Roger Roffman, author of Marijuana Nation: One Man's Chronicle of America Getting High: From Vietnam to Legalization, will share his insights as a long-time researcher about marijuana, its benefits and dangers, and the recent legalization in Washington state. From lobbying in Washington to talking to doctors and patients in oncology wards, and watching his own brother struggle with addiction, Roffman has experienced the layered and complex relationship Americans have with marijuana first-hand. With one foot on each side of the fence, at times feeling at odds with both camps, Roffman is on a quest to challenge those who insist we think of marijuana as a weapon of mass destruction, as well as those who would have us see it as a harmless source of pleasure and relief.

Roger Roffman is a University of Washington Professor Emeritus of Social Work. For thirty years he has studied counseling approaches for marijuana-dependent adults and children.