Expert on expansion of marijuana legalization says 'floodgates are opening' with 2016 ballot initiatives


Thu, 11/03/2016

author

Brendan M. Lynch

LAWRENCE — Advance polling of voters in several U.S. states, including California, suggests marijuana-law liberalization efforts could succeed in next week’s elections.

“The likely legalization of medical cannabis use in California, Nevada, Arizona, Massachusetts and Maine on November 8 will see some states finally catching up with public opinion on this issue,” said Barney Warf, professor of geography at the University of Kansas and author of “High Points: An Historical Geography of Cannabis,” published in the peer-reviewed journal Geographical Review.

Warf is available to speak to reporters about the expansion of marijuana legalization in the U.S. He has researched the spread of cannabis over several millennia, mapping the long “but largely overlooked” historical geography of hemp and its psychoactive counterpart.

“Almost 60 percent of Americans support full legalization,” he said. “Even conservative legislatures have eyed the potential tax revenues from the process. Moreover, the five states that will newly legalize cannabis will provide an impetus for yet others to do so in future elections. Now that the floodgates are opening, there is no going back.”

To set up an interview with Warf, contact Brendan M. Lynch, public affairs officer with KU News Service, at 785-864-8855 or Brendan@ku.edu.

Thu, 11/03/2016

author

Brendan M. Lynch

Media Contacts

Brendan M. Lynch

KU News Service

785-864-8855