With the normalization of cannabis, there’s a deep well of great reporting, and we are curating a list of some of the best readings on the topic.

From the Instructor, Andrew Matranga

Cannabis as a story has never been a laughing matter for me. As an Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of Denver, I created the first Cannabis Journalism course in the country. The course aims to empower young journalists with the skills they need to report on “America’s New Normal.”

I know cannabis seems fun and exotic. I know it elicits half-baked puns and decades-old stereotypes, but I believe cannabis is a serious topic. It has far-reaching implications, from federal drug policy, medical research, and international trade to local taxes and even vending machine ordinances. With other states looking to Colorado as an example, of what to do and what not to do, accurate and responsible reporting on cannabis is more critical than ever.

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Here’s a lecture about “Cannabis Journalism: Reporting on America’s New Normal” presented at the Journalism Interactive Conference, University of Florida

You can follow the news on the #CannabisJournalism hashtag, but the list below features the longer reads.

Reading Material

• Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America by Bruce Barcott
• Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market by Eric Schlosser
• Marijuana Nation: The Legalization of Cannabis Across the USA from the Associated Press