Food and Drug Law Commons^™

Illegal Discharge: Exploring The History Of The Criminal Enforcement Of The U.S. Clean Water Act, Dr. Joshua Ozymy, Dr. Melisssa L. Jarrell

Fordham Environmental Law Review

The criminal prosecution of defendants that violate federal clean water laws has been ongoing for roughly four decades. Yet, we continue to have a poor understanding of how federal prosecutors use the U.S. Clean Water Act (“CWA”) to charge and prosecute criminals and the outcomes of those prosecutions. We use content analysis to analyze 2,588 federal criminal prosecution case summaries, 1983-2019, to gain a better historical understanding of how the CWA has been used as a prosecutorial tool, to bring out the major themes in the prosecutions, and quantify sentencing outcomes. Findings from the 828 CWA prosecutions undertaken during this …

Red Tide: A Blooming Concern For Florida Manatees, Shannon Price Esq.

Fordham Environmental Law Review

Although red tides are a common and natural occurrence around the coast of Florida, within the last few decades they have intensified and become much more deadly. Several identifiable human-caused factors exacerbate the size, concentration, and duration of the harmful algae bloom and disturb the environment’s natural balance. The Florida Gulf Coast provides all the algae’s necessary requirements for survival, the perfect storm to create a resilient super bloom that annihilates its host ecosystem.

This article explains the plight of Florida manatees who, like other marine animals and plants, are being injured or killed by this algae crisis. It also …

The Use Of Regular Militaries For Natural Disasters After A Major Event Where The Military Was Seen As A Failure - The Somalia Effect In The Age Of Black Lives Matters And Covid-19, Donald D.A. Schaefer

Fordham Environmental Law Review

This is written as a continuation of Dr. Schaefer’s recent article entitled, “The Use of the Regular Militaries for Natural Disaster Assistance: Climate Change and the Increasing Need for Changes to the Laws in the United States, China, Japan, the Philippines, and Other Countries.” 2 Perhaps few other areas have affected so many people than the Covid-19 pandemic. Coupled with this has been the struggle over the use of force by the military and police in the age of “black lives matters” and the movements that have been transpired as a result. With the increased global warming likely to continue …

"Eco" Your Own Way: An Argument For State-Specific Climate Change Legislation, Amanda Voeller

Fordham Environmental Law Review

The consequences of climate change seriously and immediately threaten the American way of life, but proposed federal legislation like the Green New Deal is overly broad, unrealistic, and inefficient. The most effective way for the United States to combat climate change is not with a one-size-fits-all plan like the Green New Deal, but with federal legislation that incentivizes states and cities to enact and enforce individualized, local climate legislation. Different states and cities have different climates, available energy sources, and transportation needs, so the federal government should use financial incentives to encourage states and cities to pass tailor-made bills and …

Regaining Control Over The Climate Change Narrative: How To Stop Right-Wing Populism From Eroding Rule Of Law In The Climate Struggle In India, Binit Agrawal

Fordham Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

Innovative Regulatory And Financial Parameters For Advancing Carbon Capture And Storage Technologies, Zen Makuch, Slavina Georgieva & Behdeen Oraee-Mirzamani

Fordham Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

Textiles As A Source Of Microfiber Pollution And Potential Solutions, Lea M. Elston

Fordham Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

Lessons From Renewable Energy Diffusion For Carbon Dioxide Removal Development, Anthony E. Chavez

Fordham Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

Towards A Human Right To Food: Implications For Urban Growing In Baltimore City, Maryland, Becky L. Witt

Fordham Urban Law Journal

No abstract provided.

International Law In A Time Of Scarcity: An Introduction, Harlan G. Cohen

Faculty Scholarship

Stories of scarcity litter the morning newspapers. Around the world, resources — food, water, fuel sources, clean air — seem stretched to, or even beyond, capacity. Consequences have already been serious, including suffering and unrest. Competition for resources seems likely only to increase. Does international law have the tools to manage or even solve this growing global problem? It was with this question in mind that the editors of the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law convened their 2012 symposium: “International Law in a Time of Scarcity.”

