Deakin University & Turning Point special presentation- Professor Beau Kilmer

Deakin University & Turning Point are pleased to announce the following presentations on Friday 9th May, 2014 by Professor Beau Kilmer

1.00pm- Design considerations for legalizing cannabis: Starting with the Eight Ps

The cannabis policy landscape is changing rapidly. In November 2012 voters in Colorado and Washington State passed legalization initiatives to allow commercial production, distribution, and possession of cannabis for nonmedical purposes; not even the Netherlands goes that far. For-profit retail marijuana outlets opened in Colorado on January 1, 2014 and are scheduled to open in Washington later in the year. In December 2013, Uruguay made history by becoming the first country in the world to remove the prohibition on cannabis and begin experimenting with legalization. This presentation does not address whether cannabis should be legal; it instead focuses on eight design choices that will shape the consequences of cannabis legalization: Production, profit motive, promotion, prevention, potency, purity, price, and permanency.

2.30pm- A New approach to reducing drunk driving, domestic violence & other alcohol-related problems: Insights from South Dakota’s 24/7 Sobriety Program

South Dakota has undertaken a radical policy experiment to reduce alcohol consumption among driving under the influence offenders (DUI) and other individuals in the criminal justice system with alcohol problems. South Dakota’s 24/7 Sobriety Program (hereafter, 24/7) requires that offenders submit to breathalyzer tests twice per day or wear a continuous alcohol monitoring device. Those testing positive or missing a test face an immediate, but brief, jail term. From 2005 through mid-2012, more than 21,000 24/7 Sobriety participants racked up almost 3.4 million days without a detected alcohol violation. Perhaps more impressive is that the proportion of breath tests ordered and passed exceeded 99%, and this includes failures and no-shows in the denominator. 24/7 Sobriety is getting some of the most problematic drinkers in the state to sharply cut back on their alcohol consumption. Even if most individuals stay in the program for less than six months, 24/7 is having a noticeable effect on public health and public safety in South Dakota. RAND is conducting an independent evaluation of 24/7 and I will present findings from published and ongoing analyses. The presentation will also address the challenges and opportunities associated with adopting 24/7 in other jurisdictions.

Beau Kilmer is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, where he co-directs the RAND Drug Policy Research Center. He is also a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. His research lies at the intersection of public health and public safety, with a special emphasis on substance use, illicit markets, crime, and public policy. Some of his current projects include estimating the size of illegal drug markets, assessing the consequences of alternative marijuana policies, measuring the effect of South Dakota’s 24/7 Sobriety Program on drunk driving and domestic violence outcomes, and evaluating other innovative programs intended to reduce violence. Kilmer’s research has appeared in leading journals such as Addiction, American Journal of Public Health, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and his essays have been published by the BBC, CNN, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today.

The presentations will be held at Deakin Melbourne City Centre at 550 Bourke St, Level 3.

The event will begin at 1.00pm and each presentation will be approximately 60 minutes long, including questions, with a 30 minute tea and coffee break in between sessions.

The seminar is free, all welcome, bookings essential by calling 8413 8413 or by email: info.group