July 20th, 2022 | Washington D.C.
Presents:
Cannabis, Criminal Justice & Clemency:
A Symposium
Invite only.
About the Event
The Academy for Justice at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law—in conjunction with the Justice Roundtable, the National Cannabis Roundtable, the Weldon Project and Mission Green—is hosting an in-person, invite-only workshop on federal marijuana prohibition, public safety, and presidential clemency.
The daylong event will be held on July 20th in the Longworth House Office Building, Room 1539. Lunch will be served in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2045.
A cocktail reception is to follow at 5pm at Smoke and Mirrors (867 New Jersey Ave SE, Washington, DC 20003).
This event will be compliant with CDC recommendations and will follow Capitol Building guidelines.
Invite only.
Where
Longworth House Office Building, Room 1539
Lunch: Rayburn House Office Building – Room 2045
When
Wednesday, July 20th 2022
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tentative Event Agenda
8:00 - 8:30 AM
Morning Refreshments & Registration
8:30 - 8:45 AM
Congressional Welcome and Symposium Introduction
Troy A. Carter, Sr., U.S. Representative, Louisiana’s 2 nd Congressional District
David Joyce, U.S. Representative, Ohio’s 14th Congressional District; Co-Chair,
Congressional Cannabis Caucus
Erik Luna, Amelia D. Lewis Professor of Constitutional & Criminal Law and Founder &
Faculty Director of the Academy for Justice, Arizona State University
8:45 - 9:30 AM
Session 1 | Understanding Your Audience: Policy Makers
Former senior policy makers in the federal government shed light on the current climate, the prevailing status quo, and various considerations that advocates should understand to change minds and ultimately to change policy.
Guest Speakers:
James M. Cole, former Deputy Attorney General of the United States, and Partner &
Global Co-Lead of White Collar Practice with Sidley Austin
Kathleen Sebelius, former U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services, and former
Governor of Kansas
9:30 - 10:15 AM
Session 2 | Model Reform Polices for Marijuana Clemency and Expungement
This session presents a model for presidential clemency as a vehicle for corrective justice and reform. The panel also considers a draft proposal for congressional expungement of certain marijuana-related offenses. Feedback from symposium participants will be incorporated into the analysis and recommendations included in a final symposium report.
Panelists:
Weldon Angelos, President of The Weldon Project, Co-Founder of MISSION [GREEN], Music Producer, and Criminal Justice Reform Advocate
Douglas A. Berman, Newton D. Baker-Baker & Hostetler Chair in Law and Professor
of Law, and Executive Director of the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law; author of the casebook “Marijuana Law and Policy”
James M. Cole, former Deputy Attorney General of the United States, and Partner & Global Co-Lead of White Collar Practice, Sidley Austin
Erik Luna, Amelia D. Lewis Professor of Constitutional & Criminal Law and Founder & Faculty Director of the Academy for Justice, Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
Mark Osler, Robert & Marion Short Distinguished Chair in Law and Professor of Law, University of St. Thomas; Member, The Justice Roundtable; former Assistant U.S. Attorney
10:15 - 10:30 AM
Break | Coffee & Beverages
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Session 3 | Small-Group Discussion: Marijuana, Justice, and Public Safety
This session involves small-group discussion moderated by leading criminal justice scholars, with the goal of gleaning insights on the morning’s events. Key issues for exploration include the eligibility predicates for clemency and expungement, the definition of violence in the marijuana context, various concerns for public safety and the mitigation of risks, and the value and limits of presidential and congressional action at the twilight of marijuana prohibition.
Moderators-Discussants:
Albert W. Alschuler, Julius Kreeger Professor Emeritus of Law and Criminology, University of Chicago Law School Valena Beety, Professor of Law and Deputy Director of the Academy for Justice, Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
Gabriel J. Chin, Edward L. Barrett Chair in Law and Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Law, University of California, Davis Stephen Galoob, Chapman Professor of Law, University of Tulsa College of Law David A. Harris, Sally Ann Semenko Endowed Chair and Professor of Law, University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Sam Kamin, Chauncey G. Wilson Memorial Research Chair and Professor of Law, University of Denver College of Law
Alex Kreit, Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Center on Addiction Law & Policy, Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law
Ben McJunkin, Assistant Professor of Law and Associate Director of the Academy for Justice, Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
Pamela R. Metzger, Professor of Law and Director of the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center, Southern Methodist University
Robert A. Mikos, LaRoche Family Chair in Law and Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University Law School; author of the casebook “Marijuana Law, Policy, and Authority”
Jennifer Oliva, Professor of Law, University of California Hastings College of Law
Christopher Slobogin, Milton Underwood Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University Law School
12:15 - 1:30 PM
Lunch & Guest Speaker in Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2045
The luncheon features U.S. Pardon Attorney Elizabeth Oyer, with a Q&A session moderated by Prof. Mark Osler.
