Find out if there’s a runoff in your district, and check out our medical cannabis voter guide.

In South Carolina’s June 9 primary, no candidate topped 50% of the vote in three state Senate and eight state House districts. Those races head to a runoff tomorrow — Tuesday, June 23. If you live in one of the districts headed to a runoff, check out our voter guide and make a plan to vote.

The districts with runoffs are:

S.C. Senate districts: 16 (Republican), 33 (Republican), and 39 (Democrat)

S.C. House districts: 3 (Republican), 5 (Republican), 35 (Republican), 64 (Democrat), 88 (Republican), 99 (Republican), 109 (Democrat), and 115 (Democrat)

If you don’t know your districts, you can find them at SCVotes.org. SCVotes.org also provides information on your polling place and a sample ballot that lists every primary runoff you can vote on — this may include other offices, such as sheriff or county council. (The full list of runoffs, organized by county, is here.)

If you voted on June 9, you can only vote in the runoff of the party you selected for that primary. If you did not vote on June 9, you can vote in either party’s runoff. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

If you live in a district with a S.C. House or S.C. Senate runoff, check out our voter guide here to learn about the candidates’ stances on medical cannabis.

Please spread the word. These elections could be extremely close — two primary races were so close they resulted in recounts.

Thanks for your compassion!

Urge your state senator to call for a hearing and vote on S. 2535.

On Thursday, the New Jersey Assembly voted in favor (63-10, with five abstentions) of a decriminalization bill (A.1897) that would decriminalize possession, manufacture, and distribution of up to two ounces of cannabis, reducing the penalty to a $50 civil fine. The bill would also create a virtual expungement process and prohibit discrimination in lending, housing, and public accommodations for prior offenses. You can check out a full summary of the bill here.

Unfortunately, the bill that was advanced has significant loopholes that would allow for continued criminalization of marijuana users. New Jerseyans could still be arrested and incarcerated for possession of cannabis-related paraphernalia (including the container cannabis is in), being under the influence of cannabis, or failing to hand over cannabis to law enforcement.

A more comprehensive decriminalization bill (S. 2535) has also been filed in the Senate. The Senate bill would decriminalize up to one pound of cannabis, includes provisions to eliminate law enforcement’s ability to detain or arrest someone based on the smell or odor of cannabis, and prevents discrimination for past convictions in housing and public accommodations. You can read a full summary of the Senate bill here.

As the Senate bill awaits a hearing, you can amplify the need for decriminalization NOW. Ask your state senators to call for a hearing and vote on S. 2535 NOW!

Currently, simple possession of cannabis is punishable by up to six months in jail. According to an ACLU-NJ report, the number of cannabis arrests have risen over the last decade, with the latest data finding that 94 individuals are arrested every day for cannabis in New Jersey.

We know that decriminalization is a vital interim step to prevent thousands of arrests between now and when the November legalization ballot measure would take effect. You can help us advocate for a strong decriminalization bill by contacting your senator and urging them hold an immediate hearing on S. 2535. Then, please spread the word to your friends and family in New Jersey so that they, too, can raise their voices for justice.

Urge your state lawmakers to support reduced penalties for cannabis.

Good news! On Monday, the Assembly Community and Development Affairs Committee advanced a decriminalization bill in a 4-0 vote, with two abstentions. You can check out a summary of the substituted bill that advanced here.

While the bill is a step in the right direction, it has some critical shortcomings that need to be fixed. It does not decriminalize or legalize possession of marijuana-related paraphernalia, being under the influence of cannabis, or failing to hand over cannabis to law enforcement. Individuals could still be arrested and incarcerated for any of those offenses! The bill is scheduled for a critical floor vote tomorrow, Thursday, June 18.

There’s no time to waste: Ask your assembly members to work to amend, and then advance, the bill NOW.

Just last week in the state Senate, Sen. Teresa Ruiz, along with cosponsor Sen. Ronald Rice, filed S.2535 — a sweeping proposal that would decriminalize up to one pound of marijuana. S.2535 includes provisions to eliminate law enforcement’s ability to detain or arrest someone based on the smell or odor of marijuana and prevents discrimination for past convictions in housing and public accommodations. You can read full summary of the Senate bill here. Give your state senator a call to urge them to support S.2535 and to urge leadership to bring it to a vote.

It’s our hope that the Assembly bill will be amended to include necessary provisions from S.2535 before a full vote. Although the Capitol remains closed to the public, you can still make your voice heard by contacting your legislators and urging them amend A.1897.

MPP strongly believes marijuana should be legal, not just decriminalized, for all adults. But decriminalization is a vital interim step: It would prevent thousands of traumatic arrests between now and when the November legalization ballot measure would take effect.

After you raise your voice, please spread the word to other New Jerseyans.

There is no excuse for maintaining cannabis prohibition — Urge your state senator to support HB 1648!

