Back in October, the British government fired its chief drug adviser, Prof. David Nutt, for saying that marijuana is less dangerous than many legal drugs and that British laws should be changed to reflect this reality. Many other members of the United Kingdom’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs resigned in protest

Then this week, Les Iversen, a former pharmacology professor at the University of Oxford, was announced as Nutt’s interim replacement as the council’s chairman. And guess what? He’s also said that the UK’s marijuana laws should change.

British media are reporting that in 2003, Prof. Iverson gave a lecture in which he said marijuana use should no longer be criminal “because it is comparatively less dangerous than legal drugs alcohol and tobacco.” Iverson has tried to distance himself from those comments somewhat (perhaps so he too does not get fired!) but it seems evident that as a distinguished academic and scientist who has examined the evidence, Iversen—like Nutt—knows it is wrong to impose harsher penalties on those who use a safer substance.

Meanwhile, Nutt today announced the creation of his own, independent committee, which The Guardian reports “has the potential to embarrass the [British] government, due to its determination to make public the evidence on the relative risks and harms of drugs without regard to political sensitivities.”

MPP California Policy Director Aaron Smith is seen here on CBS Sacramento talking about the passage of AB390 through the California Assembly's Public Safety Committee. This event marks the first time any legislative body has approved a bill to remove all penalties for adult use of marijuana, and to tax and regulate it like alcohol. 01/12/2010

MPP Arizona spokesperson Andrew Myers discusses the initiative to put a medical marijuana bill on the ballot in 2010 with KSAZ Fox 10. This bill would allow medical marijuana patients to purchase medicine in state-licensed dispensaries. 01/14/2010

Yesterday, the California Assembly's Public Safety Committee voted 4-3 in favor of legislation that would make marijuana legal, taxed, and regulated throughout the state. Before the vote, committee members heard supportive testimony from me and the Drug Policy Alliance's Stephen Gutwillig. Not surprisingly, A.B. 390's opponents were mostly entrenched law enforcement officials who make their living waging war on marijuana consumers.

A.B. 390 isn't likely to make it further this year due to a legislative deadline, but that shouldn't diminish the historical significance of this vote. Marijuana has been illegal for nearly 100 years in California and it's no small achievement for the first proposal to reform that arcane policy to be approved by a key legislative committee.

A.B. 390's author, Asm. Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), is committed to introducing similar legislation again in the near future. And, the looming November ballot initiative is also likely to be giving California lawmakers a reason to prioritize the regulation of marijuana in California.

You can watch the full hearing here.

Yesterday, the New Jersey state legislature passed a bill allowing seriously ill patients with certain qualifying conditions to use medical marijuana with their doctor’s recommendation. Gov. Jon Corzine has said he will sign the bill into law before he leaves office Jan. 19, at which point New Jersey will become the 14^th state in the nation to stop treating sick and dying patients as criminals, simply because they try to relieve their conditions through marijuana.

This vote is the latest victory along the path to reforming our nation’s cruel and ineffective marijuana laws, but there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done. Thirty-six states have yet to pass urgently needed medical marijuana laws that would treat patients with compassion and dignity. To find out how to contact legislators in those states, click here.

Tomorrow, I’ll be testifying before the California Assembly’s Committee on Public Safety during a hearing on A.B. 390 – legislation that would remove criminal penalties for personal adult marijuana use and tax and regulate its sales comparably to alcohol. After hearing testimony, the committee is very likely to vote on this landmark bill, which has been introduced by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), the committee's chair.

Regardless of the outcome, tomorrow’s hearing will mark a historic milestone in the road toward bringing the era of prohibition to a close. This is the first time in U.S. history that any state legislative committee will be voting on making marijuana legal, taxed, and regulated – and we actually have a chance of winning!

California residents: Please take a few minutes today to call your assemblymembers in support of A.B 390. MPP’s online action center couldn’t make calling any easier: Just enter your information and you’ll be provided with a phone number for your assemblymember and a script to help guide you through your call.

MPP Director of Communications Kurt A. Gardinier appears on Press TV to discuss changing attitudes in the general public regarding marijuana and the rising support for reform of marijuana laws. Apologies for the poor video quality. 01/03/2010

Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws chairman Dave Schwartz discusses the petition to put a measure that taxes and regulates marijuana like alcohol on the Nevada ballot in 2012. This initiative would allow persons 21 and over to possess and transport up to an ounce of marijuana, and would allow for commercial sales at licensed outlets. 01/06/2010

MPP Nevada's Dave Schwartz appears on KTVN 2 CBS to speak about the benefits of taxing and regulating marijuana in N

evada and the new ballot initiative introduced to treat marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. 01/06/2010

Today, on the steps of the State Capitol Building in Carson City, Nevada, the group Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws unveiled the details of a proposed 2012 ballot initiative that would establish a taxed and regulated marijuana market in that state.

The campaign will need to collect 97,002 valid signatures by November 2010 in order to qualify for the November 2012 ballot. If the initiative were adopted, it would, in the words of NSML campaign manager Dave Schwartz, “give Nevada the best marijuana laws in the world.”

Among its specifics, the proposal would:

• Make the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana and any marijuana paraphernalia legal for adults 21 and older,
• Allow adults to purchase marijuana from approximately 120 retail stores spread throughout the state,
• Give state licenses to 50 suppliers to cultivate and distribute marijuana,
• Establish regulations for packaging and regulating marijuana that would ensure consumers know what they’re buying and that their marijuana is free of any additives or contaminants,
• And generate much-needed tax revenue for Nevada, steering the profits away from drug cartels and the criminal market and into the hands of legitimate state businesses.

The proposal would also implement restrictions to prevent abuse and make it more difficult for minors to obtain marijuana. Retail marijuana stores would be required to check customer IDs and face significant penalties for selling to minors. Penalties for driving under the influence of marijuana would be maintained.

Simply put, this is the best proposal ever for a regulated marijuana market.

Similar proposals to tax and regulate marijuana in Nevada failed to win majorities in 2002 (39% support) and 2006 (44% support), but each year more and more Nevadans are realizing the great failure of marijuana prohibition and the need for better, common sense laws, such as the one proposed today in Carson City. Let’s hope they become a majority by 2012. If that happens, Nevada can set a national example for how to lift marijuana prohibition and implement a well-constructed, regulated marijuana market.

For more information about the proposal, visit www.SensibleMarijuanaLaws.org.