Guest Speaker:
Elizabeth Oyer, U.S. Pardon Attorney and former Federal Public Defender
1:45 - 2:45 PM
Session 4 | Consideration of Legislative Proposals in the 118th Congress
This session takes up various legislative proposals on marijuana policy with implications for justice reform and public safety.
Panelists:
Mark Holden, Board Chairman, Americans for Prosperity; Sr. Vice President, Stand Together; and former Sr. Vice President, Koch Industries
John Hudak, Deputy Director of the Center for Effective Management and Senior Fellow in Governance Studies, Brookings Institute
Marc Levin, Chief Policy Counsel, Council on Criminal Justice
Clark Neily, Sr. Vice President of Legal Studies, Cato Institute
Nkechi Taifa, Convener Emeritus, The Justice Roundtable; Founder and Principal of The Taifa Group, LLC
2:45 - 3:00 PM
Break | Coffee and Light Refreshments
3:00 - 3:15 PM
Remarks | Congressional Cannabis Caucus
Guest Speaker:
Earl Blumenauer, U.S. Representative, Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District; Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Congressional Cannabis Caucus
3:15 - 3:45 PM
Session 5 | Key Perspectives from Leading Directly Impacted Advocates
This session features prominent advocates whose personal experiences in the criminal justice system can help guide reform efforts and give voice to those impacted by the system.
Panelists:
Weldon Angelos, President of The Weldon Project, Co-Founder of MISSION [GREEN], Music Producer, and Criminal Justice Reform Advocate
Amy Ralston Povah, Founder, CAN-DO Clemency
Cynthia W. Roseberry, Co-Convener, The Justice Roundtable; Deputy Director, ACLU Justice Division, American Civil Liberties Union
Kemba Smith, Co-Convener, The Justice Roundtable; former Member, Virginia Parole Board and Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission
3:45 - 4:00 PM
Epilogue | Reflections on the Symposium and the Future
Time permitting, this final session provides a recap of the day’s events and considers next steps in federal justice reform as the nation transitions from the criminal prohibition of marijuana to its regulation for the public good.
5:00 PM
cocktail reception
Smoke and Mirrors (867 New Jersey Ave SE, Washington, DC 20003)
Our Speakers
About the Event Organizers
The Academy for Justice, a program within the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, is a diverse team of reform-minded scholars and experts from a number of different institutions who believe that knowledge is the most important tool we have for addressing the array of problems confronting the American criminal justice system. Our scholars come from different backgrounds, and each bring different perspectives, experiences, and methodologies to bear on our criminal justice reform work. As a scholarly collective, our approach to criminal justice reform is interdisciplinary, pragmatic, and non-partisan. Our shared mission is to bridge the gap between academia and on-the-ground criminal justice reform by making scholarly research and ideas accessible to policymakers, stakeholders, journalists, and the public. For more information visit http://academyforjustice.org/.
The National Cannabis Roundtable is an alliance of cannabis companies, as well as ancillary services and solutions providers, who seek cannabis reform which nurtures the nascent domestic industry, protects consumers and advances social equity. They are committed to sensible regulation, criminal justice reform, social equity and community reinvestment. For more information visit https://nationalcannabisroundtable.org.
THE WELDON PROJECT is dedicated to funding social change and financial aid for those who are still serving prison time for cannabis-related offenses. Through extensive partnerships throughout the legal Cannabis industry, THE WELDON PROJECT launched the MISSION [GREEN] initiative to raise the bar for awareness, social justice, and social equity by providing unique ways for cannabis businesses and consumers to participate in a nationwide campaign aimed to provide relief to those who have been negatively impacted by prohibition. For more information, visit https://www.theweldonproject.org/.
The Justice Roundtable is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 organizations working to reform federal criminal justice laws and policies. Founded in 2002, the Roundtable’s mission is to bring value to the Justice Movement by coordinating the federal legislative and advocacy efforts of the Washington criminal justice advocacy community. For more information, visit https://justiceroundtable.org.
Venue
Longworth House Office Building - Room 1539
15 Independence Ave SE, Washington, DC 20515
Lunch will be served in the Rayburn Office Building Room 2045 (45 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20515)
Entrance TBD