COMMENTARY The shifting landscape of cannabis legalization: Potential benefits and regulatory perspectives Christopher L. Newman 1 | Marlys J. Mason 2 | Jeff Langenderfer 3 1 University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi, USA 2 Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA 3 Meredith College, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA Correspondence Marlys J. Mason, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA. Email: m.mason@okstate.edu Abstract This comment is a response to Al-Hamdani et al. (forthcoming) in this issue. The authors of that paper advocate plain packaging and warning label regulation for cannabis drawing on research from Canadian tobacco labelling and based on the public health dan- gers of cannabis. While we acknowledge the harmful effects of cannabis for some vulnerable consumers, this paper highlights the benefits of cannabis legalization and proposes regulatory oversight more akin to alcohol with a goal of responsible usage, information, and access; rather than one drawn from tobacco labeling, a product with few discernable benefits and myriad documented harms. Highlighted advantages include increased tax revenues, enforcement cost savings, ther- apeutic benefits, positive environmental impacts, and social benefits such as a reduction in racial disparities related to marijuana prosecutions. We discuss how a regulatory approach that mirrors alcohol control can better foster consumer protection, fair competition, and public interest in this emerging industry. 1 | INTRODUCTION In the United States, the legal and regulatory environment for cannabis products is in the midst of a period of dramatic change (Kees et al., 2020). Once sold only through a black market shadow economy, the production, retailing, and consumption of cannabis is now legal in many states (despite continued U.S. federal prohibition as a Schedule 1 substance). Cannabis is also now enjoying an emerging cultural acceptance (Pew Research Center, 2020). A review of the Received: 31 August 2020 Revised: 21 March 2021 Accepted: 23 March 2021 DOI: 10.1111/joca.12387 © 2021 American Council on Consumer Interests. J Consum Aff. 2021;55:1169–1177. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/joca 1169