Leslie Francis and Teneille Brown, both law professors at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, were participants at the recent Addictions Update Conference sponsored earlier this month by the U’s School of Medicine.
The event was co-sponsored by the U’s Department of Psychiatry, the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing. Francis organized and spoke on a panel about the legal challenges people with substance abuse disorders face. Her co-panelists were Megan Komatsu, from Salt Lake County drug court, and Neil Webster, from Salt Lake County public defenders. Francis addressed the housing and employment challenges faced by people with a drug conviction.
Brown spoke on some of the legal and ethical challenges doctors and therapists face when treating addiction.
“Participating in a conference like this emphasizes the growing recognition of the importance of collaboration between the College of Law, people involved in the legal system, and people in the health sciences,” said Francis, who serves as director of the law school’s Center for Law and Biomedical Sciences (LABS).
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