Policy Studies

May 11, 2022

Transmission Reform Strategy from a Customer Perspective: Optimizing Net Benefits and Procedural Vehicles

Devin Hartman & Jennifer Chen

INTRODUCTION
Cost-efficient electric transmission planning, development and operations are vital for grid reliability and economic development. Investor-owned utilities (IOUs) have access to ample…

Apr 27, 2022

Opinions on Judicial Reform: A Review of the 2021 Supreme Court Commission

Matt Germer

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In April 2021, President Joe Biden created the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States to evaluate many of the most popular ideas for reforming the…

Apr 25, 2022

Cleaner by the Dozen: Twelve Reforms to Make Texas Cleaner, Stronger and Freer

Josiah Neeley

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Texas conservatives should look to fundamental principles in crafting a positive policy agenda on climate change. Though often overlooked, many of the best ways to improve the…

Apr 20, 2022

Alcohol delivery and underage drinking: Data-driven lessons from direct-to-consumer wine shipping

C. Jarrett Dieterle

INTRODUCTION
When it comes to having alcoholic beverages delivered to our doors, America is in a very different place today than it was 24 months ago. As COVID-19 spread across the world, markets…

Apr 18, 2022

Debt-based license suspensions: Drivers of poverty and incarceration

Christi Smith

INTRODUCTION
Driving is a privilege, not a right, in the United States. It is also a privilege that is revoked from millions of Americans, not due to dangerous driving or criminal conduct but…

Apr 13, 2022

Cannabis Is Not Risk Free, but Smart Policies Can Reduce Harm

Stacey McKenna & Chelsea Boyd

Test your knowledge about cannabis risks

It has been almost 30 years [1] since California legalized medical cannabis and nearly a decade since Colorado and Washington first allowed adult recreational use, and the United States seems to be leaving its “Reefer Madness” days in the dust. Indeed, Americans now overwhelmingly support [2] some degree of cannabis legalization [3], and both parties have shown an interest in federal decriminalization [4]. Despite this shift in perspective, opponents of legalization still make their argument by pointing to fears about how cannabis use and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) intoxication may affect public health and safety.

In this policy paper, we identified five top concerns from anti-legalization efforts, assessed their validity and outlined relevant policy implications. Before you dive into the details of the paper, test your knowledge here!

1 / 5

THC levels are higher than they were in the past. True? False?

True

Sort of true

Neither true nor false

Sort of false

False

2 / 5

Cannabis use causes mental health conditions. True? False?

True

Sort of true

Neither true nor false

Sort of false

False

3 / 5

Legalizing cannabis leads more teens to use. True? False?

True

Sort of true

Neither true nor false

Sort of false

False

4 / 5

Accidental cannabis poisonings are a danger to children. True? False?

True

Sort of true

Neither true nor false

Sort of false

False

5 / 5

Driving under the influence of THC causes more accidents and road fatalities. True? False?

True

Sort of true

Neither true nor false

Sort of false

False

Your score is

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Since California legalized medical cannabis almost three decades ago, support for relaxed laws around the Schedule I substance has spread throughout the United…

Endnotes

“30 years”: https://www.businessinsider.com/legal-marijuana-states-2018-1
“Americans now overwhelmingly support”: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/04/16/americans-overwhelmingly-say-marijuana-should-be-legal-for-recreational-or-medical-use/
“legalization”: https://www.mpp.org/issues/legislation/key-marijuana-policy-reform
“federal decriminalization”: https://www.natlawreview.com/article/federal-cannabis-reform-2022-year
“decades past”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26903403.
“5 percent”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26903403.
“17 percent”: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-019-00983-5
“around”: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230167
“20 percent”: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.13886
“illegal”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26903403
“legal”: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/was-marijuana-really-less-potent-in-the-1960s/387010
“methodological”: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/was-marijuana-really-less-potent-in-the-1960s/387010/
“limitations”: https://goodlabcolorado.com/2016/05/19/potency-testing-gc-vs-lc/
“evidence”: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X13000187
“emerging”: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1993.tb03408.x
“evidence”: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/210748
“implicates”: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5984096
“use”: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5911228/#:~:text=Self%2Dmedication%20with%20drugs%20or,leading%20individuals%20to%20self%2Dmedicate.
“consumption”: http://monitoringthefuture.org/data/21data/MJ/MJ_jsFigures.htm
“studies”: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00952990.2018.1559847
“specifically”: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11121-018-0933-2
“examined”: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2718512
“cannabis”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31568933.
“exposure”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24507243.
“states”: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0749379715004006
“legal”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24507243
“study”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26054783
“climbed”: https://www.nhtsa.gov/behavioral-research/drug-and-alcohol-crash-risk-study
“states”: https://aaafoundation.org/cannabis-use-among-drivers-in-fatal-crashes-in-washington-state-before-and-after-legalization
“mild”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30872375
“moderate”: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001457521003572?via%3Dihub
“risk”: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001457512002412
“blood THC levels”: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15389588.2020.1851685
“experiences”: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2788264

Mar 30, 2022

Conservative Jurisdictions Champion Diversion Efforts

Lisel Petis

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Law enforcement agencies across the country, regardless of state or jurisdiction population size, are facing challenges on a daily basis, including exhaustion and frustration from…

Mar 28, 2022

Deposit refund systems are more effective than mandates

Philip Rossetti

INTRODUCTION
Recent speculation that a federal level bill for a deposit return system (DRS) (commonly called a bottle bill), as well as recent efforts by states to reform DRSs, has renewed interest…

Mar 8, 2022

Combating the Rise in Homicides by Expanding the Use of Citations In Lieu of Arrest

Maya Szilak

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The rise in homicide rates that began in 2020 continues to be a major source of public concern. Law enforcement agencies need effective strategies to deal with this issue without…

Feb 28, 2022

The Need to Reduce Tariffs on Non-Leather Goods

Clark Packard

Introduction
Since World War II, tariffs and other barriers to trade have fallen dramatically as the United States and its economic partners have liberalized the trade of goods and services across…

Publications

Endnotes