Four distinct challenges prevent the cannabis industry from becoming fully legal and federally regulated in the United States, equivalent to the alcohol, pharmaceutical, or tobacco industries: federal regulations counter to state laws, an unfriendly financial system, a U.S. attorney general bent on keeping the drug war running, and Prohibition's 70-year-old legacy of distrust between legalization advocates and opponents. The Business of Cannabis explores these issues in depth and contextualizes U.S. drug policy at a time when lawmakers across the nation are deciding which way to lean on the issue"--Book jacket.

Supply and demand -- Federal laws vs. state vs. local control -- Lobbyists and lawyers -- Going to market : cultivation, testing, manufacturing, production, and retail -- Banking and financial implications -- State by state, nation by nation -- Taxation and ramifications -- Picks and shovels : ancillary and support industry -- The future of cannabis.