EXPERT RESOURCES

I am a historian of American drug policy who provides strategic historical analysis for decision-makers. I help policymakers understand how past drug laws, treatment systems, and regulatory decisions shaped today’s drug landscapes, and how they can use this information to inform better systems in the future.

Topics I can cover:

  • Federal and state opioid addiction policy history and development

  • Federal and state cannabis policy history and development

  • The development of federal and state drug laws

  • Drug paraphernalia availability and access

  • The effects of legalization, decriminalization, and criminalization on hemp, cannabis, opioids, and other drugs

I am available for:

  • Congressional briefings

  • Historical background memos

  • Expert testimony

  • Staff education sessions

  • Media background interviews

  • Consulting

Most drug policy experts come from medicine, law, economics, public health, or advocacy. Very few have spent more than a decade reconstructing the historical development of policies themselves. 

That’s where my historical expertise comes in. When a proposal resembles one tried in the 1970’s or 1990’s, I can explain what happened and why. That insight that can inform better decision-making, and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past while building upon prior successes.