“A holiday from the facts.” That’s how the antagonist of Brave New World describes the wonder drug soma. The phrase might equally apply to US marijuana policy.
Since California first legalized medicinal cannabis in 1996, the US pot industry has morphed into a $40 billion behemoth. Weed is now legal in 24 states for recreational purposes and in 40 for medical use. About 15% of Americans report partaking; close to 18 million are daily or near-daily users, on par with alcohol.
Accompanying this boom has been a proliferation of pot-adjacent products — vapes, oils, edibles, gummies, concentrates, tinctures, fizzing multicolored soft drinks ...