Alex Kreit
Alex Kreit
Associate Professor of Law
Co-Director, Center for Criminal Law and Policy
J.D., University of Pennsylvania Law School, cum laude;
B.A., Hampshire College
Phone: (619) 961-4265

Professor Kreit is a nationally recognized expert on controlled substances and marijuana law. He is the author of the casebook Controlled Substances: Crime, Regulation, and Policy (Carolina Academic Press, 2013) and co-author of the reference book Drug Abuse and the Law Sourcebook (with Gerald F. Uelmen) (Thomson Reuters, 2013, updated annually).

 

Professor Kreit is frequently quoted in the media on drug policy and marijuana law issues, having appeared on and been quoted in news outlets including the Christian Science Monitor, the Fox News Channel, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the San Diego Union-Tribune, VICE News, and the Wall Street Journal. 

 

Before coming to Thomas Jefferson, Professor Kreit worked as an associate at Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco and clerked for the Honorable M. Blane Michael on the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Professor Kreit continues to practice law as a member of the Appellate Defenders Inc. panel, representing indigent defendants in state criminal appeals.

 

Professor Kreit is actively involved in the community. He is a member of the City of San Diego’s Ethics Commission, which is responsible for monitoring, administering, and enforcing the City’s governmental ethics laws. He also serves as President of the San Diego Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society and on the Boards of the East Village Association and Americans for Safe Access. From 2009 to 2010 he served as Chair of the City of San Diego’s Medical Marijuana Task Force.

 

Courses include:

Controlled Substances, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Adjudicatory Criminal Procedure, Evidence, and International and Comparative Drug Control.

Scholarships

BOOKS

Drug Abuse and the Law Sourcebook (with Gerald F. Gelmen) (Thomson Reuters 2013, updated annually)

Controlled Substances: Crime, Regulation, and Policy (Carolina Academic Press 2013)


ARTICLES, BOOK CHAPTERS, AND ARTICLE-LENGTH WORKS

Marijuana Legalization, Probable Cause, and Pretext Stops, __ UC DAVIS L. REV. __ (forthcoming, contribution to 2016 symposium edition)

What Will Federal Marijuana Reform Look Like?, 65 Case W. Res. L. Rev. 689 (2015)

The 2015 Federal Budget’s Medical Marijuana Provision: An ‘End to the Federal Ban on Marijuana’ or Something Less Than That?, 35 N. Ill. U. L. Rev. 537 (2015)

Controlled Substances, Uncontrolled Law, 6 Alb. Gov't L. Rev. 101 (2013)

The Federal Response to State Marijuana Legalization: Room for Compromise?, 91 Ore. L. Rev. 1029 (2013)

Reflections on Medical Marijuana Prosecutions and the Ethical Duty to Seek Justice, 89 Denv. U. L. Rev. 1027 (2013)

The Decriminalization Option: Should States Consider Moving from a Criminal to a Civil Drug Court Model?, 2010 U. Chi. Legal F. 299 (2010)

Beyond the Prohibition Debate: Thoughts on Federal Drug Laws in an Age of State Reforms, 13 Chap. L. Rev. 555 (2010)

Making Sense of Facial and As-Applied Challenges, 18 Wm. & Mary Bill Of Rts. J. 657 (2010)

Toward a Public Health Approach to Drug Policy, 3 Advance: The Journal Of The American Constitution Society Issue Groups 43 (2009)

Vicarious Criminal Liability and the Constitutional Dimension of Pinkerton, 57 Am. U. L. Rev. 585 (2008)

Rights, Rules, and Raich, 108 W. Va. L. Rev. 705 (2006)

Raich, Health Care, and the Commerce Clause, 31 Wm. Mitchell L. Rev. 957 (2005) (with Aaron Marcus) (invited symposium contribution)

Why is Congress Still Regulating Noncommercial Activity?, 28 Harv. J. L. & Pub. Pol'y 169 (2004)

Comment, The Future of Medical Marijuana: Should the States Grow Their Own?, 151 U. Pa. L. Rev. 1787 (2003) (cited in Raich v. Ashcroft, 352 F. 3d 1222. 1237 (9th Cir. 2003) Beam, J. dissenting)

