Baker Institute, South Texas College of Law collaborate on marijuana policy

NEWS RELEASE

Rice University media contacts:

David Ruth
713-348-6327
david@rice.edu

Amy Hodges
713-348-6777
amy.hodges@rice.edu

South Texas College of Law media contact:

Laura Tolley
713-646-1799
ltolley@stcl.edu

Baker Institute, South Texas College of Law collaborate on marijuana policy  

HOUSTON – (June 26, 2013) – As more states are considering the legalization of marijuana, law students at South Texas College of Law (STCL) will have the unique opportunity to draft model drug policy legislation as part of a new interinstitutional collaboration between STCL and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Beginning this fall, second- and third-year STCL students can take an upper-level elective course focused on researching and drafting legislation for states to use after legalizing the use of marijuana. Drawing in part on the Baker Institute Drug Policy Forum’s expertise, the students will draft statutes and commentary relating to critical regulatory issues such as taxation, liability, age requirements and licensing rules for dispensaries and sellers.

“Up until now, the policy discussion and academic treatment of drug policy issues have been mostly focused on current crisis with drug policy and the need for a change,” said Dru Stevenson, a law professor and the Helen and Harry Hutchins Research Professor at STCL, who will be teaching the course. “There hasn’t been enough attention given to how the legal system will have to adapt after marijuana is decriminalized. We want to contribute to this discussion by moving the debate forward and getting ahead of the curve.”

Baker Institute Drug Policy Program members William Martin, the Harry and Hazel Chavanne Senior Fellow in Religion and Public Policy, and Nathan Jones, the Alfred C. Glassell III Postdoctoral Fellow in Drug Policy, will lead the collaboration with Stevenson.

“As policy experts and a growing number of states, counties and municipalities consider ideas other than sweeping prohibition and harsh punishment of both medical and recreational use of marijuana, they face the complicated challenge of translating those ideas into action — into specific bills that can be enacted in legislatures and respected as legitimate by citizens,” Martin said. “This collaboration between the Baker Institute and STCL offers an exciting opportunity to accept that challenge and cross the bridge to a more rational, humane and fiscally responsible drug policy.”

The collaboration was suggested by Rehman Bhalesha, a STCL student with a special interest in drug policy.

STCL and the Baker Institute plan to hold panel discussions and publish journal articles to share widely the course’s findings, Stevenson said.

To view a video interview with Jones and Stevenson discussing the collaboration, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xfj9RSHB7I.

 -30-

For more information or to schedule an interview with Stevenson, Martin or Jones, contact Amy Hodges, senior media relations specialist at Rice, at amy.hodges@rice.edu or 713-348-6777.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

This news release can be found online at https://news2.rice.edu.

Related materials:

Martin bio: http://bakerinstitute.org/personnel/fellows-scholars/wmartin.

Jones bio: http://www.bakerinstitute.org/personnel/fellows-scholars/njones.

Stevenson bio: http://www.stcl.edu/faculty/stevenson_dru.htm.

Video interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xfj9RSHB7I

South Texas College of Law, founded in 1923, is Houston’s oldest and only private law school. Located in downtown Houston, STCL has a nationally and internationally recognized faculty and a diverse, engaged student body focused on the study of law. Follow South Texas College of Law on its Facebook page:  

https://www.facebook.com/#!/southtexascollegeoflaw?fref=ts

Founded in 1993, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in Houston ranks among the top 20 university-affiliated think tanks globally and top 30 think tanks in the United States. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute sponsors more than 20 programs that conduct research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows and Rice University scholars. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog.  

If you do not wish to receive news releases from Rice University, reply to this email and write “unsubscribe” in the subject line.

Office of News and Media Relations – MS 300, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005