The emerging cannabis industry — with $17 billion in sales this year — is currently troubled by a lack of racial diversity within its ranks. It is impossible to ignore the fact that members of the African American community and other racial minorities have paid a particularly high price in the war on cannabis. When the business community that follows legalization leaves behind people of color, there is cause for concern. 

Recently, equity in the cannabis industry has moved to the forefront of many legalization discussions around the United States. It became the most significant issue in passage of Illinois’ recent legalization bill, and equity remains central in the discussions in New Jersey and New York. It can include many facets — from additional points on license applications for minority-owned businesses to incubator programs that help businesses get off the ground.

Yet, the single biggest advancement in equity in the near term will come from an unlikely and perhaps even unremarkable source — access to regulated financial services. 

African Americans have access to far less wealth than their white counterparts. As a result, it has been difficult for black entrepreneurs to enter into the cannabis industry, which has relied on private equity to seed business opportunity. Opening banking services to the cannabis industry helps not only existing companies, but also minorities seeking access to that industry. 

For example, many of the specific equity policies that states are putting in place require banking services to be meaningful. In Illinois, the state’s new landmark law to legalize and regulate cannabis establishes a fund to provide tens of millions of dollars in grants and loans to social equity applicants. Yet it remains to be seen if the financial institutions that serve the state will be willing to provide the banking services necessary to implement that portion of the law. The SAFE Banking Act would create a “safe harbor” for banks that provide small business loans, which could help level the playing field and increase opportunities for diverse representation within the cannabis industry.

Additionally, the SAFE Banking Act would establish important reporting requirements that do not exist today. It would mandate an annual report to Congress on access to financial services for minority- and women-owned cannabis businesses and recommendations to expand access for them. It would also require the Comptroller General to study barriers to marketplace entry for minority- and women-owned cannabis businesses and report to Congress on recommendations.

Members of Congress should allow banks to provide financial services to cannabis businesses. This creates access to resources for minority and women entrepreneurs and increases the chances for success in state equity initiatives. The SAFE Act is the best next step toward establishing a more equitable cannabis industry in the U.S.

Steven Hawkins, Executive Director, Marijuana Policy Project

Send a quick message to your legislators to say thanks or express your disappointment.

Yesterday was an incredibly frustrating day at the N.H. State House for patients and advocates, as the effort to override Gov. Chris Sununu’s veto on the home cultivation bill fell three votes short of success. The vote was 13-11, and 16 votes would have been necessary in order to pass HB 364 into law.

A few senators told us yesterday morning that they were leaning in favor of voting for the override, but when it came time for the vote yesterday afternoon, we actually lost one senator who had voted in favor of the bill on May 2: Senator Kevin Cavanaugh (D-Manchester).

Please take a moment to find out how your representatives and senators voted this week and send a quick follow-up message!

In positive news, the House and Senate both voted to override the governor’s veto on SB 88, a bill that will eliminate the required three-month waiting period before a medical provider can certify a new patient for the therapeutic cannabis program. This bill will become law in 60 days. This article in the Union Leader covers both the success of SB 88 and the failure of HB 364.

After you follow up with your elected officials about HB 364, please share this sad news with your family and friends.

Exciting news! A newly formed political campaign, South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, has launched an effort to pass two marijuana reform ballot initiatives in South Dakota next year.

Yes, you read that right: South Dakota.

The first ballot initiative, a proposed constitutional amendment, would legalize and regulate marijuana for adults 21 and older and direct the legislature to enact laws regulating the cultivation and sale of hemp. The second ballot initiative, a proposed statutory amendment, would establish a medical marijuana law for qualifying patients.

The 2020 campaign, supported by MPP, must collect 33,921 signatures from voters by November 3 of this year to qualify the constitutional initiative for the 2020 ballot. The statutory initiative will require 16,961 voter signatures to qualify. 

Leading politicians in the state have consistently opposed marijuana policy reform, and Gov. Kristi Noem even opposes the legalization of industrial hemp. This campaign will give the voters of South Dakota the opportunity to decide these issues at the ballot box.

We will keep you informed of major developments. You also can follow the campaign and support them by signing up for email alerts on their website.

The Senate will vote TOMORROW (September 19) — please urge your senator to support overriding the veto and passing HB 364 into law!

