Ask your lawmakers to legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis for adults 21 and older this session.

The General Assembly convened for an unprecedented legislative session today. With the coronavirus pandemic preventing legislators from meeting in person, both chambers will meet via Zoom.

There is increasing momentum for Delaware to move forward with legalization this year. Several seats were flipped in the General Assembly last November, and there are now 15 states — including Delaware’s neighbor, New Jersey — that have legalized cannabis for adults. Rep. Ed Osienski, sponsor of the 2020 legalization bill, plans to introduce a bill again this session.

Please reach out to your lawmakers today and urge them to support legalization!

Replacing cannabis prohibition with sensible regulation would reduce the number of cannabis-related arrests and police interactions, free up law enforcement resources to focus on more serious crimes, and generate a much needed new source of jobs and revenue for the state.

To help get legalization over the finish line this year, email your lawmakers and ask them to support legalization, share this action on social media, and encourage others to do the same. Stay tuned for future updates on the 2021 legalization effort.

Together, we can end prohibition in the First State!

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Write your elected officials, then call your senator’s office and urge them to support the legislation!

Last year, the Kentucky House voted 65-30 to pass the medical cannabis bill, but Senate leaders refused to give it a vote. Fortunately for patients who are suffering needlessly without safe, legal access to cannabis, Rep. Jason Nemes and other compassionate legislators have vowed to continue the fight in 2021.

Kentucky’s legislative session begins today, so now would be a great time to write your state legislators in support of medical cannabis. After you do so, please call your senator’s office and urge them to support the bill!

While you’re at it, please take a moment to call Senate President Robert Stivers’ office and tell him this legislation is urgently needed for Kentuckians who are battling serious medical conditions.

After you write your state legislators, call your senator’s office, and call Senate President Robert Stivers’ office, please share this message with your friends and family.

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Ask Gov. Murphy to sign S.21/A.21 and A.1897/4269 immediately!

Exciting news! Today, both the N.J. Senate and Assembly voted to advance two bills that would legalize possession of up to six ounces of cannabis and create the regulatory structure for adult-use sales. The Assembly passed S.21/A.21, “The NJ Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act,” in a 49-24 vote with six abstentions. The Senate passed the measure in a 23-17 vote with no abstentions.

You may recall that a constitutional amendment legalizing cannabis, which was approved by around two-thirds of New Jersey voters on Election Day, takes effect January 1. But it only allows for legalization of a regulated market, which means possession of cannabis remains illegal until Gov. Phil Murphy signs the enabling legislation.

Under the negotiated version of S.21/A.21, the number of cultivation licenses would be capped at 37 for the first 24 months after the bill’s enactment. Facilities with 2,500 square feet or less and fewer than 1,000 plants are not included in the cap. The sales tax revenue would be divided up, with 70 percent going to social justice programs and 100 percent of cultivation excise fees going to a social equity fund that would be directed to social justice reforms in communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs. The remaining 30 percent of sales tax revenue would be used to support the work of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission and for enforcement personnel training and equipment for drug recognition experts.

The excise fee, which could be imposed by the newly formed Cannabis Regulatory Commission nine months after the first recreational cannabis sales, is structured to rise as the average price of cannabis falls.

Also today, the Assembly passed an amended version of A.1897/4269. Under the amended bill, up to six ounces of cannabis and 170 grams of hashish could be possessed legally with no associated criminal or civil penalties. Additionally, the bill removes penalties for use or possession for people currently on parole or probation. The bill also eliminates the odor of cannabis as a basis to initiate a search of a person and removes cannabis-related offenses from consideration in pretrial release and detention. The Senate passed the measure last month in a 29-4 vote with no abstentions. Today, the Assembly passed the measure in a 64-12 vote with one abstention.

Both bills now head to Gov. Murphy for his signature.

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Ask your state legislators to cosponsor the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act.

On Wednesday, Sen. Tom Davis (R) and Rep. Bill Herbkersman (R) pre-filed bills that would allow seriously ill patients to use and safely access medical cannabis in South Carolina.

As Rep. Bill Herbkersman explained, “It is unacceptable that South Carolinians with serious illnesses have to break the law to alleviate their suffering. My brother [who died of cancer] deserved better. Our friends, family, and neighbors deserve the same options to medicine that are afforded to Americans in 36 other states. Waiting any longer will only add to the suffering that is experienced by those who are plagued with debilitating illnesses.”

