The Influence of Expertise: Legislative professionalism and the adoption of recreational marijuana

by Joel Vallett

This study examines the various factors that influence the adoption of recreational marijuana laws across U.S. states. Focusing on policy expertise and legislative attention, we investigate whether the effect of a professional legislature using multiple measures of professionalism increases the likelihood and time to policy adoption. Employing a novel data set with eight years of state data (2012–2019), we demonstrate that more professionalized legislatures, in terms of a higher salary, take less time to adopt the law. We also look forward to exploring how additional economic and political factors have influenced the diffusion of these laws, and if we can effectively predict future adoption of recreational marijuana laws.

Contributing Research Fellow: Gideon Parry