The past decade has seen dramatic reforms to the previously strict and universal prohibitions against cannabis use, possession and distribution. While these are heady days for proponents of marijuana reform, the legal and regulatory dimensions of these ambitious policy goals are still evolving on what seems to be a daily basis. The implications of reform are wide-ranging and at times contradictory, affecting issues such as criminal justice, state/federal sovereignty, health care, employer-employee relations, commercial practices, food and drug regulation for marijuana derivatives like cannabidiol (CBD), and attorney ethics—just to name a few. This course will present students with the opportunity to unpack these developments with a practicing attorney in this space, while seeking to resolve inherent contradictions in this unsettled and excited field of law.

This upper-level substantive course focuses on the federal and state laws that regulate cannabis in the United States.

Recommended for the Following Professional Pathways: Government/Public Sector; International Law/Human Rights; Labor and Employment; Corporate Transactions and Governance; Health Care Management and Compliance

2 Credits