Two UM events examine timely issue of medicinal marijuana use

Two events this week at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law examine the timely issue of medicinal use of marijuana.

On Thursday, April 12, medical and policy experts will explore the use of marijuana as a treatment for PTSD in military veterans. Among the issues facing this group of patients are the high cost and sometimes unmanageable side effects of mainstream drugs. Panelists include Dr. Lynn McPherson of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, disabled veteran and drug policy expert Michael Krawitz, criminal justice expert Eric Sterling, and Maryland legislator Dr. Dan Morhaim, who is also an emergency medicine doctor and proponent of legalizing medicinal marijuana.

The event will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the law school, with a reception to follow.

On Friday, April 13, experts from the UM Carey School of Law and the School of Pharmacy, along with the Network for Public Health Law, present a daylong conference on "The Challenges of Implementing Medical Marijuana Laws." With 17 states and Washington, D.C., having passed laws decriminalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, the country has a patchwork of such laws. The conference will address the legal and policy issues involved, and explore the elements of a model law for the decriminalization of medical marijuana. Speakers with policy and medical backgrounds from Rhode Island to California will attend.

Source: University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law