Law Courses Catalog
Cannabis Law & Policy
Limit: 20 Students
Description: The legal status of cannabis is changing rapidly across the U.S. While cannabis remains a controlled substance federal law, a slight majority of states now have medical and recreational laws permitting some uses. At the same time, cannabinoids (components of cannabis plants that are separate from the psychoactive THC components) have potential for medical and therapeutic uses. There is also a renewed interest in the use of industrial hemp for cheap, resilient materials.
This class covers a wide range of legal issues confronting cannabis, marijuana, and hemp uses. In particular, it surveys the legal aspects of the emerging markets for these substances, using Oregon as its state-level focal point. Topics surveyed in this class include constitutional law, business law, intellectual property, tax, banking, bankruptcy, anti-trust and legal ethics. Expert practitioners in these areas will provide guest lectures to frame the issues for students, who will develop their paper topics under the guidance of the instructor.
Student evaluation will be based, and grades assessed, upon a combination of class participation (20%) and quality of final paper (80%).