The social and economic costs of the drug war – including more than $1 trillion spent over the past 40 years – have led voters in Washington and Colorado to suggest that alternatives to criminalization may be worth a look.
Voters in the two states approved measures last year legalizing the recreational use of marijuana.
The Oregon Law Review will examine the nation's drug laws in a daylong symposium, "A Step Forward: Creating a Just Drug Policy for the United States" beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, April 19, at the University of Oregon School of Law, 1515 Agate St. in Eugene. Doors for the event open at 7:45 a.m.
The symposium brings together experts from a range of disciplines to explore various facets of the issue, including the benefits and drawbacks of the nation's drug laws, potential alternatives such as regulated distribution and medicalization, and the unresolved legal and policy issues surrounding the recent state initiatives.
The event will welcome speakers including:
- Earl Blumenauer, member of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Beau Kilmer, co-director of RAND Corporation's Drug Policy Research Center
- Kevin Sabet, former senior policy advisor in the Obama Administration at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
- Malcolm Beith, blogger and former Newsweek editor
- Mark Tushnet, professor of law at Harvard Law School
- Charles Manski, professor at Northwestern University
- David Blake, deputy attorney general from the state of Colorado
- Bruce Turcott, assistant attorney general from the state of Washington
A complete list of speakers and additional symposium information are available online. Symposium registration is online.
- from UO School of Law