New book by Wright State political scientist Lee Hannah examines rise of medical marijuana in U.S.

Lee Hannah, professor of political science at Wright State, explores the spread of medical marijuana in his new book, “Green Rush: The Rise of Medical Marijuana in the United States.” (Photo by Erin Pence)

You’d be hard-pressed to find an issue in the limelight that’s more of a lightning rod than marijuana legalization.

Lee Hannah, Ph.D., professor of political science at Wright State University, has jumped into the fray with his book, “Green Rush: The Rise of Medical Marijuana in the United States,” co-authored with Daniel J. Mallinson, associate professor of public policy and administration at Penn State Harrisburg, released July 16.

Hannah, who is often cited by Dayton-area media for his insight regarding hot-button political topics, decided to write the book after he and Mallinson published several articles on medical marijuana policy.

“We realized that a book would give us more freedom and space to tell a broader story about how the stigma around medical marijuana has lessened and how it has become a popular policy,” Hannah said. “When you write a book, you’re told to think about your audience. We viewed our audience as college students taking an upper-level course in political science or public policy.”

In the book, the pair argue the public must understand the role that states play in legitimizing and implementing policies to fully understand where the country stands on marijuana use. As of 2023, 38 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the medical use of marijuana, while 23 states have legalized recreational use, supporting what has become a multibillion-dollar industry.

Ohio’s medical marijuana program was adopted in 2016 and dispensaries started to open in the state in 2019. While Ohio’s program has been successful to this point, Hannah said an adjustment must be made to implementing a recreational marijuana program for it to share the same success.

“You still see some people and groups out there that use all of the stereotypes about marijuana users,” said Hannah. “However, polling has found that medical marijuana policies are supported by upwards of 90% of people. We also show how medical marijuana has been championed by groups that have broad public support like veterans.”

Writing the book, while balancing teaching and other responsibilities, was a two-year labor of love for the duo.

“We wrote it in fits and starts, but we are happy with how it ultimately turned out,” said Hannah. “It was rewarding to be able to see it through. Up until this point, we had only written articles, but we felt like we knew enough about this topic to give it a book-level treatment. It was also important to find a way to coherently organize the book. It did give me confidence in my ability to write on and speak on the topic.”

The book includes concepts from several courses Hannah teaches at Wright State and is most relevant to his courses on state government and the legislative process because it is really a story about federalism. It also incorporates theories from courses he teaches in campaigns and elections and media and politics.

“Green Rush” can be purchased directly from NYU Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other bookstores.

Raised in Virginia with no ties to the Dayton region, Hannah was hired by Wright State in 2015 while finishing his dissertation for his Ph.D. in political science from Penn State University.

“I had no connections to Dayton when I moved here, but I quickly fell in love with the area,” he said. “I have great colleagues and students and have been able to have a lot of freedom to teach and write about topics that I find interesting.”

Hannah and Mallinson are working on a second book about medical marijuana and are interviewing politicians, health care workers and people who work in the marijuana industry to better understand the evolution of the policy and current problems.