After years of work, a bill that would stop the criminalization of Vermont’s marijuana users is headed to the floor of the Vermont House of Representatives. It could get a vote as early as Friday.

[caption id="attachment_6228" align="alignleft" width="220"] VT Attorney General William Sorrell[/caption]

Over the last week, the House Judiciary Committee heard testimony on both sides of the issue. Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell, Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn, and many others testified in support, and the committee listened. Yesterday, it voted 9-2 in favor of reform.

But the opposition is making their voices heard, too. Yesterday, several police are lobbying against this modest proposal to impose a civil fine — not possible jail time — on possession of up to an ounce of marijuana. It’s vital that lawmakers hear from the 63% of Vermonters who believe police have better things to do than to arrest and book marijuana users.

If you live in Vermont, please write your lawmakers today. Politely ask them to support reducing the penalty imposed on Vermonters who possess a substance that is safer than alcohol. Then, share this message with other sensible Vermonters so that they, too, can speak out for reform.

Thousands of medical marijuana patients in the United States rely on the drug to alleviate a multitude of symptoms from cachexia to nerve pain; nevertheless, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) still considers it a Schedule I controlled substance that has no accepted medical use.

Despite this law-enforcement-agency-approved “analysis,” doctors are conducting their own research. In Israel, the Meir Medical Center is recruiting Crohn's Disease sufferers for a study on the ability of marijuana to treat the inflammatory bowel disease, which affects 400,000-600,000 North Americans.

In San Francisco, for more than five years, doctors at California Pacific Medical Center have been studying the effects of the marijuana compound cannabidiol (CBD) on metastatic cancer cells (i.e., very aggressive tumor cells).  In their recently published large-scale animal trial, brain scans revealed the disruption of tumor cells after CBD was used to switch off a specific gene regulator.

These promising results left researchers optimistic and they believe that the findings warrant human trials. They will work to secure funding in the upcoming months for two trial groups, one for brain cancer and the other for breast cancer.

Will these and other studies finally convince our government that science, not myth, should dictate how we approach marijuana?

Pennsylvania recently joined the growing list of states considering taxing and regulating marijuana like alcohol this year, when Sen. Daylin Leach (D-17) introduced SB 528. The proposal was referred to the Senate Law and Justice Committee on April 3.

[caption id="attachment_5806" align="alignright" width="220"] Sen. Leach and family[/caption]

Sen. Leach’s bill, the Regulate Marijuana Act, would allow adults 21 and over to possess, grow, process, or transport up to six marijuana plants (three or fewer being mature) and possess the marijuana produced by those plants where they were grown, provided that the growing takes place in a secure location. In addition, adults would be allowed to give away up to one ounce of marijuana to other adults who are 21 or older.

SB 528 would task the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board with licensing marijuana-related facilities and regulating the cultivation, distribution, and sale of marijuana to adults 21 and over. In terms of taxation, the bill calls on the General Assembly to enact an excise tax on marijuana sold or transferred.

If you are a Pennsylvania resident, please contact your legislators now, and ask them to support taxing and regulating marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol.

Last week, Alabama joined the growing list of states considering taxing and regulating marijuana like alcohol this year. Sponsored by Rep. Patricia Todd (D-Birmingham), HB 550 would remove all criminal penalties for possession of marijuana by adults. The proposal was referred to the House Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, but has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.

[caption id="attachment_6218" align="alignleft" width="240"] Rep. Patricia Todd[/caption]

Rep. Todd’s bill, the Alabama Cannabis and Hemp Reform Act of 2013, would allow adults 21 and over to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and cultivate up to 12 plants in a secure space. It would tax marijuana similarly to alcohol and would task the Alabama Department of Revenue with licensing retail outlets and regulating the cultivation, distribution, and sale of marijuana to adults 21 and over.

In addition to allowing a regulated and taxed marijuana industry, HB 550 would also set up a medical marijuana program. The bill would authorize the medical use of marijuana for qualifying patients who have been diagnosed with serious medical conditions by their physicians.

If you are an Alabama resident, please contact your legislators now and ask them to support HB 550!

The Burlington Free Press, the most widely circulated newspaper in Vermont, editorialized in favor of a bill that would remove the threat of jail for possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The bill, known as H.200, would remove criminal penalties for possession of up to two ounces of marijuana or two mature plants for people 21 and older. The penalties would be replaced by a civil citation and a fine.

From the Free Press:

“Given the challenges facing law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and the courts, the added burden of treating minor possession as a criminal offense no longer makes sense.

Chittenden County State’s Attorney T.J. Donvan argues the current law that treats minor possession as a criminal midemeanor can leave an impact on a person’s life out of balance with the severity of the crime.

Downgrading the weight of the crime would allow police to better focus on more urgent threats to our well being even within the world of illicit drugs.

