In the ongoing battle over legalization of marijuana, several states have already made major changes to incorporate cannabis into society as a legal drug, used both medically and recreationally. California currently has two major marijuana measures that have been approved for signature gathering and may appear on the November ballot, both of which have significant financial backing and political support.
These proposals, if successfully implemented, could create a powerful new industry not dissimilar from the tobacco business, that researchers at UC San Francisco say could thwart public health concerns for the sake of creating revenue. In a paper published in California’s eScholarship Initiative, the researchers analyze both the tobacco and alcohol industries in comparison with proposed marijuana initiatives. They warned that lessons learned from controlling alcohol and tobacco (California is a global leader in tobacco control), should be considered in order to prevent the growth of another large industry that could cause serious public health consequences.
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