In February, the New Hampshire House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in favor of HB 1648, the bipartisan bill that would legalize possession and limited cultivation of cannabis for adults 21 and older in New Hampshire. The bill passed with a veto-proof 236-112 majority and advanced to the Senate, which has rejected previous cannabis legalization bills. Beginning in March, the legislature paused for a few months because of COVID-19, but the Senate has now resumed its work, so it is once again time to contact senators and urge them to support HB 1648!

Please email your senator and tell them New Hampshire should not be an island of prohibition!

Unfortunately, Gov. Chris Sununu has indicated that he does not support legalization. However, even if he doesn’t evolve on the issue this year, it will be possible to override a potential veto if 16 of the state’s 24 senators can be convinced to support HB 1648. Gov. Sununu and all 24 senators will face re-election in November, so we have a great opportunity this summer to persuade these elected officials that they need to evolve on cannabis policy if they want to hold on to their seats.

A summary of HB 1648 is available here.

After you email your senator, please share this message with your family and friends.

Good news! Last week, Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a bill (HB 819) that will allow doctors to recommend medical cannabis for any medical condition the physician “considers debilitating to an individual patient” that the physician is qualified to treat. Currently, patients can only receive a recommendation for cannabis if they have a medical condition that is specifically listed.

HB 819 also adds several qualifying conditions, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, traumatic brain injury, and chronic pain associated with sickle cell anemia or fibromyalgia.

Gov. Edwards also signed a bill to protect banks serving medical cannabis businesses from state penalties (HB 211) and one to protect physicians and medical facilities involved in medical cannabis (HB 418).

All three take effect on August 1.

HB 819 was sponsored by Rep. Larry Bagley (R). Bagley had been opposed to medical cannabis until he heard from constituents who found it relieved their pain. Now, he has become a champion.

His turnaround shows the dramatic impact constituent stories can have on their lawmakers. Considering reaching out to your state legislators about other marijuana policy reforms you care about.

If you’re a medical cannabis patient who has had problems with the program — perhaps due to the limited number of medical cannabis pharmacies or the lack of access to raw, flower cannabis — you may want to let your state senator and representative know.

You can also reach out to urge your lawmakers to support decriminalization or legalization of cannabis.

Thanks for your support and compassion!

Earlier this week, South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws and New Approach South Dakota held a well-attended Zoom media availability conference that lasted for more than an hour. Participants in the call included Brendan Johnson, former U.S. Attorney for South Dakota; Chuck Parkinson, former senior Ronald Reagan and U.S. Senator Jim Abdnor staffer; Melissa Mentele, campaign manager for Initiated Measure 26; and Drey Samuelson, political director of South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, which oversees IM 26 (to legalize medical marijuana) and Amendment A (to legalize adult-use marijuana).  

Reporters from all over the state attended the press conference, as well as reporters from Politico and Cannabis Wire.

The most comprehensive article was written by veteran South Dakota reporter, Bob Mercer, who now works for KELO News. Read the article here. KELO-TV also covered the Zoom conference on their 6 p.m.and 10 p.m. news broadcasts, which you can watch here.

In his coverage, Mercer noted a key point on the relation between the two initiatives:

“Melissa Mentele of Emery is sponsor of Initiated Measure 26 that would legalize medical marijuana in South Dakota. Mentele told reporters Wednesday the constitutional amendment would provide political protection for her proposal. The Legislature can’t change the South Dakota Constitution.” 

There are many strong arguments for Amendment A, but one of the most important is the fact that it places into the South Dakota Constitution a provision that protects IM 26 from being picked apart by the South Dakota Legislature, a very real concern if Amendment A isn’t there to protect it.

Lee Strubinger represented South Dakota Public Radio and gave this audio report.

Like Mercer, Strubinger also noted Mentele’s point on how Amendment A (adult-use) protects Initiated Measure 26 from legislative tampering. Strubinger also reported on how Amendment A would decrease incarceration costs and put an end to what former U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson refers to as the state’s “over-criminalization problem” with cannabis:

“By dropping prohibition we have we will reduced the criminalization of a generation of South Dakotans,” Johnson says. “Which is in our best interests, in my view.”

Stephen Groves from South Dakota Associated Press attended and filed this report, highlighting the connections between the current movement to reform policing and the criminal justice system and the legalization of marijuana:

“The current movement to reform policing and criminal justice laws after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer may lend momentum to the campaign to legalize, said supporter Brendan Johnson, a former U.S. attorney who was appointed under President Barack Obama. “People are more conscious than ever about the concern of over-criminalization,” Johnson said. “Law enforcement priorities should be focused on significant crimes.”

Finally, Alyson Martin from Cannabis Wire was also in attendance, with a headline accurately noting that South Dakota voters could make cannabis history in November:

“I think what we’re going to see in South Dakota on this issue is really a coalition of both Democrats and Republicans coming together and [saying] prohibition does not work. It has not worked in the past. And it’s time, for the interest of our economy as well as the next generation, to get this right,” said Brendan Johnson.

