Over the policy brief California medicinal and adult use cannabis act of 2016 Executive Summary (Overview & Findings) (5 pts): 1 page maximum – The executive summary aims to convince the reader further that the brief is worth in-depth investigation. It is especially important for an audience that is short of time to clearly see the relevance and importance of the brief in reading the summary. As such, an executive summary commonly includes:
- A) Single-spaced description of the problem addressed;
- B) Statement on why the current approach/policy option needs to be changed;
- C) Your recommendation for action.
Context and Importance (5 pts): 3 pages minimum – The purpose of this element of the brief is to convince the target audience that a current and urgent problem exists which requires them to take action. The context and importance of the problem is both the introductory and first building block of the brief. As such, it usually includes the following: A) A clear statement of the problem or issue in focus; B) A short overview of the historical, root causes of the problem; and C) A clear statement of the policy implications of the problem which clearly establishes the current importance and policy relevance of the issue.
Options/Alternatives (10 pts): 4 pages minimum – The aim of this element is to detail shortcomings of the current approach (i.e., laws, legislation, programs) being implemented and therefore, illustrate both the need for change and focus of where change needs to occur. In doing so, the critique of policy options usually includes the following: A) A matrix of the policy option(s); B) An argument illustrating why and how the current approach is failing as demonstrated by data (see list of databases under recommended resources); C) opinions of both sides in the debate of the issue.
Conclusion & Policy Recommendations (5 pts): 2 pages minimum – The aim of the policy recommendations element is to provide a detailed and convincing proposal of how the failings of the current policy approach need to change. As such this is achieved by including the following:
- A) Conclusion section re-emphasizing the importance of the policy and its failure;
- B) Recommendation section indicating which policy option from the previous section should be used to address the policy failure and justification; and an Implementation section with a breakdown of the specific steps or measures that need to be implemented (i.e., what, when, who, how much?