Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9757-9324

Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Sociology and Anthropology

Committee Chair

James Nolan

Committee Co-Chair

Katie Corcoran

Committee Member

Katie Corcoran

Committee Member

Brandie Pugh

Committee Member

Nikolay Anguelov

Abstract

Racial and Ethnic Threat and the Accessibility of the Legal Recreational Cannabis Market in California

By Kathryn L. Burnham

Drug prohibition has a racialized history in the United States (US). Cannabis became synonymous with the perceived enhanced criminality of Black and Hispanic populations by the White public. Despite similar prevalence of cannabis use among people who are Black, White, and Hispanic, the vilification and stigmatization of Black and Hispanic cannabis users began in the early 1900s and continued for over a century. As individual states continue to legalize cannabis use and public opinion favors the federal legalization of cannabis, it is crucial to examine how the racialization and criminalization of cannabis use manifests in the legal recreational cannabis market today. Using publicly available data, this dissertation utilizes racial and ethnic threat theory to analyze whether policy, taxation, or voting behavior related to the legal recreational cannabis market in California today is impacted by the racial and ethnic composition of cities in an attempt to add to the current sociological literature that tends to be atheoretical given the newness of this social phenomenon. While support was limited, similar to other studies of racial and ethnic threat theory, taxation on cannabis products was higher in cities with a higher concentration of people who are Black or Hispanic. Voting behavior and policies were not significantly related to the percent of people who are Black or Hispanic. As more states legalize cannabis, it is important to ensure that the legal cannabis market is accessible, especially for people who have been negatively impacted by cannabis prohibition.

Download

Share

COinS