Presentations

Lessons Learned: Marijuana Legalization Roundtable Discussion, University of Denver School of Law, Denver, Colorado (February 10, 2014)

Overinclusiveness and Drug Possession, The Association of American Law Schools Annual Conference, New York, New York (January 5, 2014)

Drug Truce, American Constitution Society, University of La Verne College of Law, Ontario, California (November 5, 2013)

A Discussion About the War on Drugs (dialogue with former Office of National Drug Control Policy Senior Advisor, Kevin A. Sabet), Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego, California (September 24, 2013)

Drug Truce, American Constitution Society, University of Maine School of Law, Portland, Maine (September 6, 2013)

Drug War Deserters, Alcohol and Drugs History Society Conference: Under Control?, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, England (June 23, 2013)

Drug Truce, Law & Society Association Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts (May 30, 2013)

The Federal Response to State Marijuana Legalization: Room for Compromise?, University of Oregon Law Review Symposium, University of Oregon , Eugene, Oregon (April 19, 2013)

Introductory Remarks, American Constitution Society Convening of Scholars on Marijuana Legalization and Federalism, Washington, D.C. (April 11, 2013)

Drug Truce, American Constitution Society , Columbia Law School, New York, New York (April 4, 2013)

What Happens When “Legalize It” Moves From Slogan to State Law? , American Constitution Society, NYU School of Law, New York, New York (April 4, 2013)

Foreign Policy and Drug Decriminalization, San Diego World Affairs Council , San Diego (March 21, 2013)

What Happens When “Legalize It” Moves From Slogan to State Law?, The Association of American Law Schools Annual Conference, , New Orleans, Louisiana (January 5, 2013)

Drug War Deserters, International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law Conference, Washington, D.C. (October 25, 2012)

Why Rescheduling Marijuana Will Not Solve the Conflict Between State and Federal Law, American Constitution Society, University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville, Virginia (October 15, 2012)

Drug Truce, American Constitution Society, Drexel University School of Law, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (October 8, 2012)

Student Drug Testing and the Law: An Overview, Students for Sensible Drug Policy Annual Conference, Denver, CO (March 26, 2012)

Medical Marijuana Prosecutions Under the Obama Administration, American Constitution Society, University of Idaho College of Law, Moscow, Idaho (March 25, 2012)

State Medical Marijuana Laws and the Federal Response (keynote address), Journal of Medicine and Law Symposium, Michigan State University College of Law, East Lansing, MI (February 24, 2012)

Drug Truce, American Constitution Society, University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, Michigan (February 23, 2012)

Drug Truce, American Constitution Society, University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, MI (February 23, 2012)

A Question of Integrity: Politics, Ethics, and the Supreme Court, California Common Cause, San Diego, CA (February 4, 2012)

Prosecutorial Ethics and Medical Marijuana Law, Denver Law Review Symposium on Marijuana at the Crossroads, University of Denver Sturm College of Law, Denver, CO (January 27, 2012)

Administrative Drug Courts, American Bar Association and American Association of Law Schools Reducing Reliance on Incarceration works-in-progress workshop , The Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel, Washington, D.C. (October 27, 2011)

Federal Drug Enforcement Grants and the “Corrections Free Lunch” , International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law 24th International Conference, Ottawa, Canada (August 11, 2011)

The Rule of Law and Coercive Drug Treatment: Reflections on Three Approaches, International Conference on Chinese Rule of Law, Guanghua Law School of Zhejiang University, China Rule of Law Research Institute, Hangzhou, China (May 27, 2011)

Drug Laws in Transition: Further Thoughts on Federal Drug Laws in an Age of State Reforms, David A. Clarke School of Law Symposium on the War on Drugs, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C. (March 24, 2011)

Juggalos to Phish-heads: Managing Fanatical Music Consumers, SXSW 2011, Austin, TX (March 16, 2011)

A Crime Omitted: Why Are Drug Crimes Missing From The Law School Curriculum?, Southwest/West Junior Faculty Conference, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona (March 14, 2011)

War of Weeds: A Discussion of California’s Medical Marijuana Laws, War of Weeds: A Discussion of California’s Medical Marijuana Laws, South Asian Bar Association of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (April 13, 2011)

