DU’s law school scores endowed marijuana professorship

(Photo: CPR/Ben Markus)
<p>A cloud of marijuana smoke rises from the annual 4/20 celebration in Denver. About 100,000 people came to Civic Center to celebrate in April. </p>
Photo: Marijuana in glass jars,Denver 3D Dispensary, 2014 (AP Photo)
Glass jars containing various strains of marijuana sit on a counter as sales associate Mattt Hart works at the 3D Dispensary on Friday, Dec. 19, 2014, in Denver.

The professorship at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law will be held initially by Sam Kamin, who teaches about cannabis law and helped write Colorado's regulations on the industry.

The law firm, Vicente Sederberg, has committed $45,000 a year for the professorship. Law partner Brian Vicente attended the University of Denver and wrote Colorado's 2012 constitutional amendment making pot legal for recreational use. The firm now consults business owners in the industry.

Via the Denver Post:

“My professors at DU definitely encouraged my interest in drug policy reform,” Vicente told The Cannabist on Monday. “But the school does have a reputation for being a conservative institution, and now they’re really stepping out front on the marijuana issue, which is a lightning rod. But at the end of the day they know they’re on the right side of history, and they want Colorado to continue being thought leaders in this new area.”