Actors and incentives in cannabis policy change: an interdisciplinary approach to legalization processes in the United States and in Uruguay

• Ano de defesa: 2020
• Autor(a) principal: Mena, Fernanda Mello
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: eng
• Instituição de defesa: Biblioteca Digitais de Teses e Dissertações da USP
• Palavras-chave em Português: Cannabis; Direitos humanos; Drug policy; Human rights; International regimes theory; International relations; Maconha; Política de drogas; Relações internacionais; Social movements theory; Teoria de movimentos sociais; Teoria de regimes internacionais
• Link de acesso: https://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/101/101131/tde-18092020-081536/

In 2012, three different territories in the Americas -Uruguay and the states of Colorado and Washington in the United States- took the unprecedented step of legalizing and regulating adult-use cannabis markets, permitting the production, trade, and consumption of non-medical cannabis, a psychotropic substance prohibited under international treaties ratified by the governments of these territories. This paradigm shift has raised challenges to the power institutionalized by the so called international drug control regime (IDCR). Such conflict between domestic drug policy change and international drug control paradigm has been eroding the regime\'s integrity while undermining respect for international law. This thesis analyzes the three pioneer cannabis legalization experiments through its actors and incentives. It employs process tracing methods and historical descriptive analysis, proposing a causal model for drug policy change starting with externalities and grievances generated by national implementation of IDCR norms and rules. The study draws on John Kingdon\'s multiple streams model of policy cycle to identify a constellation of players and forces operating as impetus or constraints for the advent of new legal cannabis markets. Among them, it focuses on the role of three non-state actors: local social movements organizations, epistemic communities and transnational advocacy networks. It evidences how these actors furthered the recognition of drug-related political problems, the proposition of alternative policies and the identification of political opportunities for change. In the US, a bottom-up process led to market-friendly regulatory frameworks focused on tax revenue while the Uruguayan top-down decision-making process have resulted in model strictly controlled by the state and focused on health and prevention.