Law Schedule of Classes

NOTE: Course offerings change. Classes offered this semester may not be offered in future semesters.

Apart from their assigned mod courses, 1L students may only enroll in courses offered as 1L electives. A complete list of these courses can be found on the 1L Elective Listings page. 1L students must use the 1L class number listed on the course description when enrolling.


220A sec. 001 - Marijuana Law and Policy (Spring 2024)

Instructor: Tamar Lorraine Todd  (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only

Units: 1
Grading Designation: Credit Only
Mode of Instruction: In-Person

Meeting:

Th 08:00 AM - 09:50 AM
Location: Law 244
From January 11, 2024
To February 22, 2024

Course Start: January 11, 2024
Course End: February 22, 2024
Class Number: 32606
This course is open to 1Ls.

Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 22
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 23
As of: 04/27 10:46 PM


In this marijuana law and policy seminar, students will engage with the wide variety of legal issues presented by one of the fastest-evolving fields in drug policy, and grapple with the policy and practical legal issues that arise when an illicit market evolves into one that is quasi-legal and regulated by the state but still prohibited under federal law. The course will cover the history of marijuana prohibition, including its race-based origins and its continued racially disparate enforcement; the political movement and strategy to decriminalize marijuana and allow medical access; the international and federal constraints on state law reform; the legal and regulatory questions involving criminal sentencing, tax, consumer safety, labor law, environmental protection, and public health; social justice considerations prompted by the emergence of a new, quasi-legal industry for a product that was previously criminalized in a racially-disparate manner; and the continuing challenges of navigating a new industry that remains illegal under federal law.

The reading for the course will be an eclectic mix of case law, policy articles, government studies and reports, statutes, advocacy pieces, and political campaign materials.

Tamar Todd was the legal director for the world’s largest drug policy advocacy organization, and has specialized for the last ten years in marijuana law and policy. She has been instrumental in the drafting of medical and recreational marijuana laws and voter initiatives in more than 18 states across the country; was a lead drafter of recently-enacted recreational marijuana laws in Colorado, Oregon, and California; and has testified in numerous legislative and government bodies in the United States and abroad on the issue of drug policy and the intersection of state and federal law.


Attendance at the first class is mandatory for all currently enrolled and waitlisted students; any currently enrolled or waitlisted students who are not present on the first day of class (without prior permission of the instructor) will be dropped. The instructor will continue to take attendance throughout the add/drop period and anyone who moves off the waitlist into the class must continue to attend or have prior permission of the instructor in order not to be dropped.


Exam Notes: (None) Class requires a series of papers, assignments, or presentations throughout the semester
Course Category: Public Law and Policy
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
Social Justice and Public Interest

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Readers:
No reader.

Books:
Instructor has indicated that no books will be assigned.

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