Pubdate: Mon, 16 Mar 2015 Source: Dayton Daily News (OH) Copyright: 2015 Dayton Daily News Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/7JXk4H3l Website: http://www.daytondailynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/120 Author: Collin Binkley OSU OFFERS CLASS ON POT Law School Course Focuses on Policy, Marijuana Reform. Professor Douglas Berman teaches a class about marijuana, so he has heard the jokes. He even allows a little pot humor in the classroom. But he isn't especially fond of the nickname his class has picked up: Weed 101. "It's a lot more than that," Berman said about his class at Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. Flippant attitudes toward the marijuana debate are in part what inspired him to start teaching "Marijuana Law, Policy and Reform," which aims to cut through claims on both sides of the marijuana debate. "This is a serious area that is a matter of significant public policy," Berman said. "If we leave it to the snickers and the hahas 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 class, offered only on Fridays to deter students who might take it as a novelty, is among the few in the country that explore the federal and state laws surrounding marijuana. Vanderbilt University in Tennessee started a similar course this semester, and the University of Denver in Colorado - which has legalized recreational marijuana use - now offers a class titled "Representing the Marijuana Client." As a field trip, students in the Denver class visited a dispensary last month to see how marijuana is grown and sold. "Whether one agrees with the premise or not, it is an emerging area of the law in the country," said Jon Allison, a Columbus lawyer who represents the Drug Free Action Alliance, which opposes the legalization of marijuana in Ohio. "There are all kinds of clients in the world, and they all deserve good lawyers," Allison said. Berman doesn't take a stance in his class, instead urging students to explore how marijuana legalization can affect the worlds of banking, taxation, criminal justice and politics. He draws on cases pulled from headlines across the country, including the four states that have legalized recreational use of marijuana. The class also is keeping a sharp watch on Ohio as advocates and opponents square off, with the possibility of a November ballot issue. "It seems quite possible to me that Ohio is going to be the focal point for debate over marijuana reform throughout 2015 and probably into 2016," Berman said. Among the 16 students in class on a recent Friday, some hope to find work in the field. Ashley Braxton, 24, wants to be an advocate for minorities who have made a living in the blackmarket sale of marijuana, which could be replaced by a regulated industry. "For some people, the black market is their livelihood," said Braxton, of the East Side. But even students headed into other legal specialties are taking heed. Steven Swick, who plans to work in business law, said he's learning how marijuana legalization could ripple through the business community. "Having some knowledge could be useful," said Swick, 25, of Lima. Berman started the class in 2013 after voters in Colorado and Washington state approved measures to make recreational marijuana legal. He predicted that more states would follow. "I went to my associate dean and said, 'I've got to do a seminar on this,'" he said. At the start of the semester, Berman draws parallels with the U.S. prohibition of alcohol that ended in 1933. Later, he asks students to dig into a topic, such as taxation or bioethics. At its core, the class is a lesson on the complexities that arise when state and federal laws conflict. Even in states that legalized marijuana, Berman said, there's a question about whether federal tax code should treat sellers like business owners, who get tax benefits, or like illegal dealers, who don't. Last week, Berman was at a conference in Washington for American Indian tribes that are considering growing marijuana. Some tribes live in states where marijuana is legal, but live on land that falls under the jurisdiction of the federal government, which outlaws the drug. Lawyers are trying to untangle the web of laws that apply. "State-level reforms have an extra layer of complication to them," Berman said. "That's a very valuable lesson for all lawyers to understand." Part of the thrill for students and for Berman is that they're studying the law as it evolves, unlike other classes that analyze centuries-old rules. Instead of a textbook, Berman keeps an online blog directing students to daily updates from across the country. One of the struggles, he said, is choosing what he has time to cover in class. "Almost every morning, I get up and check my Google news feed and it's like, 'Oh, there's another story I ought to be talking about,' " he said. "Things are moving so quickly, there's no way I could teach everything." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom