David Jernigan, PhD, co-founder of the Maryland Collaborative, shared the lessons we can learn for cannabis policy from alcohol and tobacco policy. His book Cannabis: Moving Forward, Protecting Health goes into further detail

David reviewed how The Four Ps of marketing can be used to identify effective cannabis policy. 

• Price: Increase taxes (by weight, price, or potency); limit price promotions; require minimum unit pricing.
• Place: Limiting outlet density at the outset is easier now than later. Limit days and hours of sales, minimum age of purchase, third party delivery, on-site consumption and direct-to-consumer sales.
• Product: Prohibit concentrates and products containing alcohol or tobacco. Create a THC ceiling of 15%.
• Promotion: Ban cannabis marketing on TV, radio, billboards, and in social media; if no comprehensive ban, ban use of cartoon figures; fund public health media campaigns; prohibit health claims.

Social Justice

• Research suggests that legalizing cannabis for non-medical use decreases the overall number of cannabis-related arrests but does not eliminate racial inequalities among those arrested.
• Programs designed to facilitate entry into the cannabis market by members of communities harmed by cannabis may have unintended effect of increasing consumption and harms in those communities.
• A better approach to rectifying past injustices would be to reinvest cannabis revenues in non-cannabis wealth generation in those communities (e.g. subsidizing home ownership).Find mutual benefit. Most want to help the community, to be seen in a positive light, and to make a profit.

Cannabis Enforcement Recommendations

• Law enforcement should focus on sales to minors by retailers.
• Law enforcement agencies should have adequate resources to conduct frequent underage compliance checks for sales of cannabis to anyone under age 21.

 In Summary

We have not learned the lessons of alcohol and tobacco.

What Maryland has done right

• Ban on billboards
• No dispensaries within 1,000 feet of each other
• No dispensaries within 500 feet of sensitive uses (child care, playgrounds, etc.)

What Maryland could do better

• Industry is represented on the regulatory commission
• Jurisdictions are forbidden to ban home delivery within their boundaries