Freakonomics Radio   /     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:
  • "Prevalence of 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’s Weed Market Is Coming Down Hard and It’s Making Other States Nervous," by Mona Zhang (Politico, 2024).
  • "Reducing Alcohol 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).
  • "Craft Beer Is the Strangest, Happiest Economic Story in America," by Derek Thompson (The Atlantic, 2018).
  • "Marijuana Discontinuation, 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).
  • "Why Do 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).