Pot for Profit

Joseph Mello is Associate Professor of Political Science at DePaul University. He is the author of The Courts, the Ballot Box, and Gay Rights (2016), and his work has been published in Law and Social Inquiry; Studies in Law, Politics, and Society; and Judicature.

"Mello's book employs a sophisticated sociolegal framework to illuminate how the pipe dream of cannabis legalization that animated rebellious counterculture activists was adapted to fit the neoliberal narrative of free markets privileging powerful corporate business interests. Mello is especially astute in analyzing the complex dynamics of racial inequity entrenched in this fascinating cultural history of modern capitalism. Highly recommended!"—Michael McCann, Gordon Hirabayashi Professor Emeritus, University of Washington "In the finest law and society tradition, Mello weaves together cultural, political, and economic forces shaping emergent landscapes of cannabis legalization with, not after, prohibition. This book should be a foundational text for scholars, policymakers and anyone wondering what happened to the social justice horizons of cannabis policy reform."—Dominic Corva, California Polytechnic University, Humboldt "Following a capsule cultural history of cannabis prohibition and presentation of summary data on 16 state-level ballot measures and campaign contributors, Mello articulates a strong normative critique of the failure of the resulting regulatory structures to provide functional reparations for the damage to individuals burdened with records of cannabis convictions and to minority communities because of mass convictions.... Highly recommended."—J. C. Hickman, CHOICE