Agility Academy

Following nearly two decades of regulatory reform in the states, marijuana law and policy has emerged as a robust and fascinating field of study. Abandoning the strict prohibitions that dominated the previous seven decades, and that are still in effect at the federal level, more than forty states have legalized marijuana in at least some circumstances. The reforms have sparked lively debates about the content of marijuana regulations, the wisdom of competing regulatory approaches, and the authority of different government actors to choose among them. Who may use and supply marijuana under state law? Does legalization increase use of the drug? Could the President legalize marijuana without the passage of new congressional legislation? May the states legalize the drug while Congress forbids it? Even so, are state licensing requirements and similar regulations preempted by federal law? May lawyers provide legal services to state-licensed marijuana shops? These are a just a few of the intriguing questions that are now being confronted in this field and that will be addressed in the course.