Cannabis Legalization and Justice

Catalog description

This course will provide students with an in-depth history of the medicinal and recreational legalization of cannabis in New Jersey and throughout the U.S. and its impact on the criminal justice system. The course will explore the wider implications of state legislation against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s classification of cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug and what this means to policing, research, and the criminal justice system as a whole. Cannabis legislation will also be explored in the context of specific populations including juveniles and the role of law enforcement. Students will also have a clear understanding of how each state’s legislation and impairment factors differ. They will also explore the evolution of marijuana variants, products and usages and how they impact policing and serve as barriers to determining impairment thresholds.