Legalized pot? ‘Marijuana summit’ planned in Rock Hill

Winthrop University will be hosting a “marijuana summit” next month to discuss the effects of marijuana legalization.

Organized by Keystone Substance Abuse Services and the drug abuse non-profit York County All on Board, the Feb. 22 summit – called “The Blunt Truth” – will feature Ben Cort, the business development manager for the Center for Addiction Recovery and Rehabilitation in the University of Colorado health system.

“We hope to have a full house,” said All on Board executive director Bob Norwood, “We want everybody to be at the table, because it will affect everybody if this is legalized.”

Cort is expected to talk about the effects of marijuana legalization in Colorado on recovery services in the state. Colorado legalized recreational use of the drug by voter referendum in 2012, even as marijuana remains prohibited by federal law. Four states and the District of Columbia now allow for the legal, regulated use of marijuana by residents.

Cort will speak in the Richardson Ballroom at the DiGiorgio Campus Center from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 22, followed by an audience question-and-answer session. The event is free with open admission to the public, and will offer “cultural event” credit for Winthrop students. Doors will open at 6 p.m.

This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 3:04 PM with the headline "Legalized pot? ‘Marijuana summit’ planned in Rock Hill."