…

With Vermont’s prosecutors and many of the state’s law enforcement officials on board, there’s no longer sufficient reason for lawmakers to stand in the way of decriminalization.”

Former NFL defensive end and linebacker Jason Taylor appeared on CNN’s inaptly named roundtable show (Get To) The Point last week, where he said some cringe worthy statements about marijuana policy reform:

“Just because the status quo is not working on law enforcement right now does that mean that, ‘You know what we can’t beat it so let’s just legalize it and do it?’ … Well you know what, it’s against the law to rob banks. If we can’t control it, just legalize it. What’s next? What’s next? I mean really, what’s next?”

Aside from equating marijuana use to robbing banks, Taylor also likened it to crack and suggested that legalizing and regulating marijuana would result in the legalization of cocaine, ecstasy, and other “crazy outside-the-box drugs.”

In another bizarre – but this time awesome – moment in sports-related news, legendary sportscaster Bob Costas named Ludacris as his favorite rapper for being the first to “name check” him and then proceeded to quote the following lyric from Luda's "Hip Hop Quotables" song:

“Now I roll up torpedoes, get blunted with rastas

For a hefty fee, I'm on your record like Bob Costas.”

On Tuesday, reported in the New Times Broward-Palm Beach, the Florida State Attorney’s office in Manatee Country dropped all charges against Cathy Jordan’s husband, Robert, once it was established that Cathy needs marijuana for medical reasons.

Law enforcement officers raided the Jordan home on February 25 after a state employee who was visiting a neighbor spotted some marijuana plants on their property. After confiscating the plants, deputies referred the case to prosecutors, listing Robert for potential cultivation charges.

Cathy, the namesake to medical marijuana legislation, the Cathy Jordan Medical Cannabis Act, has been using marijuana to alleviate her ALS-related symptoms since 1989. The bill, which would allow patients to possess up to four ounces of marijuana and grow up to eight marijuana plants, has stalled for the year in Florida’s GOP-controlled legislature.

If you are a Florida resident, please contact your lawmakers and ask them to support medical marijuana.

[caption id="attachment_6200" align="alignright" width="204"] Rep. Lang and Sen. Haine[/caption]

As Illinois lawmakers consider granting qualified patients legal access to medical marijuana, Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) and Sen. Bill Haine (D-Alton) took time to support House Bill 1 in the State Journal Register.

The two Illinoisans comprehensibly expounded on the bill’s contents, describing a heavily monitored system that could not only serve as a national model, but also raise revenue, help offset regulatory and law enforcement costs, and finance effective anti-drug campaigns.

More importantly, they reminded readers that behind House Bill 1 were real people:

Medical marijuana isn’t as much an issue of law and order as it is of basic human rights. But patients using medical marijuana should not be treated any differently from those who use prescription drugs obtained from a pharmacy. Together, these polices recognize public will, the safety concerns of our communities, and above all else, the needs of those suffering Illinois residents for whom marijuana is the best medicine in providing relief to help them manage untreatable pain in their daily lives.

We’ve come a long way, but we need your help to get over the finish line. If you live in Illinois, please ask your legislators to support medical marijuana, then send this message to your friends and ask them to do the same. Thanks!

Congratulations to Liz Wohl, this year’s adult runner-up in the Denver Post Peeps diorama and sculpture contest. Wohl’s "Peeposition 64: Peeps' Bake-Off" depicts Peeps responsibly enjoying the newly legalized marijuana in the comfort of their own home.

She says she thought about dressing her Peeps in tie-dye and dreadlocks, but "didn't want to be cliche. It's a nice house, they're in compliance — they have their six plants," says Wohl. She added a Gov. Peepenlooper to the party, complete with Goldfish crackers and Cheetos. Judges liked the topicality, details and humor of this one.

[caption id="attachment_6197" align="aligncenter" width="300"] (Photo: Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post)[/caption]

It used to be that if a celebrity were caught smoking marijuana, he or she would have to perform a whole song and dance to the tune of regret and shame. There’d be the pulled endorsements, the heartfelt public apology via print, the heartfelt public apology via talk show circuit, and the hefty donation to a drug rehabilitation center. And even after all the tears and penitence, some careers just couldn’t recover.

Luckily, more and more celebrities are refusing to apologize for using a substance that is safer than alcohol, and more sectors of society are refusing to stigmatize them for it.

With social followings in the millions, entertainers like Rihanna and Justin Bieber are in a unique position. They have a platform to educate people about the comparative dangers of marijuana versus alcohol and to reach out to elected officials to promote policy change. We can only hope that as the fear of ruined careers dissipates further, more celebrities will take advantage of that platform and help out the people who face much harsher consequences for making the safer choice: everyone else.

Some, such as Brad Pitt, have already started.