New Marijuana Policy Course at Oregon State University

A new public policy course is changing the face of the curriculum at Oregon State University. Students at the OSU campus in Corvallis, OR will have a chance to help shape policies related to marijuana legalization in Oregon as part of a new sociology course entitled “Marijuana Policy in the 21st Century.”

Seth Crawford, an instructor in the School of Public Policy in OSU’s College of Liberal Arts, developed the course to examine some of the policy issues facing the state following the legalization of recreational marijuana by Oregon voters in November 2014. The class is being held this winter term, and with 50 students enrolled, it’s at capacity.

The course will examine marijuana control strategies, methods for investigating marijuana markets and recent case studies in legalization. The students will produce a collectively authored paper of their recommendations, make group presentations that will be recorded and available for viewing by the public, and present findings to policymakers, including policy recommendations for the OLCC and the Oregon Health Authority, Crawford said.

“We will be working with policymakers and stakeholders to help answer some of the biggest questions facing the state following the passage of Measure 91,” said Crawford.

Crawford serves on the state’s Advisory Committee on Medical Marijuana. He is an expert on the policies and market structure of marijuana in Oregon, and has provided expert testimony on marijuana-related policies in the state.

Full press release available here.