How will cannabis legalization affect health, safety, and social equity outcomes? It largely depends on the 14 Ps

Abstract

Jurisdictions considering or implementing alternatives to cannabis supply prohibition will confront several decisions that will influence health, safety, and social equity outcomes. This essay highlights 14 of these design considerations, which all conveniently begin with the letter P: 1) Production, 2) Profit motive, 3) Power to regulate, 4) Promotion, 5) Prevention and treatment, 6) Policing and enforcement, 7) Penalties, 8) Prior criminal records, 9) Product types, 10) Potency, 11) Purity, 12) Price, 13) Preferences for licenses, and 14) Permanency. For each factor, the paper explains why it is important, describes the various approaches, and highlights how some of the jurisdictions that have legalized have addressed these choices. The primary audiences are decision makers considering alternatives to prohibiting cannabis supply and analysts making projections or conducting evaluations of these changes.