Dr. Alan Budney - Cannabis Legalization

The Addiction Psychologist

In December of 2020, the US House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunities Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) act, which removes marijuana from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act and eliminates criminal penalties for an individual who manufactures, distributes, or possesses marijuana. Although the bill is unlikely to survive the Senate, it seems to be a matter of time before some version of this bill does pass. There has been growing interest in decriminalizing and legalizing cannabis in on the state level in the United States and in many countries around the world, and many around the country support the action. It is increasingly important to understand the impact of cannabis legalization. How will the impact of federal legislation be different from that of state legislation? How will cannabis legislation impact the epidemiological harm of cannabis use? How can psychologists contribute to this legislation to minimize costs and maximize benefits oft he legislation? Dr. Alan Budney discusses the likely effects of cannabis legislation and outlines what we still do not know about cannabis. Dr. Alan Budney is a Professor of Psychiatry in the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College.