Registration open for free, day-long forum Sept. 23 on public-health policy considerations regarding medical marjuana

“Since 1996, 33 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, and public support for the idea is growing in Kentucky,” Chandler said in a press release. “Yet, most policymakers and Kentucky residents haven’t had the chance to learn how various regulatory restrictions have affected health outcomes for different population groups or what kinds of public health resources are needed when restrictions are reduced. This will be a balanced forum designed to answer a lot of questions about the issue, and give attendees the chance to engage with experts on all sides.”

The event will be the latest edition of the foundation’s Howard L. Bost Memorial Health Policy Forum. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 23, at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington. The forum is free and includes lunch, but advance registration is required.

Dr. Jeffrey Howard, Kentucky public health commissioner, will offer welcoming remarks. Other morning speakers include a keynote presentation from former Colorado “marijuana czar” Andrew Freedman, who will discuss the public health infrastructure put in place when that state legalized medical marijuana in 2000 and how public health has been affected since then, including when the state eased restrictions even further to allow recreational marijuana in 2007. (Twenty-six states have now legalized or decriminalized marijuana, not merely authorized its use for medical purposes.)

Dr. Shanna Babalonis of the University of Kentucky will provide an overview of how marijuana has changed in recent decades, and Brian Higgins, a Frost Brown Todd attorney, will share how marijuana is regulated across the country today. Following lunch, attendees will choose two of three panel discussions, each with three speakers and an opportunity for moderated audience discussion: