Drug Enforcement & Policy Center

Events

eventsThe center aims to bridge the gap between academic research and policy realities by providing a space where academics, government leaders and other stakeholders can engage and collaborate on examining issues of interest and concern. To do so, the center will host conferences and symposia to educate and bring awareness to drug policy and enforcement issues.  The center aspires to provide stakeholders with programming and materials that can aid them in their day-to-day work and create a forum to discuss the challenges presented by this field.

2018 NASC Annual Conference - August 13-15

NASC 2018 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Aug. 13 - 15 | Columbus, Ohio

The Drug Enforcement and Policy Center is proud to collaborate with the National Association of Sentencing Commissions on organizing the 2018 NASC Annual Conference, scheduled for August 13-15 in Columbus, Ohio. The conference brings together representatives from sentencing commissions around the country, whose work often intersects with other components of the criminal justice system, including bail, interstate compact, parole, diversionary programs, and problem solving courts. The Drug Enforcement and Policy Center is involved in planning of two panels - "The Impact for Sentencing Commissions: Marijuana Reform & Changes in Drug Laws" and "Drug Use and Effective Partnerships: Legal Academics, Law Schools and Sentencing Commissions".

Ballot Insights: Neighborhood Safety, Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Amendment Initiative

The 2018 Ohio Neighborhood Safety, Drug Treatment, and Rehabilitation Amendment is 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. Our series, Ballot Insights, aims to unpack the complicated issues and provide a venue for informed discussion of the individual policy proposals included in this proposed constitutional amendment. 

The series consists of the following events:

  • 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 (joint event with Kirwan Institute)
  • November 29 – The Passage or Failure of The Neighborhood Safety, Drug Treatment, and Rehabilitation Amendment: What Can We Learn from Ohio’s Voting Patterns?

For more information and to register, please follow this link.

From Punishment to Public Health: Embracing Evidence-Based Solutions to Ending the Overdose Crisis - September 27 & 28

The Drug Enforcement and Policy Center is proud to partner with the Drug Policy Alliance, ACLU Ohio, Harm Reduction Coalition, Harm Reduction Ohio and the Ohio State College of Public Health to organize a conference that will explore the impact of criminal justice laws and policies in compounding drug use harms, including overdose deaths, and offer an alternative framework for addressing problematic drug use and drug-related fatalities rooted in evidence, compassion, and the principles of harm reduction.

For a preliminary conference agenda and registration, please follow this link.