Now is the time to let your legislators know their constituents are counting on them to do everything possible to ensure the Compassionate Care Act becomes law in 2021. Send them a message today.

If you or a loved one has a special connection to the issue — such as if you could benefit from medical cannabis or you are a medical professional — consider following up with a call to share your experience.

You can also check out a summary of the House version of the bill here, and the Senate bill here. 

It’s past time South Carolinians have the medical freedom that patients have in Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, and 32 other states. Raise your voice today to let your state legislators know that their constituents are counting on them. Then, spread the word to other compassionate South Carolinians.

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Reach out to your lawmakers today to urge them to prioritize legalization when they return to Dover in 2021.

November’s election results brought new opportunity to end cannabis prohibition in the First State. Several seats were flipped in the General Assembly, and there are now 15 states — including Delaware’s neighbor, New Jersey — that have legalized cannabis for adults.

The legislature is set to reconvene its 2021 session on January 12. Now is a great time to make sure lawmakers know their constituents want equitable legalization enacted next year.

Also, be sure to mark your calendars and join a virtual Delaware cannabis legalization panel discussion next week hosted by our allies at Delaware Cannabis Advocacy Network.

Here are the details:

When: Wednesday, December 16, 7-9 p.m. ET

Where: Zoom and Facebook Live

Featuring keynote speaker: Major Neill Franklin (Ret.), a 34-year law enforcement veteran of the Maryland State and Baltimore Police Departments and Executive Director of Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP)

For more information on the virtual event, you can contact the Delaware Cannabis Advocacy Network at (302) 404-4208 or info@delawarecannabis.org.

To help get legalization over the finish line next legislative year, please email your lawmakers and ask them to support legalization, then share this action on social media and encourage others to do the same.

Together we can end prohibition in the First State!

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Support the legal battle to defend Amendment A.

Last month, South Dakotans approved a constitutional ballot measure, Amendment A, to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older by a significant margin (54% to 46%). South Dakota also approved medical marijuana, making history as the first state to enact both policies on the same day. MPP played a major role in running the campaign.

Now, after losing at the ballot box, opponents in South Dakota have filed a lawsuit to overturn Amendment A. They argue that Amendment A violates the state’s single subject rule and “revises” South Dakota’s Constitution rather than amending it. Though both assertions are false, we have to take this lawsuit seriously. MPP is working closely with South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws (SDBML) to defeat this attempt to overturn the will of the people and undermine South Dakotans’ ballot initiative process.

We have an experienced team of attorneys and legal experts working to defend Amendment A, but the legal bills are quickly mounting.

Can you donate $10, $50, or $100 to the SDBML legal defense fund to stop our opponents from overturning a hard-fought legalization victory?

SDBML has already raised over $11,000 from small dollar donors since the lawsuit was filed on November 20. Please help us add to that total.

MPP was instrumental in passing Amendment A, and we will do whatever it takes to ensure that South Dakotans are able to move forward with implementing the marijuana legalization policy that they approved on Election Day.

Please help us win this fight.

Thank you.

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Write your state legislators today and urge them to support ending cannabis prohibition in Virginia!

Virginia made great strides on cannabis policy in 2020, and some political leaders are calling for the legislature to take the next step and pass a legalization bill in 2021. On November 16, Gov. Ralph Northam came out strongly in support of ending cannabis prohibition, saying “it’s time to legalize.”

“Our Commonwealth has an opportunity to be the first state in the South to take this step, and we will lead with a focus on equity, public health, and public safety,” Northam said.

On the same day, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) came out with a detailed study of cannabis legalization policies. Then, on November 30, a working group published detailed recommendations for legislation to be considered by the legislature in 2021.

It’s encouraging to see that the governor and many legislators want Virginia to move forward in 2021, but some elected officials still aren’t sure it is a good idea. If you live in Virginia, please write your state legislators today and urge them to support ending cannabis prohibition!

Finally, if you’d like to learn more about plans to legalize cannabis in Virginia and how you can help, our allies at Virginia NORML are hosting a series of important virtual conversations with advocates this Wednesday and Thursday, featuring speakers such as Gov. Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring. Click here to register for the event.

