FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Karl Schmidt

Email: karl.schmidt@ou.edu

OSLEP to host public lecture on cannabis legalization, policy liberalization with local perspective

[Norman, Okla. Feb. 26, 2025] – Oklahoma Scholar-Leadership Enrichment Program will host a public lecture on cannabis policy at the OU Norman campus in the beginning of April.

OSLEP will host the public lecture Tokelahoma – How Oklahoma is a Microcosm of the Politics and Policy of Cannabis given by Daniel J. Mallinson, Ph.D. (Penn State Harrisburg) in Thurman J. White Forum Building, Room A3 on April 1 from 3.00-4.45 p.m. on the OU Norman campus. Everyone is welcome to attend the lecture free of charge.

Attendees can expect to learn about the role medical cannabis legalization in Oklahoma has on cannabis liberalization nationally.

“It is a very useful policy to study for better understanding the complexities of American federalism,” Mallinson said.

Mallinson, who is also teaching the three-credit OSLEP seminar Marijuana Politics: What We Can Learn About Federalism and the Policymaking Process, explained Oklahoma is of particular interest when studying the policies behind marijuana legalization.

“It [Oklahoma] captures so many of the interesting facets of cannabis legalization,” Mallinson said. “From the importance of the ballot initiative to its adoption to is current struggles with reforming the policy and the failure of adult-use recreational legalization.”

Mallinson is a professor of public policy and administration at Pennsylvania State University where he received his Ph.D. in political science. He released the book Green Rush – The Rise of Medical Marijuana in the United States in 2024 which he coauthored with A. Lee Hannah.

About OSLEP: The Oklahoma Scholars-Leadership Program is an intercollegiate program offering open lectures to the public and three-credit seminars to undergraduate students enrolled in any of the partnering institutions in Oklahoma. The seminars are taught by distinguished scholars from different institutions around the United States. The program is sponsored by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

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