Mathew R. Swinburne, J.D., is the Senior Advisor for the Network for Public Health Law’s Eastern Team, which is housed at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. He is a recognized national expert in cannabis law and policy. His cannabis work includes advising legislators, state and local agencies, law enforcement, community-based organizations, and non-profits on critical issues related to medical and adult-use policy. Appointed by Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Mathew is a member of Maryland’s Cannabis Public Health Advisory Council. In addition to his work at the Network, Mathew developed and taught the State and Federal Cannabis Law and Policy course for the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy’s MS in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics program. The course is one of the first of its kind in the country. He is also an attorney advisor for the University of Maryland’s Public Health Law Clinic and has taught public health law and ethics for the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health.
Join the Network for Public Health Law and the Legal Resource Center for Public Health Policy for a discussion focused on two significant areas of federal cannabis policy with critical public health implications: the rescheduling of cannabis and the regulation of intoxicating hemp-derived products.
In many states, hemp products are on the market without the same public health protections that govern states' licensed cannabis markets. While the federal government ponders potential legislation and states continue to struggle in court, intoxicating hemp products continue to be sold with little oversight in many jurisdictions.
Cannabis use among youth is linked to harmful effects on attention, memory and decision-making, coordination, and mental health. One way to reduce youth cannabis use is to regulate outdoor cannabis advertising. This fact sheet analyzes the outdoor advertising restrictions and policies in jurisdictions that have legalized cannabis for medical and/or recreational purposes.
Because of the potential harms cannabis use poses to youth, many states place restrictions on cannabis advertising. Courts are divided as to whether such restrictions violate a business’s First Amendment rights to engage in commercial speech. This fact sheet details how, depending on the scope and characteristics of a state’s advertising policy, cannabis advertising can be constitutionally restricted in order to protect children’s health.
Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia have now legalized cannabis for medical and/or adult-use. This wave of policy change has important health implications for children, especially those with medical conditions whose treatment includes the use of cannabis products. Additionally, new research is raising concerns about the effects of exposure to cannabis advertising on children and youth. Attend this webinar for an examination of these two youth focused policy issues that states must address as part of cannabis legalization.
The influx of new customers created by the legalization of adult-use cannabis can place a strain on a state’s cannabis supply. This increased demand can present a challenge to the state’s medical cannabis system and potentially reduce patient access to medical cannabis. This fact sheet examines various state policies aimed at protecting patient access to medical cannabis.
Cannabis is legal in most states and most of those living in the U.S. support some form of cannabis legalization. Despite the evolution in state policy and broad public support, cannabis remains illegal under federal law. Things could be changing. In October of 2022, President Biden ordered the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to initiate the administrative process to review cannabis’s classification under federal law.
The changing environment in cannabis law presents critical public health issues that need to be addressed to help maximize benefits and minimize risks associated with legalization. This webinar will explore recent developments in cannabis law and policy with a focus on recent state legalization efforts, protecting medical cannabis patients, youth access and exposure to cannabis products, product safety, and hemp derived products.
by Overview May 25, 2023 | 1 – 2:30 p.m. ETThis webinar will explore some of the legal issues that impact school nursing…
Marijuana, which is still considered an illicit drug at the federal level, is legal in 11 states for adults over the age of 21 for recreational use, and legal for medical use in 33 states. As more states contemplate marijuana legalization, understanding the broad spectrum of public health and policy issues related to cannabis regulation is critical. This collection of resources surveys states’ laws regarding home cultivation and consumption site regulation; zoning restrictions; potency and product regulation; labeling and packaging regulation; youth access regulations and enforcement; and adult-use advertising restrictions.
This Table highlights states which have either invoked or facilitated implementation of Crisis Standards of Care (CSC) during the COVID-19 pandemic beginning Feb. 2020.
Cannabis law and policy is evolving at a blistering pace driven largely by state legalization of medical and adult-use cannabis. While cannabis remains illegal under federal law, there are stirrings of change. In this churn of changing state laws public health is faced with myriad complex issues. How do we address social justice in the shadow of the war on drugs? What policies are effective in preventing youth access? How can the tax revenue generated by cannabis legalization be used to reinvest in communities disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs? What role can local government play in this dynamic environment? To help public health stakeholders better navigate critical issues like these, the Network is hosting a Summit on September 13th and 14th in Baltimore City, Maryland to explore pressing issues in cannabis law and policy.
