Pubdate: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 Source: Gainesville Sun, The (FL) Copyright: 2014 The Gainesville Sun Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/yMmn4Ifw Website: http://www.gainesville.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/163 Author: Matthew Christ and Dustin Mauser Note: Matthew Christ and Dustin Mauser are the executive symposium editors of the Florida Law Review. They are both third-year law students at the UF Levin College of Law. MARIJUANA DEBATE MISSING FACTS If there is a topic where half-truths, mistruths and untruths have flourished, that topic is marijuana legalization. The plant cannabis is cloaked with a stigma that has resulted from years of prohibition at both the state and federal level. Undoubtedly there are both valid and invalid reasons for its controversial reputation. We find it distressing that the public debate on marijuana revolves around unsubstantiated opinions and anecdotal stories about why marijuana is or is not a dangerous drug, why it should or should not be used for medicinal purposes, and why criminalizing its possession may or may not be harmful to society. Why rely on anecdotes and why heed unsupported speculation on the question of marijuana legalization when medical, public policy and law enforcement studies have already been conducted on the topic? It isn't as if there is a dearth of information on cannabis. Respected scholars have written about its efficacy as a medical drug, documented its current treatment by the federal government, and extensively catalogued the implementation of legalization and decriminalization efforts both in the United States and abroad. Certainly, more research is needed. But enough research exists today for reasonable people to make an informed decision - not one based on conjecture - in support or in opposition of legalizing marijuana. What's missing in the current debate on marijuana legalization is an unbiased presentation of these facts. That's why, when the Florida Law Review was looking for a topic for this year's Allen L. Poucher Legal Education Series, we knew that there would never be a more opportune time for a factual discussion on marijuana legalization. We're excited to host this discussion with the nation's foremost experts on the topic. We have the privilege to hear the facts about marijuana from experts on addiction, drug policy, law and medicine. It is our goal to foster an informed discussion on the subject of marijuana to tease out the facts behind the medical efficacy of marijuana, the social consequences of our current drug policies and the probable consequences of legalization. But you don't have to take our word for it. All you have to do is show up to this nonpartisan and free panel discussion at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at 10 a.m. on Friday. For more information, please visit www.law.ufl.edu and look for this event in the upcoming events calendar. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard