Bio
Co-founder of the news organization Cannabis Wire, and the co-author of the book A New Leaf: The End of Cannabis Prohibition (The New Press, 2014).
Adjunct professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Founder: Cannabis Wire
Cannabis Wire is a news organization that covers cannabis business, policy, and research.
Author: A New Leaf
A New Leaf: The End of Cannabis Prohibition (The New Press, 2014)
Select reviews:
"A New Leaf is a detailed account of the history of the regulation of cannabis, presenting in a blow-by-blow manner the legal and political battles around its prohibition."
—Jerome Groopman, The New York Review of Books
—
"With great clarity, A New Leaf offers a sweeping and important view of today's changing attitudes toward marijuana."
—Amy Wilentz, author of The Rainy Season and Farewell, Fred Voodoo, a National Book Critics Circle Award winner
—
"Just in time: Martin and Rashidian bring us the first account of the lively new green economy that is springing up in the wake of marijuana decriminalization and legalization. This is a meticulously reported book and a firm rebuke to the continuing federal prohibition."
—Barbara Ehrenreich, bestselling author of Nickel and Dimed
—
"A cogent, well-sourced and ambitious analysis of the slow decline of cannabis prohibition in the United States. . . . A piercing work of sociological reportage."
—Kirkus Reviews
—
"Carefully researched [and] accessible. . . . Changing marijuana laws doesn't seem as scary a proposition by the end."
—Publishers Weekly
—
"Nothing less than an indictment of a national disgrace—a must-read for anyone who wants to participate in the urgent conversation about cannabis legalization, drug policy reform, and the assault of the drug war on civil liberties."
—Nadine Strossen, professor at New York Law School and former president of the ACLU
—
"A comprehensive look at the political and social revolution taking place that is leading to the day when marijuana will inevitably be legal in all fifty states. The authors take us on a journey to meet the people on the front lines of this transformation."
—Dale Maharidge, co-author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning And Their Children After Them and author of Bringing Mulligan Home
—
Also seen in: Los Angeles Review of Books, Boston Globe, National Post (here, here, and here), The National Memo's Weekend Reader, The Inlander, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Boulder Weekly, Playboy, The Albany Times Union.
Research Lead: Tow Center for Digital Journalism
Served as research lead on the Platforms and Publishers project at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism (Columbia Journalism School).
Published research here, here, and here.
Other Writing, TV, Radio, Etc.
You can see some of my writing in The New York Times, The Nation, Democracy Journal, The Guardian, Nieman Reports, and Nieman Lab.
You can hear me on radio shows like WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show and This Is Hell! with Chuck Mertz.
And you can see me on screen, from the History Channel's Hooked: Illegal Drugs: Marijuana to CBS News to BRIC TV.
Grants and Fellowships
- Brown Institute for Media Innovation Magic Grant (Columbia Journalism School and the Stanford School of Engineering)
- Made in New York Media Center/Independent Filmmaker Project
- City of New York Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment