AN11-Bruce Barcott, Weed The People, 2 of 3

After the 2012 breakthrough of legalization of cannabis, followed by opening the world’s first legal (not just tolerated) cannabis stores in 2014, Washington and Colorado got down to the brass tacks of managing the newly legal markets. In the 13 years since, 20 other states and a few nations have followed suit. Throughout that time, Barcott has been following these efforts - both the successes and failures of trying to turn a giant underground industry into a legal, fully functional part of society. Sure, Barcott covers the business of cannabis and the political and legal issues involved, but he’s highly attuned to cultural shifts as well. Weed has had an important role in America’s counterculture for most of the last century. What happens when you take a substance that used to signal sticking it to The Man, and turn it into a $30B industry? What happens when teenagers are no longer taught that smoking a joint will turn you into a hopeless drug addict? What happens when lower Manhattan smells like a Reggae concert?The implications of legalization are large, but not always obvious. Barcott helps us contextualize all these changes in this episode, and next weeks as well. So stay tuned ;)music is by Colin Lake This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rileymorton.substack.com

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