Rice’s Harris explains complexities of proposed state bill to ban hemp products
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick recently held a press conference on SB 3, a bill to ban all hemp products with cannabinoids other than cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG) in Texas. An expert on drug policy from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy is available to explain the bill and comment on the implications of the policy.
Drug policy expert available to explain current Texas Senate bills, future of cannabis regulation
The Texas Senate State Affairs Committee is currently hearing two cannabis bills. Katharine Neill Harris, the Alfred C. Glassell III Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is available to explain the bills and the future of cannabis regulation.
Cannabis regulation, not bans, will help public safety, Rice Baker Institute report says
The rapid growth of cannabis products in Texas, combined with growing consumer safety concerns, has led some lawmakers to propose a ban on the hemp industry. However, experts from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy say this approach is unlikely to effectively reduce access to products or improve public safety.
Expert available to explain delta-8 Senate State Affairs Committee debate
An expert on drug policy from Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy is available to comment on the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee hearing on how to regulate delta-8/hemp-cannabinoid products.
Though opioid overdose remedies are approved for over-the-counter usage, many Houston pharmacies have not made the lifesaving medication available, according to a report from Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Biden's federal marijuana pardons are just the start, says expert
The Biden administration’s pardon of people convicted of simple marijuana possession on the federal level is just the start, according to an expert from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Drug policy expert available to speak on pot pardons, rescheduling
A drug policy expert from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy is available to speak on the Biden administration’s pardon of people convicted of simple marijuana possession on the federal level and the future of the drug’s legal status.
Drug testing programs reduce overdose deaths, says expert
Drug testing programs can reduce overdose deaths – but politics are getting in the way of the growing public health emergency, according to a new brief from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Baker Institute survey highlights illicit medical pot use in Texas, law shortcomings
With the passage of the Compassionate Use Act in 2015, the state of Texas officially recognized cannabis as medicine.
Marijuana policy will remain racially inequitable without federal intervention, experts say
Inequities in marijuana policy persist because of a failure to center reform around racial justice, according to a new report by experts at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy in the American Bar Association publication The Judges’ Journal.
HOUSTON – (Dec. 4, 2020) – The U.S. House of Representatives today approved legislation that would decriminalize marijuana and seek to "address the devastating injustices caused by the war on drugs." Katharine Neill Harris, the Alfred C. Glassell III Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, is available to discuss the so-called MORE Act with the news media.
HOUSTON – (Nov. 10, 2020) – The Texas justice system’s overreaction to low-level offenses wastes taxpayer dollars and contributes to overcrowded jails that put community health at risk, according to an expert at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
‘This time is different’: Experts reimagine the police force
Sending law enforcement officers into situations beyond their expertise – and asking them to do jobs more appropriate to other professions – contributes significantly to overpolicing in America, according to experts in a panel discussion hosted by Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Pandemic requires new ways of thinking about drug addiction, Baker Institute expert says
HOUSTON -- (April 30, 2020) – There is no shortage of articles offering advice for how to deal with lockdown: stick to a routine, get enough sleep, eat regular meals, maintain social connections at a safe distance, and so on. Drug use often doesn’t make the list, but early signs suggest this is how many people are grappling with a dark and uncertain reality, according to an expert at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Vaping bans are ineffective, say Baker Institute experts
HOUSTON -- (March 3, 2020) – Vaping products have contributed to a decline in cigarette smoking but have increased the number of middle and high school students who are addicted to nicotine — a problem that can only be effectively addressed through regulation of advertising — according to drug policy experts at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
