[caption id="attachment_7332" align="alignright" width="160"] Rep. Edith Ajello[/caption]

State Representative Edith Ajello (D – Providence) and state Senator Josh Miller (D –Cranston) are currently reaching out to their colleagues to ask them to sign on to their proposal to replace Rhode Island’s marijuana prohibition with a system that regulates marijuana for adults’ use. If you are a Rhode Island resident, email your state representative and senator today and ask them to sign on to this bill as a cosponsor!

The Marijuana Regulation, Control, and Taxation Act is similar to the laws that voters approved in Colorado and Washington in 2012. The proposal would allow individuals 21 and older to possess and cultivate limited amounts of marijuana. It also directs the Department of Revenue to license and regulate marijuana producers and retail marijuana stores. This sensible approach to marijuana would create new industries with new jobs and raise needed revenue for the state. It would also allow law enforcement focus on more serious crimes.

MPP has posted a freshly updated guide to state medical marijuana laws that contains all the latest legal and policy changes you need to know about! The full report is available here.

[caption id="attachment_7327" align="alignright" width="237"] Rep. Ruben Gallego[/caption]

Rep. Ruben Gallego has introduced HB 2558, which would end the prohibition of marijuana in Arizona. The bill would allow adults to use, possess, and cultivate limited amounts of marijuana with no penalty, and set up a taxed and regulated market for marijuana production and sale.

If you are an Arizona resident, please urge your state legislators to support HB 2558!

Marijuana prohibition has been just as ineffective, inefficient, and problematic as alcohol prohibition. Poll after poll after poll has shown that Americans are ready for a new, more sensible approach. By regulating adult use, the state can generate much-needed revenue for the state budget, replace the underground market with regulated businesses, and allow law enforcement to focus on serious crime.

Additionally, the state can save a staggering amount of taxpayer money in the process. In 2010, there were 16,631 arrests for marijuana possession, according to statistics provided by state law enforcement to the FBI. That same year, according to recent research conducted by the ACLU, the state spent nearly $86 million enforcing marijuana possession laws. It’s time for a better approach in Arizona.

Alaska is one step closer to becoming the third state in the nation to legalize marijuana!

Tuesday, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska received word from the Division of Elections that it collected enough valid signatures to qualify for the August 2014 ballot! The lieutenant governor will certify the initiative after the remaining signatures have been counted. Once that happens, Alaskans will officially have the opportunity to vote on whether to end marijuana prohibition this August.

The Associated Press, Anchorage Daily News, and USA Today all featured stories highlighting this exciting development. Please help us spread the word about the campaign by sharing this news, especially with anyone you know in Alaska. You can also like the campaign on Facebook if you'd like to follow its progress.

The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services has finalized regulations for a single medical marijuana compassion center. Unfortunately, the pilot center will be limited to cultivating 150 plants — far too few to meet patients’ needs. MPP has submitted comments urging the department to revise the regulations to ensure a workable program. While the governor and DHHS refused to lift the cap now, there is a possibility of doing so later if and when the current regulations prove too limited.

DHHS has also issued a compassion center request for proposal (RFP) for a single compassion center. It plans to license one center to begin growing medical marijuana by July of this year. Meanwhile, the department continues to accept applications for medical marijuana ID cards, which will be required for patients seeking to obtain their medicine from a compassion center. If you are interested in reading the RFP or applying for a medical marijuana ID card, please visit the medical marijuana program's website to access the relevant application forms.

Members of Congress grilled a representative from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Tuesday at a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and slammed the office for failing to acknowledge key facts about marijuana. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) chided the drug czar's office for relying on marijuana "propaganda." Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) criticized the office for failing to address the National Institute on Drug Abuse's obstruction of research into the medical benefits of marijuana.

[caption id="attachment_7317" align="alignright" width="300"] ONDCP Deputy Director Michael Botticelli[/caption]

During his testimony regarding the Obama administration's marijuana policy, ONDCP Deputy Director Michael Botticelli refused to acknowledge that marijuana poses less potential harm to the consumer than heroin or methamphetamine.

Some of the highlights of the hearing:

Rep. Blumenauer telling Dir. Botticelli "you're part of the problem." ...

