The Drug Enforcement and Policy Center focuses on promoting and supporting interdisciplinary, evidence-based research, scholarship, education, community outreach and public engagement on the myriad issues and societal impacts surrounding the reform of criminal and civil laws prohibiting or regulating the use and distribution of traditionally illicit drugs. The Center examines the impact of modern drug laws, policies and enforcement on personal freedoms and human well-being, giving particularized and sustained attention to analyzing the rapid evolution of marijuana laws and the impacts of state-level reform efforts.
The Business of Cannabis Roundtable
Building Industry Diversity and Legislative Updates
Thursday, May 16, 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Ohio Union, Round Meeting Room (3rd floor)
The legal landscape of the cannabis industry continues to change both at the state and federal level, creating continuous challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurs in Ohio. At the same time, the cannabis industry is facing a challenge of ensuring that it reflects the diversity of our community and that communities that have been disproportionately affected by the War on Drugs benefit from opportunities in the legal industry. Please join us for our second Business of Cannabis Roundtable where we will host two panels discussing both issues.
Building Industry Diversity:
As in many other states, the cannabis industry in Ohio is challenged with ensuring that it reflects the diversity of its community. Despite increased attention among the industry professionals and government entities alike, companies continue to struggle with recruiting, training and retaining a diverse workforce. Please join our panel of industry professionals as they discuss their own experience of entering this new industry, resources that are available for training and recruitment and strategies for building a diverse industry.
Legislative Updates:
Our second panel will focus on legislative and regulatory updates in respect to Ohio’s medical marijuana program and Ohio’s treatment of hemp and CBD. Given the recent changes in the federal law, our panel of experts will discuss what changes are afoot in Ohio and how will these changes affect the cannabis industry.
Agenda:
• 4:00 – 4:30 - Registration and check-in
• 4:30 – 5:15 – Panel 1: Building Industry Diversity
• 5:15 – 5:30 – Networking
• 5:30 – 6:15 – Panel 2: Legislative and Regulatory Updates: Ohio’s MM Program and Hemp
• 6:15 – 6:30 - Networking
The overdose crisis continues in the United States, with 2017 marking the 7th year since overdose became the leading cause of accidental deaths. But unlike in the past, today’s crisis is prompting some compassion, at least rhetorically, with frequent calls emphasizing the need for treatment over incarceration, and eliciting sympathy for its victims rather than condemnation.
Nonetheless, drug war strategies persist. The use of the criminal justice system continues to dominate local, state, and federal responses to drug use; as overdose death rates continue to rise, so do the number of policy proposals focused on punishment and retribution instead of public health and safety. Since November 2015, 25 states have passed legislations to increase fentanyl-related penalties, and prosecutors are increasingly charging people murder if they sell a drug that is used in an overdose death.
Click Here to Visit the Drug War Deja Vu Website for More Information
The Center for Innovation Strategies and the Drug Enforcement & Policy Center are proud to announce the Cannabiz Innovation Sprint. For 6-weeks, teams of students will go through four 1-hour workshops to develop cutting-edge innovative concepts to one of today’s most unique emerging markets.
Each workshop will be attended by industry leaders looking for student talent to employ for future internships and investment opportunities. The sprint will conclude with a closed-door pitch event where each team will have an opportunity to pitch their product, program, or concept to a panel of judges. There will be $1,500 in prizes given away!
If you’re interested in innovation, the emerging cannabis market, or just want a chance to work on a unique project with other creative students, please sign up by using the link below! For more information and details about the sprint visit our website. If you have any questions, please email Christian Lampasso at lampasso.1@osu.edu.
REGISTER FOR CANNABIS INNOVATION SPRINT
The 2018 Ohio Neighborhood Safety, Drug Treatment, and Rehabilitation Amendment was a ballot initiative aiming to change Ohio constitution to achieve four goals: (1) change drug possession felonies to misdemeanors, (2) prohibit prison sentences for technical probation violations, (3) expand the ability to earn up to 25% off a prison sentence through rehabilitative programming, and (4) redirect funds saved from reduced incarceration to drug treatment and victims’ services. On November 6, the initiative, also known as Issue 1, was soundly defeated 63.4% to 36.6%.
Our series, Ballot Insights, aimed to unpack the complicated issues and provide a venue for informed discussion of the individual policy proposals included in this proposed constitutional amendment. Thank you to all who helped us make the series a success:
5 panels
- September 13 - The Neighborhood Safety, Drug Treatment, and Rehabilitation Amendment: Step in the Right Direction?
- October 4 - Earning Freedom: Working Toward Sentence Reduction
- October 18 - Devil in the Details: Funding Effective Rehabilitation and Treatment
- November 1 - Sentencing and Parole Reform in Practice: Insights on Implementation Challenges
- November 29 - The Passage or Failure of The Neighborhood Safety, Drug Treatment, and Rehabilitation Amendment: What Can We Learn from Ohio's Voting Patterns?
18 speakers
195 unique attendees
355 registrations
5 expert commentaries
Over 4500 page views of the Issue 1 sites
73 news articles collected
We are excited to announce the award of two research grants as part of our inaugural 2018 Research Grant Program. The Drug Enforcement and Policy Center (DEPC) funds an annual research grant program for Ohio State faculty and graduate students focused on supporting academic research on issues related to the reform of criminal and civil laws prohibiting or regulating the use and distribution of traditionally illicit drugs. The Center supports scholarship that examines the impact of modern drug laws, policies and enforcement on personal freedoms and human well-being.
2018 AWARDS
Deterrence or indifference?: Opioid users’ perceptions of anti-drug laws
Eric LaPlant, PhD candidate, Department of Sociology, The Ohio State University
Moral Panics, Race, and the Criminalization of Marijuana in the Early 20th Century
Michael Vuolo, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, The Ohio State University
For more details, please visit our research page.
Thank you to all who joined the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center for its official launch event on Friday, November 2. We were joined by two distinguished alumni of the Moritz College of Law: the governor of the State of Nevada, the Honorable Brian Sandoval ('89), and CBS Correspondent, Erin Moriarty ('77).
Governor Sandoval and Ms. Moriarty, along with the center's director, professor Douglas Berman, discussed a number of issues including the current opioid crisis, the growing momentum behind marijuana legalization and how to best manage this process, and the importance of evidence-based policy decision making.