Pot: The Changing Narrative around Marijuana
• 2. Defiant Innovation: States, Federalism, and the Fight for Legalization
• 3. From the Statehouse to the Dispensary: Policy Design and Implementation
• 4. When Policy Creates Politics: States Learn as They Go
• 5. Laboratories in Limbo: The Future of Marijuana Policy
• Acknowledgments
• Appendix A: Full Models
• Appendix B: Additional Information
• Notes
• Index
• About the Authors