Teaching Federal Criminal Law: Survey Says… it’s Hard

“Teaching Federal Criminal Law is challenging. In this essay, I offer some brief thoughts to combat difficulties with teaching the course. I proceed specifically by offering for your consideration some observations on (1) what to cover in the course, (2) how to keep the material interesting, and (3) some closing considerations.” – Sourced from the Abstract

Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2440655

Personal Website of Julian Buchanan

This website serves as a blog for Julian Buchanan, a lifelong advocate for human rights, social justice, and drug policy, and features articles and pieces he’s written throughout his career. He also features resources and other websites for readers to look at as well, all surrounding drug policy, prohibition, and social justice issues.

Link: https://julianbuchanan.wordpress.com/publications/

Drug War Facts

Drug War Facts is a website that has provided reliable information and citations on public health and criminal justice issues surrounding drug policy and the failed War on Drugs. This resource first went online in 1998 and is consistently updated and expanded to encompass all things related to the drug war.

Link: https://www.drugwarfacts.org/

Book Review: Marijuana Law, Policy, and Authority

Article in the Albany Government Law Review on the casebook Marijuana, Law, Policy, and Authority by Robert A. Mikos, Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University Law School.

“Historically, marijuana law (and drug law more generally) was relegated to brief discussions in criminal law courses. But the diversity of legal issues spawned by changes to marijuana law has generated the need for more and broader coverage, to ensure that lawyers are fluent in this booming field of law.”

Link: http://www.albanygovernmentlawreview.org/archives/pages/article-information.aspx?volume=11&issue=1&page=82

Commonwealth v. Eldred – Harvard Law Review

This piece from Harvard Law Review examines the case Commonwealth v. Eldred. In this case, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court holds a drug-free probation requirement enforceable for a defendant with substance use orders. This review was written one year after the court’s decision.

Link: https://harvardlawreview.org/2019/05/commonwealth-v-eldred/

Dying to be free – Article from Huffington Post

This article serves as an in-depth glimpse into the harmful effects heroin can have on people’s lives when they’re facing addiction or have a loved one facing addiction. The details of several individuals and their experiences are highlighted throughout the article and also backed up with statistics surrounding the effects, usage, and damages caused by addiction to heroin.

Link: https://projects.huffingtonpost.com/projects/dying-to-be-free-heroin-treatment#chapter-six

Marijuana Law, Policy, and Authority

By Robert A. Mikos, Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University Law School

From the Preface of the casebook (paraphrased): This textbook is the first of its kind in that it explores the legal issues that surround marijuana users, their suppliers, and third parties (physicians, employers, investors, etc.) The book highlights the competing approaches jurisdictions have adopted towards regulating marijuana, the policies behind those approaches, and the power that various federal, state, and local government actors have to pursue each of them.

Although marijuana can be a divisive subject, the book strives to take an evenhanded approach to all the issues that it covers.

Link: https://cap-press.com/books/isbn/9781531010379/Marijuana-Law-and-Policy#