Write your legislators and sign up for MRMR’s February 18 lobby day! Lawmakers convened in Saint Paul today for the first day of their 2020 legislative session. It’s the perfect time to let your legislators know you want them to help end the disastrous war on marijuana. Help create a groundswell of support: 1. Write your lawmakers. You can use our free software to email your legislators in support of replacing marijuana prohibition with legalization and regulation for adults 21 and older. 2.…

With the majority of Americans now supporting marijuana legalization, and with legalization being a key component of broader criminal justice reform — a top issue among voters — primary constituents want to hear where candidates stand on our issue. As MPP’s director of federal policies, I am currently on the ground for primary week in New Hampshire, attending campaign events and town halls all over the state and relentlessly pursuing the Democratic presidential hopefuls concerning their positions…

Urge your representatives to support S. 54! The Vermont Ways and Means Committee approved S. 54 this week in an 8-3 vote. The bill to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis sales appears likely to receive a vote in the full House within the next couple of weeks. Please contact your representatives now and ask for their support! The House has amended the bill, including by changing the tax rate to a flat 20% (in the Senate’s version, it’s 16% plus a 2% local option tax), but none of the changes are…

Focus returns to the House legalization bill and Gov. Chris Sununu — Email your legislators and call the governor! Yesterday morning, the medical cannabis home cultivation bill (SB 420) passed the Senate in a voice vote. Next, it will proceed to the House, which has passed similar bills by overwhelming margins. Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a similar bill in 2019, and the Senate was three votes short of overriding his veto, so either the governor or three senators will need to change their positions…

Support the 2020 adult-use legalization ballot campaign! It’s not an exaggeration to say that 2020 could be a game-changer for our movement. With voter referendum efforts in several conservative states underway, a serious campaign in South Dakota has already qualified an adult-use legalization initiative for the 2020 ballot, which will appear alongside a separate medical marijuana proposal. MPP staff are playing a central role in guiding the campaign, and we know that with sufficient resources to…

Ask your lawmakers to replace marijuana prohibition with sensible, equitable regulation. Today is the opening day of the Connecticut General Assembly. While last year’s efforts to end marijuana prohibition fell short, 2020 promises to be our best chance yet.During Gov. Ned Lamont’s State of the State address this afternoon, he remarked, “We just marked the 100th anniversary of prohibition. How did that work out?” He called for a coordinated regional approach to marijuana regulation to protect public…

Ask your lawmakers to support HB 550. Although Maryland decriminalized simple possession of marijuana back in 2014, thousands of Marylanders continue to have their lives derailed by possession arrests. With your help, that could change this year: Delegate Nick Mosby (D) has proposed a bill to stop many of these arrests by increasing the decriminalized amount from 10 grams to one ounce. Email your lawmakers today and ask them to support HB 550!The bill — HB 550 — is scheduled for a House Judiciary…

Urge your senator to support SB 420! Last year, the New Hampshire House and Senate passed a bill that would have allowed patients and caregivers to grow a limited supply of cannabis. Sadly, Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed the bill. The House voted to override his veto, but the Senate fell three votes short of doing so. A nearly identical bill, SB 420, passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee last week, and it is scheduled for a vote in the full Senate on Thursday, February 6. For the sake…

Contact your elected officials today and urge them to support allowing home cultivation! Eleven states have legalized cannabis for adults’ use, and Washington is one of only two that does not allow home cultivation. Fortunately, legislation is advancing in Olympia that would legalize home cultivation of up to six plants per person and 15 per household. Please contact your elected officials and urge them to support HB 1131 and SB 5155! To have an even greater impact, show up in person at the House…

Controversial host community agreements have compromised the program’s swift and equitable implementation — tell state legislators it’s time for the Cannabis Control Commission to review and regulate these agreements!There are now more than 30 cannabis retail stores operating in Massachusetts, and the state recorded over $400 million in sales in 2019. These are the first retail stores serving adults in the northeast, and we know that this is only the beginning of what will become a robust market…