This short essay serves as introduction to that symposium and the related …

Making Sense Of Drug Regulation: A Theory Of Law For Drug Control Policy , Kimani Paul-Emile

Faculty Scholarship

This article advances a new theory of drug regulation that addresses two previously unexamined questions: how law-makers are able to regulate drugs differently irrespective of the dangers the drugs may pose and independent of their health effects, and the process followed to achieve this phenomenon. For example, although tobacco products are the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. they can be bought and sold legally by adults, while marijuana, a substantially safer drug, is subject to the highest level of drug control. This article posits a conceptual model for making sense of this dissonance and applies this model …

The Fordham Law Drug Policy Reform Project: America's Oldest War: The Efficacy Of United States Drug Policy, John Nicholas Iannuzzi, Graham Boyd, Asa Hutchinson

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The Fordham Law Drug Policy Reform Project planned and executed the debate, "America's Oldest War: The Efficacy of United States Drug Policy," on April 23, 2002 at the end of the organization's first year. The goal of the debate was to bring to one forum the leading voices at both ends of the drug policy spectrum. Professor John Nicholas Iannuzzi moderated, giving each speaker three minutes to answer each question from the floor. Over one hundred and twenty professionals, students, and community members attended the debate.

Engaging The Debate: Reform Vs. More Of The Same, Kevin B. Zeese

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This Essay dispels common myths put forward by drug war advocates and describes more effective alternatives available than present policy contemplates. We all want to prevent adolescent drug abuse, protect the health and safety of the community, deny drug profits to terrorists and other criminals, and develop a drug policy that works and is based on our common humanity, as well as on research and reality, rather than myth and rhetoric. The essential paradigm shift that needs to occur is to move away from a policy dominated by law enforcement . . . and toward a policy based on public …

An Effective Drug Policy To Protect America's Youth And Communities, Asa Hutchinson

Fordham Urban Law Journal

Drug abuse and addiction, and the government's response to these problems, are frequently and appropriately a topic for public debate. Law enforcement has made significant advances in both reducing the number of people using illegal drugs and in the fight against traffickers. Legalization of illegal drugs would not elinate the black market or eliminate drug-related violence. The facts on the issue make a strong case for a national policy geared toward effective drug abuse education and prevention, and treatment for people dependent on illegal drugs. Our nation should also continue to conduct research to determine the most effective means of …

Report Of The Task Force On The Use Of Criminal Sanctions To The King County Bar Association Board Of Trustees

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The King County formed the Task Force on the Use of Criminal Sanctions as part of the King County Bar Association's Drug Policy Project to examine current criminal sanctions related to the non-medical use of drugs both in Washington and on the federal level. The founders charged the Task Force with the goal of assessing the effectiveness of criminal sanctions in reducing both illegal drug use and drug-related crime, and assessing the public costs associated with the use of criminal sanctions. The Task Force drew specific conclusions regarding the state response to drug use and the provision of drug addiction …

Drug Policy Alternatives- A Response From The Bench, John Curtin

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The article begins by discussing the tremendous financial and social cost incurred by drug use and regulation. It then discusses some positive efforts to deal with the problem such as legalization and decriminalization. The article then states that it will take time to figure out the extent of legalization needed, and until that is figured out we need to focus efforts on harm reduction. The article then addresses whether the constitution bans drugs at all. Finally, the article concludes by stating that we can never hope to fully eliminate drug use, we can only hope to contain it, and gives …

Institutionalizing Innovation: The New York Drug Court Story, John Feinblatt, Greg Berman, Aubrey Foxx

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The article begins by discussing the problems that drug use is causing in the American Criminal Justice System. The article then discusses the use of "drug courts," which have proven effective in reducing drug use and recidivism. It then looks at the potential benefit of drug courts to the criminal justice system and states some of the questions pertaining to drug courts, such as limits and the requirement of specialized judges. The article concludes by looking at what critics have said about the use of drug courts, and by stating that the drug court idea is worth trying.

