Outline of Cannabis Federalism: Constitutional Architecture in a Post-Prohibition Era

New book in monograph form incoming.

Estimated release date: July 4, 2026

Cannabis Federalism: Constitutional Architecture in a Post-Prohibition Era

Subtitle:

A Structural Analysis of Vertical Preemption, Horizontal Protectionism, and Patient-Centered Regulatory Design

By Jason Karimi

Proposed Table of Contents

Preface

From Conflict to Architecture

Brief, measured acknowledgment of the volatility of the cannabis policy era

Why structural analysis matters more than cultural argument

Framing the book as institutional, not personal

(Keep this disciplined. No memoir tone.)

Introduction

Cannabis as a Federalism Stress Test

Why cannabis reform is not primarily a cultural issue

The collapse of the “state laboratory” myth under federal illegality

The tension between state innovation and federal supremacy

Thesis: Cannabis reform exposes unresolved constitutional architecture problems

This sets the intellectual spine.

Part I — Vertical Federalism

Chapter 1

The Controlled Substances Act and Structural Supremacy

Federal scheduling architecture

Statutory design of prohibition

Congressional intent and administrative delegation

Chapter 2

Preemption After Rescheduling

Conflict preemption

Obstacle preemption

Administrative harmonization

How rescheduling alters — but does not eliminate — supremacy tension

Chapter 3

Administrative Law and Agency Deference in Cannabis Regulation

Post-deference era implications

Agency discretion limits

Litigation exposure under modern APA doctrine

Part II — Horizontal Federalism

Chapter 4

The Dormant Commerce Clause and Emerging Cannabis Markets

Protectionism in limited-license regimes Residency requirements

Interstate transport barriers

Structural tension once federal illegality weakens

Chapter 5

Interstate Market Fragmentation and Constitutional Pressure

State-to-state inconsistencies

Economic

Balkanization Litigation pathways

This is where your national relevance expands.

Part III — Equality and Market Design

Chapter 6

Equal Protection and Cannabis Licensing Structures

Rational basis review

Incumbent protectionism

Lottery systems

Public health justification analysis

Chapter 7

Economic Protectionism and Constitutional Limits

When regulatory equity becomes exclusionary Distinguishing social equity from structural favoritism

Constitutional vulnerability mapping

Part IV — Durability and Patient-Centered Design

Chapter 8

The Myth of the “Laboratory of Democracy”

Why cannabis reform shows the limits of the metaphor

Federal instability and state overconfidence

Chapter 9

Patient-Centered Constitutional Design

Access durability

Administrative clarity

Avoiding structural fragility

Designing systems resilient to federal shifts

This chapter is morally grounding without being emotional.

Part V — The Architecture Ahead

Chapter 10

Post-Prohibition Constitutional Realignment

What rescheduling does and does not solve

The inevitability of interstate litigation

Structural reforms required for stability

Conclusion

From Policy Debate to Constitutional Settlement

Cannabis reform as a generational structural event

Why federalism must be consciously designed, not improvised

The long-term institutional implications

Page Count Projection

If each chapter runs ~12–15 pages:

10 chapters = 120–150 pages Preface + Intro + Conclusion = ~20–25 pages

Total: 150–175 pages.

Perfect density.

Why This Works

It:

Preserves existing analysis

Organizes it by doctrine instead of blog number

Makes it citeable

Signals national seriousness

Elevates the series into a unified thesis