Electronic Thesis/Dissertation
Laboratories for Democracy: State-Level Variation in Recreational Marijuana Ballot Initiative Outcomes Open Access
The War on Drugs has prompted a policy and jurisdictional battle between the federal government and select states across the country. While the federal government maintains marijuana under a Schedule I classification, certain states have introduced and successfully passed recreational marijuana legislation through ballot initiatives that decriminalize marijuana under certain conditions. Relying on a qualitative analysis of newspaper articles, editorials, and interviews, this thesis examines the social and political forces that influence whether a recreational marijuana ballot initiative fails or succeeds. A case study involving a comparative examination of legalization debates is conducted for states that have recently had decriminalization measures on the ballot during the Obama Administration (2008-Present). Findings will illustrate the similarities and differences between the provisions of each state, and the paper will make recommendations for a "best practices" approach to debating and presenting marijuana policy via the ballot initiative process.
- License
Notice to Authors
If you are the author of this work and you have any questions about the information on this page, please use the Contact form to get in touch with us.
Relationships
Items
Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Visibility | Actions |
---|---|---|---|---|
|
Leon_gwu_0075M_11988.pdf | 2018-01-16 | Open Access |
|