The Ohio State University Law School Professor Teaching ‘Weed 101’ Speaks Out

s we
reported earlier this year, “Weed 101” classes are popping up around the
nation at light speed. Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University is just
one institution getting the all-star treatment to their curriculum. Ohio State University professor, Douglas Berman, will be teaching
this class, making it a very prestigious course despite the silly moniker given
by students.

“This is a serious area that is a matter of significant
public policy,” Berman stated in an interview with The
Columbus Dispatch. “If we leave it to the snickers and the ha-ha’s and
the people who think it’s a joke, you ensure that it’s not going to be
regulated and reformed in a sensible way.”

The course’s actual title is “Marijuana Law, Policy and
Reform,” and will touch on all legal issues surrounding cannabis, from the
criminal justice and law reform side of things to the side involving business
law and taxation. It will also focus on the conflicts between legal states and
the lack of Federal backing, as well as how laws vary from state to state and
the differences between recreational and medical legislation.  

The class is very modern, forgoing the usual law textbook
for an ever-changing and evolving class blog instead. Students are required to
keep updated on policy across the country, and post to the blog accordingly.“State-level reforms have an extra layer of complication to
them,” Berman stated in the interview. “That’s a very valuable lesson for all
lawyers to understand. Things are moving so quickly, there’s no way I could
teach everything.”

This interesting new course is sure to be the first of many as
cannabis laws change and the substance becomes more widely accepted. Additionally,
courses such as this—coming from prestigious colleges—are an ideal educational foundation
for savvy thinkers looking to join the industry.