A federal judge struck down a provision of Colorado’s legalization law on Tuesday, which would have required marijuana-themed magazines to be treated like pornography and sold behind the counter.

Magazine publishers and local bookstores filed a lawsuit against the state in early June, arguing that such restrictions were not in place while marijuana use was illegal.

The ruling follows last week’s statement by anti-marijuana Attorney General John Suthers that the provision is unconstitutional.

The Colorado Department of Revenue, which is in the process of setting up the law’s regulatory framework, announced that it will not enforce the provision.

Mason Tvert, MPP's communications director and a campaigner for Colorado’s 2012 referendum, said, “The idea that stores can prominently display magazines touting the joys of drinking wine and smoking cigars, yet banish those that discuss a far safer substance to behind the counter, is absolutely absurd. It is time for our elected leaders to get over their reefer madness."

In the latest issue of Nature Reviews Neuroscience, leading scientists argue that the UN conventions on drugs in the 1960s and 1970s, which outlawed drugs with psychoactive substances such as marijuana, is hindering research into potentially significant medicinal uses, estimating that research in key areas such as consciousness has been set back by decades.

Report authors Professor David Nutt and Professor David Nichols contend that the illegal status of psychoactive drugs makes it almost impossible to examine their mechanisms of action and potential therapeutic uses.

[caption id="attachment_6582" align="alignright" width="172"] Prof. David Nutt[/caption]

Nutt, a professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, stated that the ban is “motivated by politics, not science” and characterized it as "the worst case of scientific censorship since the Catholic Church banned the works of Copernicus and Galileo.”

Nutt and Nichols, a professor at UNC Chapel Hill, have called for a more rational approach to drug regulation that would empower researchers to make advancements in the field of neuroscience and uncover new treatments in areas such as depression and PTSD.

The call for reform has been endorsed by the British Neuroscience Association and the British Association for Psychopharmacology.

A recent poll found that a majority of New Jersey voters believe people who are caught with small amounts of marijuana should pay a fine, but not go to prison.

Commissioned by the Drug Policy Alliance, the poll of 604 registered voters determined that 61 percent support the elimination of criminal penalties for minor possession (under two ounces).

The poll also found that 82 percent of voters either favor, or are neutral to, politicians who advocate for reducing criminal penalties for possession.

Rosanne Scotti, the New Jersey State director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said, "More than 22,000 individuals were arrested for marijuana possession in New Jersey in 2010 at a cost of more than $125 million dollars. New Jerseyans understand that current penalties for marijuana are unfair and wasteful.”

Despite this wave of public support, NJ Gov. Chris Christie has stated that he will veto any decriminalization bill.

MPP is happy to announce that Troy Dayton will be joining our board of directors later this month! He will serve a three-year term, during which time he will help guide the overall direction of the organization. Troy will be replacing Richard Miller, Ph.D., who has served since 2010 and done an outstanding job.

Troy Dayton was one of MPP's first volunteers when MPP was founded in 1995. Since then, he has raised over $1 million to support MPP's work -- which is the second-largest sum of money that anyone has raised for MPP.

He also co-founded Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the National Cannabis Industry Association. And Troy made national headlines when he organized religious leaders to endorse MPP's ballot initiative to end marijuana prohibition in Nevada.

Troy is currently the CEO of The ArcView Group, which was the focus of a recent cover story in "Fortune" magazine. He is quoted often in major media outlets on the topic of marijuana legalization.

The final results showed that Troy secured over 75% of the popular vote from MPP’s members, with Michael Kirshner (16.8%) and Jason Fien (7.1%) placing second and third in the voting.

A proposal to let Maine voters decide if marijuana should be regulated like alcohol received near majority support Friday in a vote of the Maine House of Representatives.

[caption id="attachment_6565" align="alignright" width="219"] Rep. Diane Russell[/caption]

The proposed amendment to LD 1229, a bill introduced by Rep. Diane Russell (D-Portland) with a bipartisan group of 35 co-sponsors, was defeated 71-67. It would have placed a measure on the ballot calling on the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages, and Lottery Operations to develop rules and legislation for a legal marijuana market for adults 21 years of age or older. The proposal will now be considered in the Senate where it must receive a simple majority to be sent back to the House for reconsideration. A two-thirds majority will then be required to refer the measure to the ballot.

This is some of the highest level of support seen for such a bill in a state legislature. Recently, the Colorado legislature approved bills to establish regulations for the legal marijuana market. HB 1318 received votes of 37-27 in the House and 25-10 in the Senate. HB 1317 got 35-29 votes in the House and 32-3 in the Senate, and SB 283 was 62-3 in the House and 32-2 in the Senate.

