Will Big Pharma, and “the Impact of Marijuana Pharmaceuticals,” determine the future of marijuana reform?

The question in the title of this post is prompted by this new paper available via SSRN. The short piece is by John Robert Alfino and it is titled “The Impact of Marijuana Pharmaceuticals.” Here is the abstract:

The FDA will soon approve Sativex, the first marijuana-based pharmaceutical. Sativex is a tipping point in the marijuana law and the politics of strict prohibition. The reclassification of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act is in the financial interests of the American pharmaceutical industry. The availability of marijuana-based, or synthetic cannabinoid-based, pharmaceuticals will change the politics of marijuana prohibition.