The American Bar Association's 20-year old Standing Committee on Drug Abuse was merged into the Health Law Section in August after the Annual Meeting with the start of the association's new year. Here is a very thoughtful column by the Section Immediate Past Chair, David H. Johnson of New Mexico, on the breadth of the issue from the perspective a lawyer not looking from the criminal justice/enforcement perspective.
Amidst its other work and continuing legal education (CLE) programs, the Standing Committee was a leading voice (adopting policy in 2004) decrying the terrible collateral consequences of drug convictions and the stigma for persons who once had a substance abuse problem. And it organized three well-attended annual meeting programs on legal issues related to medical use of marijuana (including the Raich case -- before it went to the Supreme Court).
As a task force of the Health Law Section, this group can become a more important voice.
If you are a lawyer or law student reading this blog, join the ABA -- it is a welcoming, progressive and influential institution -- and join the Health Law Section and the Substance Abuse Task Force. Think about how your informed voice might further help develop wiser policies on substance use and misuse.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
American Bar Association: Health Law looks at drugs
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