Michael F. Nias, JD, MSW, LCSW, is an Assistant Professor in the Addiction Division of the UF College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, and a senior fellow of the University of Florida Drug Policy Institute. He is the director of clinical operations and program director for child and adolescent addiction at UF Health Florida Recovery Center. He is also a faculty affiliate of the UF Levin College of Law’s Center on Children and Families. He is a licensed psychotherapist, specializing in individual, group and family psychotherapy, with more than 20 years of experience in addiction.

Nias is co-author of Weed: Family Guide to Marijuana Myths and Facts (2013, UF Department of Psychiatry). For more than 20 years he has worked with law enforcement agencies (Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, United States Customs Service) and mental health and substance abuse agencies for children and families (Child and Family Services Agency, Washington, DC; Hillcrest Children's Center, Washington, DC; Sheppard Pratt Health System, Baltimore, MD). He has provided opinion and expert testimony to the US government, state legislatures, universities and public and private agencies in the area of mental health and substance abuse for adults, children and families.

Nias earned his law degree at Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law and his Master of Social Work degree from the Smith College School for Social Work. He completed a postgraduate fellowship in Developmental Psychology at Georgetown University. He began his undergraduate studies at Cornell University then transferred to Fordham University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. While at Cornell, he captained the varsity fencing team. He lives in Gainesville, Florida.