Buzz Kill - The Corporatization of Cannabis

A wide-ranging exploration of the legalization of cannabis in Canada and what we can learn from it. Cronyism, greed, and corruption trumped social justice and public health in Canada's legalization of cannabis. How did we get here? Where are we going? A more humane drug policy--which prioritizes public health over corporate profits--is possible. Canada legalized the sale of recreational cannabis in 2017. Buzz Kill recounts the legal and corporate collusion in creating an industry out of thin air that supplanted an illicit century-old industry. Drawing on lessons from alcohol and tobacco regulation in Canada and the United States, this book shows that, rather than basing policy choices on evidence, Canada's political elites created a newly regulated industry that would line their own pockets.