S. Drugs and the Law

This seminar will explore legal issues relating to the regulation of psychoactive drugs. We will review the standard arguments for and against legalization, decriminalization, and other regulatory models. We will consider the challenges of assessing drug dangerousness and scheduling drugs. We will discuss emerging controversies involving the international drug control system, the commercialization of the domestic cannabis industry, and psychedelic patents. And we will study in particular depth whether and how constitutional values such as liberty and equality might help guide U.S. drug policy.