The Florida A&M University (FAMU) Student Government Association (SGA) will host an on-campus forum to help educate students on the issues surrounding medical marijuana and the use of illegal marijuana.
The student forum will be held in partnership with the FAMU Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative (MMERI) at Perry-Paige Auditorium 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, October 29. The event is free and open to the public.
“As the governing body that students look to for direction, it is incumbent on us to present information to our student body that is important for their survival both on and off-campus,” said SGA President Rochard Moricette. “Information on the unlawful use of marijuana is that kind of information, and we are proud to bring such a distinguished panel to our campus.”
The panel includes Mutaqee Akbar, JD, Akbar Law Firm; Rev. Shawana Elwood; New Mount Zion AME Church; Alexis McMillan, RPH, Economy Drug Store; Mark Moore, MD, MedCan, LLC; Gwendolyn Singleton, Ph.D.,
College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities; Chief Terence Calloway FAMU Police Department; Cynthia Hughes-Harris, MMERI research chair and dean, School of Allied Health Sciences; Antoneia Roe, JD, FAMU Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution.
MMERI Interim Executive Director Patricia Green-Powell, Ph.D., said the event is critical to expanding the knowledge base of students.
“This is one of our most important community forums because there is so much at stake for young people from a law enforcement perspective,” Green-Powell said. “The more students know about unlawful use, the better it is for everyone. This is particularly true for minority communities. Studies show they tend to bear the brunt of law enforcement activities when it comes to unlawful marijuana.”
MMERI was launched in response to the Florida Legislature’s funding allocation to educate “minorities about marijuana for medical use and the impact of the unlawful use of marijuana on minority communities
MMERI’s objective is to build a repository of information for medical marijuana education and research and establish the University as a touchstone center for marijuana information, fill in the gaps in medical marijuana research particularly as it relates to diverse communities and to inform public policy, in Florida and beyond, about the impact and issues presented by the developing marijuana industry.
