Past Events

  • Read more: Book Talk: The Constitution of the War on Drugs
    Nov 21

    Book Talk: The Constitution of the War on Drugs

    Event Description Join us for Book Talk: The Constitution of the War on Drugs, as author David Pozen is joined by Mason Marks and Jeannie Suk Gersen to discuss the lost history of constitutional challenges to punitive drug laws and consider possible future paths open to drug reformers today. Please note: The Constitution of the War on…

  • Read more: Introducing PULSE: Psychedelic Use, Law, and Spiritual Experience
    Oct 24

    Introducing PULSE: Psychedelic Use, Law, and Spiritual Experience

    Event Description This academic year, the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School proudly launched a new project called PULSE: Psychedelic Use, Law, and Spiritual Experience. PULSE convenes legal and religious scholars and practitioners with diverse perspectives to discuss how law, policy, and ethics affect the religious and spiritual…

  • Read more: Fall 2024 Health Law Workshops
    Dec 1

    Fall 2024 Health Law Workshops

    The Health Law Policy, Bioethics, and Biotechnology Workshop provides a forum for discussion of new scholarship in these fields from the world’s leading experts. The workshop is led by Professor I. Glenn Cohen, and presenters come from a wide range of disciplines and departments. Harvard graduate students may register to take the workshop for course…

  • Read more: Sentencing Children: Bridging Neuroscience, Justice, and Reform
    Oct 9

    Sentencing Children: Bridging Neuroscience, Justice, and Reform

    Event Description Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on the mass incarceration of children, adolescent neuroscience, and restorative justice. Our distinguished panelists—a judge, a psychologist, and a lawyer rooted in restorative justice —will share their expertise on how we can align justice systems with science and pave the way for more humane and effective pathways…

  • Read more: Petrie-Flom Center Open House: Health Law, Biotechnology, and the Future
    Sep 19

    Petrie-Flom Center Open House: Health Law, Biotechnology, and the Future

    Event Description  Are you interested in health law and health policy topics? You’re invited to the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics’ 2024 Open House.  The Petrie-Flom Center is an interdisciplinary research program at Harvard Law School dedicated to scholarly research at the intersection of law and health policy. For our 20th anniversary year we…

  • Read more: Petrie-Flom Center 2024 Annual Conference: Law and Policy of Psychedelic Medicine
    Jun 25

    Petrie-Flom Center 2024 Annual Conference: Law and Policy of Psychedelic Medicine

    Conference Description A major sea change seems likely on the legal treatment of psychedelic medicines – including psilocybin, a substance produced by many species of fungi, 3,4-Methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine (MDMA), a synthetic substance colloquially referred to as ecstasy, and mescaline, produced by several species of cactus, including peyote, a sacrament of Native American churches. As Phase II…

  • Read more: Speaking of Psychedelics: A Conversation with Ayelet Waldman
    Jun 24

    Speaking of Psychedelics: A Conversation with Ayelet Waldman

    Event Description  In 2017, New York Times best-selling author Ayelet Waldman (HLS ’91) published a groundbreaking memoir: A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life. This intimate, courageous, and humorous book describes Waldman’s experience consuming very small doses of the psychedelic drug LSD. Ms. Waldman engaged…

  • Read more: Neuroscience and Cannabis: Implications for Law and Policy
    Apr 18

    Neuroscience and Cannabis: Implications for Law and Policy

    Event Description The legalization of cannabis has raised significant questions for law and public policy. In her annual lecture, neuroscientist Dr. Yasmin Hurd explored the science of cannabis, CBD, and the future of substance use disorder treatment. Dr. Stephanie Tabashneck moderated a discussion and audience Q&A about the implications for law and policy.  Panelists This event is part of…

  • Read more: Case Update: The European Court of Human Rights’ Climate Judgments
    Apr 18

    Case Update: The European Court of Human Rights’ Climate Judgments

    Event Description On 9 April 2024, the European Court of Human Rights decided its first ever climate cases: Verein Klimaseniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland, Carême v. France, and Duarte Agostinho and Others v. Portugal and 32 Others. In these landmark cases plaintiffs sued 33 European governments, including the entire European Union, for their failure to adequately curb greenhouse…

  • Read more: Bioethics, Legal Ethics, and Ethics of Care: An Introduction to Psychedelics and Ethics
    Apr 16

    Bioethics, Legal Ethics, and Ethics of Care: An Introduction to Psychedelics and Ethics

    Event Description  This event launched the Center for the Study of World Religion’s new “Psychedelics & Ethics” initiative, which brings together interdisciplinary scholars and practitioners to explore ethical questions surrounding psychedelics. The series seeks to create a forum for constructive conversations about the role of psychedelics in society, with an eye toward justice and care. For…