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President-elect Biden will soon announce his pick for the next Attorney General, and rumors are already swirling over possible candidates. For cannabis consumers and patients, as well as reformers, regulators, and members of the industry, few roles in the federal government will be more important than that of the United States Attorney General. 

The choice president-elect Biden makes will say a lot about the mindset of our next president and the role federal law enforcement will take. This is where the rubber meets the road and is a critical test of the incoming administration to make good on its commitment to end cannabis prohibition, expunge records, and move the federal government away from the failures of the war on cannabis. 

Voters today support cannabis reform by a wide margin — in red and blue states alike. The next AG should reflect that sentiment and guide us to better policy, rather than a vain and harmful attempt to rewind the clock.  

Serious criminal justice reform will not be possible until we end the war on cannabis, and voters agree. Lawmakers who care about this issue should ask serious questions of the AG candidate. Here is MPP’s list of 10 cannabis questions we think the nominee for AG should answer before a vote is taken: 

1. Would you restore the Cole memo, and how would you improve upon it? 

2. How would you limit the use of DEA cannabis interdiction in light of the 36 states with cannabis regulatory systems? 

3. What do you see as the relationship between cannabis and other drugs, if any? Does the ‘gateway theory’ have merit? 

4. What percentage of federal resources should be devoted to the reduction in cannabis use versus a reduction in the use of opioids?

5. Is cannabis more harmful than alcohol? Should penalties for use be more harsh than those for alcohol?

6. Should cannabis be on the same schedule as heroin or meth? Should it be on the schedule at all?

7. Is marijuana more harmful than marijuana prohibition?

8. Has the drug war been a success or failure, and what if anything would you do differently?

9. Do you support the release of nonviolent cannabis offenders who are currently incarcerated and the expungement of nonviolent cannabis offenses from criminal histories?

10. Would electronic banking as provided for in the SAFE Banking Act help distinguish between state-legal marijuana industry actors and the illicit market?

We were encouraged to hear statements by President-elect Biden and Vice-President-elect Harris showing support for meaningful cannabis reform. Now is the time to measure just how serious those commitments are. Stay tuned as we hear who the administration puts forth.

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Follow this link to contact your lawmaker right now and ask for a YES vote.

Lawmakers today in the House of Representatives debated the MORE Act, which is now expected to get a vote by the entire House of Representatives tomorrow. For the first time, Congress will vote on a measure to end the federal war on cannabis.

It’s a big deal. And it is a chance for you to have a direct say in the law-making process. If you haven’t already, now is the time to send a message to your lawmaker to ask for support for the MORE Act. We’ve made it easy to do — just follow this link which routes your message to your own member in the House. 

MORE would completely remove cannabis from the list of controlled substances and strike criminal possession laws at the federal level. That alone is huge, but it would also have the effect of getting better access for veterans and letting cannabis businesses use banks — just to name a few. MORE would also expunge the criminal cannabis records for those caught in the gears of the federal criminal justice system. You can read more about other key provisions in MORE here. 

Please take a moment to reach out to your member in the House so they hear from you before they vote tomorrow. Here we go, folks!

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Tune in to Regulate Connecticut on Facebook Live for an expert panel featuring an economist, retired police captain, nurse, and clergy member!

Incoming House Speaker Matt Ritter recently told the press he thinks there’s a 50/50 chance Connecticut will legalize cannabis in 2021. We need your help to put the issue over the top.

We are pleased to announce a Facebook Live community conversation on cannabis legalization and social equity this Thursday, December 3, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This legalization forum will feature a panel of experts who support legalization, followed by an audience Q&A.

This will be a great opportunity to show support and participate in the discussion.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Connecticut Legalization Forum

WHERE: Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/RegulateCT

WHEN: Thursday, December 3, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

WHO: Prof. Fred Carstensen of the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis; Capt. Lawrence Hunter (Retired, Waterbury Police Department); Rev. Tommie Jackson; Kebra Smith-Bolden, R.N.; and DeVaughn Ward, Senior Legislative Counsel, Marijuana Policy Project and Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Co-Chair

Please tune in and spread the word on Facebook and other social media.

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