June McLaughlin writes
Last week I presented Cannabis Law as a Framework for Practical Learning at the Spring conference of the American Association for Paralegal Education. This U.S. based nationwide organization of undergraduate education institutions has a membership constituted primarily by undergraduate institutions with American Bar Association approved Paralegal Studies programs. My session was well attended. Professors and part-time faculty are hungry for new and innovative ways to teach the same old legal concepts to undergraduate students.
My pitch was to use cannabis law, regulation, and disputes to teach fundamental law concepts they must cover already. Supremacy clause, preemption. federalism are perhaps the first choice. But contracts, administrative law, zoning, compliance concepts, all provide students with transferable knowledge and skills. The fundamentals of cannabis law prepares students of law for a paralegal position and is preparation for law school. Our first generation students may have no lawyers in the family. They need multiple law courses to compensate for the law of knowledge of the hidden curriculum of law.
These captivating and relevant scenarios involving marijuana reduce stigma and allow discussion about law relative to a previously (and currently) prohibited activity. This is undergraduate student cat nip. I also promoted my textbook, Cannabis Law and Practice (expected Fall 2025, Kendall Hunt publishing).
