Marijuana Law, Policy & Reform

In praise of lots of great reporting on drug issues (including marijuana) at Filter

Regular readers are accustom to my regular shout-outs to the website Marijuana Moment for its continued  effective coverage of all sorts of marijuana news and stories.  In addition to my continued affinity for that resource, in recent months a newcomer to the scene is garnering my attention because of its broader coverage of the intersection of a range of drug issues and their intersection with criminal justice and social justice concerns.  This new resource is Filter, which launched in September, is based in NYC, and says its "mission is to advocate through journalism for rational and compassionate approaches to drug use, drug policy and human rights." 

Here are links to just some of Filter's marijuana coverage followed by some interesting pieces on broader drug issues: 

• "Ugly Disparities Among My Patients Demand Marijuana Racial Justice"

• "For Youth in My City, Marijuana Is the Go-To Treatment for Trauma"

• New Jersey’s Exciting Marijuana Legalization Package Misses Some Social Justice Opportunities

• Here’s How Infuriatingly Hard It Still Is to Get Medical Marijuana in New York

• The Marijuana Prohibition Movement Fails to Condemn Anti-Semitism in Its Ranks

• NYC District Attorneys Have Betrayed Their Promises on Marijuana, Court Watch Reveals

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Explained Why Marijuana Should Be Legal on Instagram—But the Live Feed Also Had Wider Significance

• This Proposed Michigan Law Would Treat Parents Who Use Drugs Like Sex Offenders

• Seven Ways (Just for a Start) the War on Drugs Violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

New Website for my Book, Marijuana Law, Policy, and Authority

I’ve just launched the official companion website for my new textbook, Marijuana Law, Policy, and Authority. The website address is https://my.vanderbilt.edu/marijuanalaw/.

The book website includes:

• more information about the book, including two sample chapters
• updates on big post-publication developments in the field, like the 10^th Circuit Civil RICO decision and Cory Booker’s Marijuana Justice Act (the latter of which I cross-posted here last week)
• teaching resources, including syllabi to help in designing and teaching a marijuana law cla
• in the coming weeks I’ll also be adding materials (cases, articles, etc.) that I couldn’t fit in the book but which might be of interest to readers

I’ll continue to cross-post here on some of the biggest developments in the field (thanks to Doug for the ongoing hospitality!), and I’ll continue to follow this blog with enthusiasm – it’s a terrific resource for anyone interested in the field!  

Welcoming and introducing Andrew Ironside, MLP&R's new "California stringer"

I am pleased and quite fortunate to now be able to introduce officially in this space Andrew Ironside, a former student of mine at The Ohio State University Moritz College.  Andrew has a journalism background and a range of public policy experiences along with his law degree, and he just now  happens to be based in Southern California.  I was able to utilize some of my (always-too-meager) research funds to hire Andrew part-time for the rest of this year to serve as a legal writer/researcher/commentator for this blog. 

I am hopeful that Andrew can and will add a distinctive "blog-voice" in this space, as well as provide on-the-scene, on-the-ground perspectives on a range of marijuana reform issues now playing out in California.  (This is why I have taken to describing Andrew as MLP&R's new "California stringer.")  I asked Andrew to facilitate his introduction in this space with a mini-auto-bio:

Since graduating from undergrad in 2006, I've gained political and policy experience at Media Matters for America (researcher/writer), Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus (legislative clinic), and Innovation Ohio (policy intern).  I graduated from Moritz in 2013, and since then I've been researching and writing on criminal justice and civil and voting rights.  I live in Los Angeles, where I hope to continue working and writing on criminal justice/drug policy reform in the future.

Helpfully, in addition to having relevant professional experiences, Andrew also has blogging experience through his creation of, and years of blogging at, the Civil Rights Law & Policy Blog.  Here are some links to several blog posts from that blog that highlight his eclectic coverage and talents:

Felon disenfranchisement, political power, and the First Amendment right to vote

Today in Civil Rights History: Inaugural National Women's Rights Convention in Worcester, MA

Paralyzed Denver inmate says keeping him locked up serves no purpose

Messaging programs promising anonymity might not be as secure as you think

Teens talk about ACLU suit over school drug test policy

California NAACP calls marijuana legalization initiative a civil rights issue 

This last linked post above highlights that Andrew and I are not alone when (sometimes? often?) looking at marijuana reform issues through the lens of civil rights.  And I am excited that Andrew via periodic posts will be bringing that lens and many others when sharing his perspectives in this space in the months to come.

Lots of great new stuff at Cannabis Law Prof Blog

I am pleased to see that Professor Franklin Snyder continue to post lots and lots of great new content at Cannabis Law Prof Blog.  Here are just some of the great posts worth checking out:

• Mark Kleiman: Hold Your Nose and Vote Yes on 91 in Oregon

• 2,500-Year-Old Siberian "Ice Princess" Apparently Was Using Medical Marijuana

• New Working Paper: Effects of Legalization (So Far) in Colorado

• Florida's Amendment 2 Battle Gets Partisan . . . . Who Would Have Thought It?

• Michigan Medical Pot Users Fired for Failing Employer Drug Test Can Get Unemployment Benefits

• Arizona Court: No Immunity for DUI for Medical Marijuana Users With Marijuana in their Systems

• Federal Judge to Hold Hearing on Whether Cannabis is Properly Scheduled

A hearty welcome to the new Cannabis Law Prof Blog

I am pleased to see and to report that Professor Franklin Snyder of the Texas A&M University School of Law has now created another marijuana blog in the Law Professor Blog Network: Cannabis Law Prof Blog.  And in just the first few days of existance, one can already find a whole bunch of great posts (along with regular daily marijuana news reviews):  

• Regulating (or Retarding) Investment in the Cannabis Industry

• Marijuana and Community Development in Minnesota

• Australia PM Backs Medical Marijuana

• How To Get a 3-10 Years Without Parole for Obtaining $20 Worth of Marijuana . . . .

• No, Marijuana Does Not Necessarily Make You Smarter . . . .

Lots of exciting guest-bloggers and blog posts coming soon here at MLPR

I am very pleased and very excited to announce that a terrific trio of guest-bloggers will soon be adding their insights and perspective in this space. I have reached out to three of the law professors who have done the among the most thoughtful and interesting research and writing about marijuana law and reform, and they all have agree to do some regular posting here at MLPR.  In alphabetical order, these new guest-bloggers are:

• Professor Sam Kamin (hailing from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law)

• Professor Alex Kreit (hailing from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law)

• Professor Robert Mikos (hailing from Vanderbilt Law School)

I have told all three of these new contributors to free to blog as much or as little as they wish in the days and weeks ahead and also to feel free to blog in whatever manner/style suits their interests and energies.   Aided by their collective help and insight and wisdom, I am hoping to take Marijuana Law, Policy & Reform blog to "the next level" by having the blog start to prioritize more original commentary and less reporting (especially now that the MSM is finally reporting seriously on a range of marijuana issues).

As always, readers are welcome and encouraged to write to me directly and/or comment on the blog with feedback about the blog's content and coverage.  I hope in the months ahead to invite additional guest-bloggers to contribute to this effort if and when bloggers and blog-readers agree that more and different voices enhance the work in this space.