A Crime Omitted: Why Are Drug Crimes Missing From The Law School Curriculum?, Society for American Law Teachers conference on Teaching in a Transformative Era , University of Hawaii Richard S. Richardson School of Law, Honolulu, HI (December 11, 2010)

Should California Legalize Marijuana?, Queen Bees Art and Cultural Center, San Diego, CA (October 25, 2010)

Should California Legalize Marijuana?, Association for Criminal Justice Research Fall Conference, Huntington Beach, CA (October 21, 2010)

Should California Legalize Marijuana?, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego, CA (October 20, 2010)

The Legal Implications of Proposition 19, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA (October 16, 2010)

The Legal Implications of Proposition 19, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, CA (October 15, 2010)

Should California Legalize Marijuana?, University of San Diego Trans-Border, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA (October 14, 2010)

Should California Legalize Marijuana?, Association for Criminal Justice Research Fall Conference, Rotary Club of Escondido, Escondido, CA (October 12, 2010)

Drug Crimes and Wrongful Convictions, Texas Wesleyan Law Review Exoneration Symposium, Texas Wesleyan School of Law, Fort Worth, TX (October 8, 2010)

The Legal Implications of Proposition 19, Voluntary Committee of Lawyers Forum, San Francisco, CA, August 6, 2010

The Controlled Substances Act After Forty Years, Law & Society Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, May 29, 2010

Why Hasn't the Record Industry Sued Girl Talk, SXSW 2010, Austin, TX, March 18, 2010

The Secret Agenda of the Facial and As-Applied Challenges Doctrine, Southwest/West Junior Faculty Conference, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, March 15, 2010

The Controlled Substances Act After Forty Years, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, February 24, 2010

Federalism Implications of Taxing and Regulating Marijuana in CA, University of CA Hastings College of Law, San Francisco, CA, February 22, 2010

Options for Reforming Federal Drug Laws: Moving Beyond the Legalization Debate, Chapman Law Review symposium on Drug War Madness: Policies, Borders, and Corruption, Orange, CA, January 29, 2010

Drug Policy and the Constitution, University of CA San Diego, San Diego, CA, January 12, 2010

Medical Marijuana: Patients' Rights and Access, 2009 International Drug Policy Reform Conference, Albuquerque, NM, November 12, 2009

The Economics of Addiction: Should States Consider Drug Decriminalization?, University of Chicago Legal Forum symposium on Crime, Criminal Law, and the Recession, Chicago, IL, October 24, 2009

Medical Marijuana Collectives in CA: Where Does the Law Stand?, Loyola Law American Civil Liberties Union, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, CA, October 20, 2009

Regulating Medical Marijuana in San Diego, Rotary Club of San Diego January 27, 2010; American Constitution Society and San Diego Historical Society, San Diego, CA, September 24, 2009

The Nuts and Bolts of CA Medical Marijuana Laws, National Lawyers Guild of San Diego, CA Western School of Law, San Diego, CA, September 17, 2009

From Prohibition to Regulation: Perspectives on Marijuana Policy, American Constitution Society Sacramento Lawyers Chapter Panel Discussion, Sacramento, CA, August 25, 2009

Victims or Villains?: Young People and the War on Drugs in the United States, 5th International Conference on the History of Drugs and Alcohol: The Pathways to Prohibition, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, June 28, 2009

Young People, Race and the Rise of Modern Drug Prohibition, Law & Society Association Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, May 28, 2009

Drug Testing, Drug-related Speech, and the Constitution, Students for Sensible Drug Policy Midwest Regional Conference, Ann Arbor, MI, April 5, 2009

News

  • Top Attorneys
    July 31, 2012
    The eight Thomas Jefferson School of Law professors named as "Top Attorneys" by the San Diego Daily Transcript in its annual peer voting...
  • Mayoral Forum
    April 20, 2012
    There was something for everyone at the Mayoral Candidate’s Forum at Thomas Jefferson School of Law on April 20. It had fireworks, humor,...
  • Paradise Plundered
    April 12, 2012
    An event held at Thomas Jefferson School of Law on April 10 was something like a town hall meeting - it was presented by TJSL’s Center for Law...
  • Prop 19
    October 21, 2010
    “If Proposition 19 passes, we won’t have marijuana stores on every corner,” said Danesh Tandon, one of the panelists in favor of...

Expertise

Criminal Law