America's relationship with pot today is a lot like it was with alcohol at the end of Prohibition: Awkward, and enshrined in a patchwork of changing laws that contradict each other. At the federal level, pot is illegal and a major focus of the War on Drugs. At the same time, states and cities across the U.S. are making it legal for medical use, and increasingly, for recreational use as well. Denver did that two years ago, and much has changed in that city as a result. Wes looks at what Baltimore (where the drug is still mostly illegal) can learn from Denver's path to marijuana legalization.
Voices in this episode include:
A Baltimore mother and son (not identified for their protection), who are making and using THC oil to treat his severe seizures
Mary Beth Susman, a Denver City Council member (and former president) who oversaw and helped shape policy around the legalization of pot
Ricardo Baca, marijuana editor for the Denver Post and creator of its web magazine The Cannabist
Major Neill Franklin, a retired career officer with the Baltimore City and Maryland State Police, and now executive director of the national advocacy group LEAP, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
Todd Oppenheim, a Baltimore public defender in the felony trial division
Kevin Sabet, director of the Drug Policy Institute at the University of Florida, and an assistant professor of psychiatry there