Marijuana and the Law: New Courses at Mainstream Schools

More attorneys are finding a niche in the world of cannabis.

Marijuana lawyers used to be relegated to criminal defense. But now more and more attorneys are being used in the legal cannabis industry. The National Law Journal and Wall St Journal are reporting on a number of classes popping up at mainstream institutions.

The Vanderbilt University course in «Marijuana Law and Policy» is described on the school’s website as exploring the breadth of recent reforms:

These experiments have created a new body of law governing a host of marijuana-related behaviors, from simple possessing the drug to employing those who use it, along with a host of intriguing questions regarding who has authority to regulate the drug. This course takes an in-depth look at the competing approaches to regulating marijuana, the rationales behind these approaches, and where legal authority resides for choosing among them. What are the elements of a marijuana trafficking offense? May a state legalize a drug the federal government forbids? Who is allowed to use and traffic marijuana under state law?

For more than 25 years the National NORML Legal Committee has offered two accredited Continuing Legal Education (CLE) classes each year in Aspen, CO and Key West, FL.

Several speakers at the NORML Key West seminar this year pointed out that their expertise in marijuana laws meant that they were increasingly being sought out for business consultation.