Something's in the Air

"The racial injustices of the current war on drugs have received a lot more attention than the racial implications of policy reform. Something's in the Air: Race, Crime, and the Legalization of Marijuanais an exception. Focusing on marijuana policy, the contributors offer solid empirical investigations and a critical discussion of alternatives. This book is well-timed – change is in the air regarding marijuana policy. This collection, by taking nothing for granted, will encourage better drug-law policy making."

—Doris Marie Provine, Arizona State University and author of Unequal under Law: Race and the War on Drugs

"This is a rare volume, one that pulls together a broad array of perspectives and data on what is a highly contentious and contested issue. This volume highlights the complexities involved in legalization of marijuana, connecting this issue to areas related to the legalization of 'sin,' e.g. prostitution and gambling, as well as other areas of public life and policy such as education, which are confounded by race, class, and gender issues. This volume does not aim to resolve this debate, instead its purpose is to shed light on the competing actors and dimensions of the question, and this it does admirably."

—James S. Jackson, Director of the Institute for Social Research,University of Michigan

"Something’s in the Air is an indispensable collection of essays providing trenchant analysis of the cultural politics of marijuana legalization in California—the very site where the decades long War on Drugs is perhaps beginning to unravel."

—Travis Linnemann, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice,Old Dominion University