Our Drug Laws Have Failed - So Where Is The Desperately Needed Meaningful Reform?, David C. Leven

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The article begins by stating that the harsh drug laws of New York have failed to have an effect on the amount of drug dealers and instead have led to overcrowding of prisons with non-addict drug users. It states that the laws must be modified to give greater sentencing to judges, increasing diversion of non-violent offenders to rehabilitation. The article then delineates the problems resulting from current drug law and the criticism thereof. It then states the attempted reforms of drug laws that have been insufficient. The article concludes by suggesting proposals to solve the problems delineated, including proportionate sentences, …

Is Our Drug Policy Effective, Jefferson M. Fish

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The article begins by stating that the time has come for a reexamination of our drug policy. It continues by discussing the two day conference "Is Our Drug Policy Effective?" "Are There Alternatives?" organized by several committee's. Because of space constraints, the article mainly delves into two topics, certain substances both licit and illicit with regard to both their physiological effects and the policies governing them, and also the disproportionate emphasis placed by the war on drugs on combating marijuana. The article then gives summaries of the speakers at the conference. These include: Objectives of our drug policy, overviews of …

From Free Trade To Prohibition: A Critical History Of The Modern Asian Opium Trade, Alfred W. Mccoy

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The article begins by exploring America's current war on drugs and how it represents a misuse of its power and misperception of the global narcotics trade. It continues and puts forth that Asia's opium production may soon increase to levels that will defeat the war on drugs now being waged by the United State and United Nations and goes into the the extent of Opium production in Asia. It then looks at a history of Opium trade, including the era which began prohibition and then the cold war, which began the expansion of the Asian opium trade. The article then …

Thinking About Drug Law Reform: Some Political Dynamics Of Medicalization, Fredrick Polak

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The article begins by stating that many people believe that medicalization offers the most reasonable approach to drug policy because it offers a dignified approach to treatment of addicts. However, it risks being a form of repression itself because it may define abstinence as the only acceptable treatment outcome. The article then explores the position of the medical profession in drug policy. It then looks at the negative political and social aspects and consequences of an abstinence-directed medicalization policy. The article concludes by stating that if abstinence is always the treatment goal then medicalization will be even less voluntary and …

Drug Legalization: The Importance Of Asking The Right Question Symposium On Drug Decriminalization, Mark A.R. Kleinman, Aaron J. Saiger

Faculty Scholarship

As a policy analysis, this article's central argument is that that the costs imposed by markets in licit psychoactives are significantly greater than those imposed by drug prohibition.

Charleston Policy: Substance Or Abuse, The , Kimani Paul-Emile

Faculty Scholarship

In 1989, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) adopted a policy that, according to subjective criteria, singled out for drug testing, certain women who sought prenatal care and childbirth services would be tested for prohibited substances. Women who tested positive were arrested, incarcerated and prosecuted for crimes ranging from misdemeanor substance possession to felony substance distribution to a minor. In this Article, the Author argues that by intentionally targeting indigent Black women for prosecution, the MUSC Policy continued the United States legacy of their systematic oppression and resulted in the criminalizing of Black Motherhood.

Book Review: Heroin Addiction In Britain--What Americans Can Learn From The English Experience, Gerald T. Mclaughlin

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This book takes the reader step by step through the history of British heroin maintenance--trying to separate myth from reality. The book does not fully answer whether this British clinic system of dispensing heroin to proven addicts has led to decreased levels of addiction, but does forcefully demonstrate that heroin maintenance in Britain has not led to a heroin epidemic. The reviewer concludes that the book is an excellent reportorial analysis of the British heroin system as well as the British reaction to American drug policy.