Shadow Politics, March 15, 2015
Shadow Politics with Senator Michael D. Brown and Kathleen Gomez and special guest Dr. Malik Burnett
Guest, Dr Malik Burnett
As a policy manager in Drup Policy Alliance’s office of national affairs, Dr. Malik Burnett is working to advance marijuana reform in the nation’s capital by supporting Initiative 71, a ballot measure legalizing marijuana, which is being voted on this November in addition to working with the DC City Council to develop tax and regulate legislation codify the measure into DC law. He also works to advance the broader drug policy reform agenda within the nation’s capital.
Dr. Burnett is originally from Montego Bay, Jamaica by way of Atlanta, Georgia. As a physician advocate, Dr. Burnett recently served as the executive director of a medical marijuana non-profit organization after completing a surgical internship at the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine. His passion for drug policy is rooted in eliminating the racial disparities which exist in enforcement practices, in addition to the increasing cost effectiveness of drug policy by moving from a criminal justice to a public health framework
He attended Duke University for nine years as a student, where he completed a five-year joint M.D. and M.B.A. program Duke's School of Medicine and the Fuqua School of Business, after completing a Bachelors of Science in Psychology. At Duke he has been very active advocating on behalf of students and under-served communities. Currently, he serves on the Duke University Board of Trustees, and as a graduate student served on the Student National Medical Association's National Health Policy and Legislative Action Committee and as a Health Fellow at the Aspen Institute’s Health Forum. He is also an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America.
In his spare time, Malik enjoys boxing, professional and college football, soccer, health policy, international and domestic current events, hip hop, reggae, and jazz.
Shadow Politics
Shadow Politics is a grass roots talk show giving a voice to the voiceless. For more than 200 years the people of the Nation's Capital have ironically been excluded from the national political conversation. With no voting member of either house of Congress, Washingtonians have lacked the representation they need to be equal and to have their voices heard. Shadow Politics will provide a platform for them, as well as the millions of others nationwide who feel politically disenfranchised and disconnected, to be included in a national dialog.
We need to start a new conversation in America, one that is more inclusive and diverse and one that will lead our great nation forward to meet the challenges of the 21st century. At Shadow Politics, we hope to get this conversation started by bringing Americans together to talk about issues important to them. We look forward to having you be part of the discussion so call in and join the conversation. America is calling and we're listening… Shadow Politics is about America hearing what you have to say. It's your chance to talk to an elected official who has spent more than 30 years in Washington politics. We believe that if we start a dialog and others add their voices we will create a chorus. Even if those other politicians in Washington don't hear you — Senator Brown will. He's on a mission to listen to what America has to say and use it to start a productive dialog to make our democracy stronger and more inclusive. If we are all part of the solution we can solve any problem.
