Peter M Birkeland

Colorado. Washington. Oregon. California. Since 2012 nine states and DC have legalized cannabis, with more states to follow. Already a $9.7 billion dollar industry creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs, legal cannabis is not only one of the fastest growing industries, but it is changing the dynamics of American society. Peter M. Birkeland shines a sociological lens on the relevant issues of legal cannabis and investigates the most pressing issues. Through his firsthand experience, interviews, and research, Birkeland traces the evolution of the cannabis industry from strictly illegal to legal. He documents the challenges operators, regulators, and consumers face in the quest to carry out sales of a federally illegal product. Birkeland uncovers the realities of the newly legal cannabis industry in Colorado, a litmus test for other states considering legalizing cannabis.

Franchises have become an ever-present feature of American life, both in our landscapes and our economics. Peter M. Birkeland worked for three years in the front-line operations of franchise units for three companies, met with CEOs and executives, and attended countless trade shows, seminars, and expositions. Through this extensive fieldwork Birkeland not only discovered what makes franchisees succeed or fail, he uncovered the difficulties in running a business according to someone else's system and values. Bearing witness to a market flooded with fierce competitors and dependent on the inscrutable whims of consumers, he reveals the numerous challenges that franchisees face in making then businesses succeed.