Martin's entire article can be viewed here.

To learn more about the South Dakota campaigns, visit the campaign websites: South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws and New Approach South Dakota.

Ask your state lawmakers to support reduced penalties for cannabis possession.

Good news! Last week, Sen. Teresa Ruiz, along with cosponsor Sen. Ronald Rice, filed a sweeping decriminalization bill. If passed, the bill would dramatically reduce penalties for distribution and possession charges, prohibit discrimination for past convictions, and automatically expunge marijuana records. You can check out a full summary here.

Please email your state senator and assemblymember today to ask them to support decriminalization.

Earlier this year, separate decriminalization bills were filed in both the Assembly and the Senate. In January, A.1897, sponsored by Assemblyman Jamal Holley and Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly, was referred to the Assembly Judiciary Committee, and in March, S. 2101, sponsored by Sen. Ronald Rice, was introduced and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Both efforts stalled due to COVID, but in the wake of global protests surrounding the death of George Floyd, there seems to be renewed optimism for passage ahead of New Jersey’s ballot initiative this fall.

A.1897 is scheduled for a public hearing this Monday, June 15 at 10:30 a.m. before the Assembly Community Development and Affairs Committee. A full summary of the bill is available here.

Although the Capitol remains closed to the public, you can still make your voice heard on A. 1897. Click here for details.

To go the extra mile, considering calling your state assemblyperson and senator or making an appeal on Twitter or social media.

After you take action, please spread the word to others so they can also make their voices heard!

Because COVID-19 caused major delays in the signature-gathering drive, New Approach Montana — the campaign working to pass two complementary ballot initiatives to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana for adults 21 and older in Montana — is in a race against time to qualify the constitutional initiative for the November ballot!

The constitutional measure (CI 118), which would allow the minimum legal age for marijuana to be set at 21, needs just over 50,000 valid signatures to qualify. The statutory measure (SI 190), which would establish a system to regulate and tax marijuana for adults’ use and requires half the number of signatures as required for the constitutional initiative, already has enough signatures to qualify.

While the statutory measure is the actual legalization policy, the constitutional measure sets the legal age at 21. Since voters prefer 21 as the minimum legal age, the campaign must qualify both measures to maximize the chances of victory this November. If CI 118 does not pass, it is very likely that marijuana sales would be delayed by two years. 

Due to signature-gathering challenges caused by the pandemic, the campaign has made it easy to add your signature to the petition effort. If you are a Montana voter, you can download this four-page document, print, sign, and mail it in to the campaign.

The campaign also has petition circulators on the ground, who are following strict health and safety protocols to reduce the risk of spreading COVID. 

MPP staff member and Montana resident Chris Lindsey (right) helping gather signatures. 

Please help us spread the word by sharing this petition link with friends and family in Montana today! 

South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, the 2020 campaign working to pass two marijuana reform ballot initiatives this November, yesterday announced over 50 endorsements from prominent South Dakotans across the state. The endorsements come from health care professionals, former prosecutors, former elected officials, and business owners, among others. The full list can be viewed here.

The campaign also hosted a video press conference yesterday, featuring Brendan Johnson, former United States Attorney for South Dakota, and Chuck Parkinson, who served in President Reagan’s administration and as a staffer to former United States Senator Jim Abdnor.  

South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws is a statewide ballot question committee, which MPP is supporting, that is working to pass two 2020 ballot initiatives, Amendment A and Measure 26. Constitutional Amendment A would legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana for adults 21 and over and would also require the legislature to pass laws by 2022 regulating the cultivation, processing, and sale of hemp. Initiated Measure 26 would establish a medical marijuana program for patients diagnosed with one or more serious health conditions.

South Dakota will be the first state to vote on medical marijuana and adult-use legalization initiatives simultaneously.

To learn more, get involved, or make a donation to the campaign, visit the campaign's website.

Check out our primary runoff voter guide.

Thank you to everyone who voted in yesterday’s Primary Election, and to everyone who checked out our medical cannabis voter guide and spread the word!

Numerous known supporters will be advancing to the General Election. You can find the unofficial election results here and compare them to our House and Senate voter guides.

Meanwhile, in three Senate primaries and eight House primaries, no candidate received a majority. Those districts are headed to primary runoffs on Tuesday, June 23. Check out our runoff voter guide here to see if there’s a runoff in your district and to learn about candidates’ stances.

After you check out the voter guide, please spread the word. Two primary races were so close they’re headed to a recount. A relatively small number of supporters can sway an election. To have even more impact, you may want to consider volunteering for or donating to candidates you support.

And, stay tuned. We’ll be publishing another voter guide well in advance of November’s General Election.