Robert Chlala

Robert Chlala is an Assistant Professor of Urban Policy & Sociology at the California State University Long Beach, an affiliate of the UC Berkeley Cannabis Research Center, and investigative researcher & journalist with more than two decades of experiences focusing on emerging economies, labor and legal justice. He is Principal Investigator of a UCLA Labor Center first-ever study surveying over 1,100 cannabis workers across California in the legal and unregulated sectors (funded by CA Department of Cannabis Control, DCC). His work focuses on labor trends, workforce challenges, and the structural gaps impacting emerging industries. He brings a data-driven perspective to understanding worker experiences, training, and the broader implications for industry sustainability. Dr. Chlala is also the Co-PI for the California Cannabis Healthy & Responsive Market study from 2024-2026, a comprehensive analysis of investment, finacing, real estate, and operations in California cannabis to understand the consolidation & shifts in the market. This DCC-funded study is being released in late 2026 and offers significant insights on what the first decade of legalization has meant for small and large operators, communities, and workers, and what other states can learn from this. This year, he co-founded for the Transnational Research Center for Emerging Drug Markets housed in the Loughhborough University (UK) bridging researchers,grassroots actors, and regualtors/policymakers globally. The centre produces and disseminates actionable knowledge through collaborative workshops, oral storytelling archives, policy-oriented research, and multimedia outputs. Through strategic partnerships with universities, grassroots organisations, and media producers, the centre fosters cross-regional learning, supports reparative and equity-oriented policy approaches, and builds a sustainable infrastructure for long-term global collaboration in drug market governance. Dr. Chlala's publications can be found in journals including Environment and Planning C, ACME Critical Geographies, and has been featured in national and local media including the LA Times, Politico, numerous podcasts and sites. He also was creative director for the We Are Mitu series on Latinos & Cannabis, and is producing the forthcoming investigative podcast, Drug Money, on the changing global landscape of drug markets.