Rep. Cohen telling Dir. Botticelli to "ask Phillip Seymour Hoffman if marijuana is as dangerous as heroin." ...

Rep. Gerry Connolly pressing the witness on the fact that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol.

[caption id="attachment_7314" align="alignright" width="175"] Tommy Wells[/caption]

The D.C. Council approved Bill 20-409 (The Simple Possession of Small Quantities of Marijuana Decriminalization Amendment Act of 2013) Tuesday that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana in the District. The measure, which is sponsored by Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells and supported by eight of the council's 13 members, is expected to receive final approval at the council's next legislative session.

The measure would remove criminal penalties for possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for individuals 18 years of age and older and replace them with a civil fine of $25, similar to a parking ticket. Individuals under the age of 18 who commit a violation would also have their parents notified. The bill also removes penalties for possession of paraphernalia in conjunction with small amounts and specifies that individuals cannot be searched or detained based solely on an officer’s suspicion of marijuana possession. Currently, possession of any amount of marijuana is a criminal offense punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

The council adopted several amendments that weakened the scope of the bill, including one that would continue to criminalize public use, making the smoking of marijuana in public a misdemeanor that could lead to arrest and jail time, as opposed to a civil violation. An amendment was also passed that would make the odor of marijuana reasonable cause to perform a search of a vehicle.

At-large Council member David Grosso has introduced separate legislation that would tax and regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol.

Massachusetts’ medical marijuana law was implemented over a year ago, and now the state has granted its first 20 dispensary licenses. The Department of Public Heath received 100 applications and judged them based on proposed location and the ability of the dispensary to ensure public safety while simultaneously meeting the needs of its patients.

The law allows for 35 dispensary licenses; however, only 20 have been granted so far. More competition will mean lower prices for patients, so, the sooner the last 15 licenses are granted, the better.

The Department of Public Health recently issued proposed rules that would help establish Illinois’ medical marijuana registry and allow qualifying medical conditions to be added. While there is an official deadline of Friday, February 7 for submitting comments, staffers will continue to review comments that are submitted later.

If you have not yet provided your comments, you may do so by emailing them to DPH.MedicalCannabis@illinois.gov or by mailing them to:

Division of Medical Cannabis
Illinois Department of Public Health
535 W. Jefferson Street
Springfield, Illinois 62761-0001

ATTN: Rulemaking

The Marijuana Policy Project is concerned about the proposed cost to apply to become a qualifying patient, which is currently $150 for most people. Most state medical marijuana programs run with large surpluses and have a lower registration fee. We believe the fee should be $75. While we were pleased that the health department proposed a reduced fee of $75 for individuals receiving Social Security assistance, even that fee would be excessive. We recommend it be lowered to $25.

In addition, the proposed rules would require the department to provide notice to prospective patients and caregivers that they may lose the right to have firearms. We do not believe this notice is required under state law, nor does it accurately interpret state gun laws. Accordingly, we are asking the department to drop this statement from their proposed rules.

If you are an Illinois resident, please take a moment to review the rules and provide your comments to the department.

[caption id="attachment_7306" align="alignright" width="160"] Sen. Rchardville[/caption]

The Detroit Free Press published a story  Monday reporting that two key medical marijuana bills, HB 4271 and HB 5104, may be stalled in the Senate. Senate Government Operations Committee Chair, Randy Richardville, indicated he intends to “sit on them for a while” in his committee. Please politely and respectfully let Sen. Richardville know that Michigan’s patients need safe, reliable access to their medicine now.

If you are a Michigan resident, please take a moment to call or send an email to Senator Richardville today and voice your concern. If you have time to write a handwritten letter, it will have the most impact. You can write Sen. Richardville at: P.O. Box 30036, Lansing, MI 48909-7536.

HB 4271 would ensure patients have safe and regular access to medical marijuana by clearly protecting medical marijuana provisioning centers (dispensaries) in communities that allow and regulate them. HB 5104 would extend the protections currently in place for smoked forms of marijuana to marijuana extracts, a key ingredient in topical applications, tinctures, and other medical marijuana products. As both Senate majority leader and chair of government operations, Sen. Richardville’s support is critical.

If you are a patient in Michigan or know a patient or a medical professional who would like to know more about this issue, please email clindsey@mpp.org for more on how to get involved.