As more and more states consider reforming their marijuana laws, we can hopefully expect the level of support to rise as more of their constituents come to see the failure of marijuana prohibition.

On Thursday, the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would make it easier for minors suffering from debilitating illnesses to procure medical marijuana.

The bill eliminates the requirement of written confirmation from a pediatrician and a psychiatrist in order for juveniles to get medical marijuana. It also calls for medical marijuana to be produced in edible form and allows more strains to be made available.

[caption id="attachment_6559" align="alignright" width="119"] Compassionate Care Foundation CEO William J. Thomas[/caption]

Also out of New Jersey, the state’s Health Department issued a permit for the second medical marijuana dispensary to begin growing its first crop. Compassionate Care Foundation Inc. will now join Greenleaf Compassion Center in bringing relief to the nearly 1,000 patients that have registered for the state’s medical marijuana program.

[caption id="attachment_6549" align="alignright" width="300"] MPP's Mason Tvert debating Attorney General Suthers in 2006[/caption]

Colorado's staunchly anti-marijuana attorney general, John Suthers, has declared that a rule created by the legislature to treat marijuana-themed publications like pornography is unconstitutional and said the state will not defend it in court. His determination came after state marijuana regulators concluded that it was not constitutional and should not be enforced.

The Associated Press reports:

The magazine requirement was part of a larger set of laws enacted to state how the newly legal drug should be grown and sold. The behind-the-counter restriction was adopted after parents testified that their children should be protected from exposure to magazines touting the drug,  which remains illegal under federal law.

The resulting law left Colorado in an unusual position — one of only two states to allow recreational use of the drug,  while also the only state to restrict the display of publications about marijuana. The state's decision to reject the magazine restriction was applauded by marijuana legalization activists.

"The idea that stores can prominently display magazines touting the joys of drinking wine and smoking cigars, yet banish those that discuss a far safer substance to behind the counter, is absolutely absurd," wrote Mason Tvert,  who campaigned for Colorado's pot law and now is spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project.

[caption id="attachment_6405" align="alignright" width="182"] Gov. Shumlin[/caption]

This afternoon, Vermont became the 15th state to decriminalize marijuana possession (two others have made it legal). Gov. Peter Shumlin, a vocal champion of sensible marijuana policies, signed H. 200 at about 1:30 p.m.

Beginning on July 1, H. 200 will eliminate Vermont’s criminal penalties for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana and replace them with civil fines for adults and generally with diversion for those under 21. Click here for details on how H. 200 will change Vermont’s penalty structure.

[caption id="attachment_6544" align="alignleft" width="180"] Attorney Gen. Sorrell[/caption]

This is a major victory for MPP and our legislative allies in Montpelier, who have worked hard to build support for this sensible reform.

The next step for Vermont policymakers will be to consider legal alternatives to the illicit market for marijuana. Attorney General William Sorrell has publicly argued in favor of decriminalizing plants, and many legislators have made the case for replacing marijuana prohibition with a taxed and regulated system.

The New Hampshire House voted yesterday to reject the Senate’s amendments to HB 573. Rather than sending the flawed Senate version of the bill to Gov. Hassan’s desk to receive her signature, the House has requested that a special committee be formed in one final effort to negotiate a compromise.

The most talked-about issue with the bill is the removal of the home cultivation provision, but there are a number of other serious concerns about the bill. Fortunately, the House has been very strong in its desire to protect patients now rather than expecting them to wait.

You can read a complete run-down on the Senate’s changes here.

[caption id="attachment_6484" align="alignright" width="180"] Gov. Hassan[/caption]

If you are a New Hampshire resident, please call Gov. Hassan’s office one more time and urge her to agree that patients should be protected in the here and now. It’s unreasonable that Gov. Hassan thinks patients should have to wait more than a year for legal protections and at least two years for access to medical marijuana.

Additionally, if you haven’t already done so, please take a moment to sign Clayton Holton’s petition at Change.org!

Yesterday, the New York Assembly overwhelmingly approved a bill to allow seriously ill patients with certain qualifying conditions to use medical marijuana with a 95-38 vote. A6357 will now go before the Senate.

Gov. Cuomo has expressed concern about the bill, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently declared medical marijuana to be a "hoax", despite the professional opinions of over 600 New York doctors to the contrary.

If you are a New York resident, please contact Gov. Cuomo and urge him to support this compassionate legislation.