610. Who Wins and Who Loses Once the U.S. Legalizes Weed?

Some people want the new cannabis economy to look like the craft-beer movement. Others are hoping to build the Amazon of pot. And one expert would prefer a government-run monopoly. We listen in as they fight it out. (Part four of a four-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Jon Caulkins, professor of operations research and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University.
  • Adam Goers, senior vice president of The Cannabist Company and chairperson of the Coalition for Cannabis Scheduling Reform.
  • Yasmin Hurd, director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai.
  • Jared Polis, governor of Colorado.
  • Ryan Stoa, associate professor of law at Louisiana State University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Prevalenceof and Trends in Current Cannabis Use Among U.S. Youth and Adults, 2013–2022,"by Delvon T. Mattingly, Maggie K. Richardson, and Joy L. Hart (Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, 2024).
  • "Colorado’sWeed Market Is Coming Down Hard and It’s Making Other States Nervous," by Mona Zhang (Politico, 2024).
  • "ReducingAlcohol Consumption, the Nordic Way: Alcohol Monopolies, Marketing Bans and Higher Taxation," by the World Health Organization (2023).
  • "Economic Benefits and Social Costs of Legalizing Recreational Marijuana," by Jason P. Brown, Elior Cohen, and Alison Felix (Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Research Working Paper, 2023).
  • "Competition in the Markets for Beer, Wine, and Spirits," by the United States Department of the Treasury (2022).
  • "Alcohol Monopolies," by Robin Room (Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems, 2021).
  • "CraftBeer Is the Strangest, Happiest Economic Story in America," by Derek Thompson (The Atlantic, 2018).
  • "MarijuanaDiscontinuation, Anxiety Symptoms, and Relapse to Marijuana," by Marcel O. Bonn-Miller and Rudolf H. Moos (Addictive Behaviors, 2009).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Is America Switching from Booze to Weed?" series by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "WhyDo Your Eyeglasses Cost $1,000?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Should You Trust Private Equity to Take Care of Your Dog?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "Is Dialysis a Test Case of Medicare for All?" by Freakonomics Radio (2021).