Harmful corporate practices: A case study of five prominent companies in the legal cannabis industry.

Korte beschrijving

This dissertation examines harmful corporate practices in the emerging legal cannabis industry, drawing lessons from the alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceutical sectors. It explores how profit-driven strategies may compromise public health through marketing, scientific influence, and interindustry ties. Using a multi-method case study of five leading cannabis companies, the research maps financial and personnel connections with established industries, analyzes corporate communication on social media, and reviews conflict-of-interest disclosures in scientific publications. The findings reveal strong intersectoral linkages, adaptive marketing tactics that frame cannabis as healthy and ethical, and growing corporate involvement in research emphasizing therapeutic benefits. These results demonstrate that harmful practices in the cannabis sector are multilayered and mutually reinforcing. It highlights the need for early, evidence-based regulation to prevent the normalization of corporate behaviors that have historically harmed public health.