DETROIT (Sept. 17, 2009) – The student chapters of the National Lawyers Guild and American Civil Liberties Union have teamed up with Police Officers for Drug Law Reform to host the Michigan Medical Marijuana Symposium from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Oct. 3, 2009, at Wayne State University Law School.

The Symposium will bring together leading experts, including attorneys, doctors and civic leaders, to help clarify Michigan’s new Medical Marijuana Act and educate patients and professionals.

Wayne Law Distinguished Professor Robert Sedler will serve as the keynote speaker. His presentation, “The Law and Medical Marijuana: An Overview,” will outline the prohibitions on the use of marijuana dating back to the 1960s and 1970s, the relationship between these prohibitions and the use of medical marijuana, the federal power needed to prohibit medical marijuana, and the position of the Obama administration on the issue.

The Symposium will also feature three panel sessions, including a legal session, a medical session and a civic session.

The legal panel will feature confirmed panelists Attorney at Law Matthew R. Abel, Wayne Law Professor Peter Hammer and Attorney at Law Gregory Carl Schmid. It will address:

·      what is a patient;

·      how much marijuana can a patient possess;

·      what is a caregiver and how much marijuana can they possess;

·      where can patients grow their marijuana;

·      current case law and what may happen next; and

·      national trends and developments.

 

The medical session, featuring confirmed panelists Dr. Randy Ayres and Dr. Frank Lucido, will explain:

 

·      how the Medical Marijuana recommendation process works;

·      what is required to get a Medical Marijuana recommendation;

·      what is a Medical Marijuana recommendation (why no prescription?);

·      who qualifies;

·      how other medical professionals can get involved; and

·      a California perspective and what Michigan doctors can expect here in Michigan.

 

The civics panel will feature confirmed panelists City Councilman Andy LeCureaux and University of Detroit Mercy Adjunct Professor Michael Whitty. They will discuss:

 

·         how this law will have a positive economic impact on communities; and

·         the economic benefits that Michigan will receive as a result of this new law.

 

Patients, law enforcement, medical professionals and community members are encouraged to attend. Seating is limited and pre-registration is advised. To register, visit http://mimjinfo.org/Registration.html. For more information, please contact Daniel Solano at Daniel@mimjinfo.org.

 

 "Michigan's new Medical Marijuana Act radically changes the rules regarding marijuana possession, growth and distribution,” said Daniel Solano, director of Police Officers for Drug Law Reform. “The Michigan Medical Marijuana Symposium will help ensure that professionals from law enforcement and the medical field get up to speed on this new law."

 

About Wayne Law
Wayne State University Law School has educated and served the Detroit metropolitan area since its inception as Detroit City Law School in 1927. Located at 471 West Palmer Street in Detroit’s re-energized historic cultural center, the Law School remains committed to student success and features modern lecture and court facilities, multi-media and distance learning classrooms, a 250-seat auditorium, and the Arthur Neef Law Library, which houses one of the nation's 40 largest legal collections. Taught by an internationally recognized and expert faculty, Wayne Law students experience a high-quality legal education via a growing array of hands-on curricular offerings, client clinics, and access to well over 100 internships with local and non-profit entities each year. Its 11,000 living alumni, who work in every state of the nation and more than a dozen foreign countries, are experts in their disciplines and include leading members of the local, national and international legal communities. For more information, visit www.law.wayne.edu.