ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book argues that the negative outcomes and unintended impacts of the Colorado commercial cannabis market support the case for a conservative roll-out of new legal cannabis markets. It summarizes the numerous examples of cannabis decriminalization, including instances where laws have been specifically passed to remove criminal penalties for minor cannabis offending, and examples where minor cannabis offenses have been given a low priority for arrest and prosecution. The book explores an important aspect of cannabis policy reform that tolerates or explicitly permits small-scale home cultivation of cannabis. It describes how in Switzerland, the absence of a political consensus about how to address cannabis use led to piecemeal reforms and localized initiatives. Perhaps the most well-known of the early cannabis law reforms is the Dutch cannabis “coffeeshop” regime that emerged locally during the late 1970s.
