Selling to the highest bidder:
Economic aspects of the cannabis legalization

Following Canada, Luxembourg, and several other countries, Germany legalized non-medical and recreational use of cannabis in April 2024. Economic and socio-economic effects are widely debated - ranging from mitigation of health risks to the containment of the illegal drug trade to public health risks from widespread availability of cannabis to the increased tax revenue from cannabis sales. This seminar will shed light on the various arguments and counter-arguments while touching on public health aspects, shadow economies (illegal drug trade), as well as indirect effects on employment, productivity, and general crime and violence.

Organisation:
Students will write a term paper and present it at the end of the term. Topics will be assigned at the beginning of the term. There will be a presentation session over one or two days (depending on the number of participants) at the end of term. Students will be assigned a supervisor and are expected to stay in touch with the supervisor while working on the term paper. The beginning of the seminar will feature an introduction to the topic of the seminar and to scientific writing.

Examination:
There will be no examination. Students will write a term paper and present it in class.