In an overwhelming show of support for patients, the N.H. House voted 259-120 to override Gov. Chris Sununu's veto of HB 364! The Senate is expected to cast a final vote on the bill tomorrow, and if it passes there by more than two-thirds, the governor's veto will be overridden and the bill will become law.

It is critical that all 24 senators hear from us today! Please email or call your senator right now!

If you are able to visit the State House tomorrow morning to show support for HB 364, your presence would be welcome! Here are more details:

WHAT: N.H. Senate votes on veto overrides, including HB 364

WHEN: The Senate session begins at 10 a.m. You can meet me outside the Senate chamber (second floor of the State House) between 9 and 10 to get your sticker and demonstrate support for the bill as senators enter the chamber.

WHERE: State House, 107 N Main Street, Concord

If you haven't already done so, please contact your senator today and tell them home cultivation should not be a crime for patients in the "Live Free or Die" State!

Please share this link with friends and supporters: MPP.org/nhveto

Email idahocannabiscoalition@gmail.com or call (844) 432-4620 to become a signature gatherer!

The Idaho Cannabis Coalition, which filed a petition to legalize medical marijuana, has launched its campaign. They are working hard to collect signatures from voters all over the state, and you can help!

Get plugged into the campaign and become a volunteer signature gatherer by emailing idahocannabiscoalition@gmail.com or calling (844) 432-4620.

In order to qualify for the 2020 ballot, the petition needs just over 55,000 voter signatures from 18 of 35 legislative districts by April 30 next year. It's a big task, and it will require a big team to succeed. Don't sit on the sidelines! Get involved and be part of this critical effort to establish a compassionate and functional medical marijuana law in Idaho.

Please spread the word to other supporters and follow the Idaho Cannabis Coalition on Facebook to stay updated!

Contact your lawmakers today and ask them to support legalizing, taxing, and regulating cannabis for adults 21 and older!

The conversation about legalizing cannabis is picking up in the North Star State! House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler will be sponsoring legislation to legalize cannabis for adults and aims for it to pass the House of Representatives in 2020.

Before crafting the legislation, Rep. Winkler will be leading "Be Heard on Cannabis," a listening tour throughout the state where Minnesotans can weigh in on the issue this fall. Don't miss this opportunity to voice your support for sensible cannabis policy and to make your priorities heard.

Here are the upcoming known tour dates so far:

Duluth

When: Saturday, September 21, 11:00 a.m.
Where: Teatro in the Zeitgeist Arts Building, 222 East Superior Street, Duluth, MN 5580
Who: Hosted by Rep. Winkler, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections Paul Schnell, Rep. Olson, and Rep. Schultz

Minneapolis

When: Wednesday, September 25, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Minneapolis Urban League, 2100 Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55411
Who: Hosted by Rep. Winkler, Sen. Hayden, Sen. Champion, Sen. Dziedzic, Sen. Hawj, Rep. Dehn, and Rep. Lee with special guest Dr. Raj Sethuraju, Associate Professor at Metro State University

St. Cloud

When: Saturday, October 12, 1:30 p.m.
Where: St. Cloud Public Library, Mississippi Community Room, 1300 W. St. Germain Street, St. Cloud, MN 56301
Who: Hosted by Rep. Winkler, Sen. Hayden, and Rep. Wolgamott with special guest Jeremy Sankey, founder of Minnesota Veterans for Cannabis

You can also click here to take a survey to share your thoughts, sign up for updates, and learn more about "Be Heard on Cannabis."

In other encouraging news, Gov. Walz is asking his agencies to prepare for legalization. Still, the measure could face a hurdle in the Senate, as Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said, "it's dead as far as I'm concerned in the Senate for next year." Even passing the House in 2020 would represent tremendous progress, moving Minnesota leaps and bounds closer to the end of cannabis prohibition.

It's important lawmakers hear from supporters like you. Please consider attending a listening session near you, and email your lawmakers today. Then, share this message with your friends and family in Minnesota.

Urge your state senator to support overriding the veto and passing HB 364 into law!

Patients have expressed dissatisfaction with New Hampshire's therapeutic cannabis program from the outset, so it should come as no great surprise that the program has flunked a legislative performance audit. On Sunday, the Union Leader reported that the medical cannabis program received a "failing grade," in part because "nearly 100% of patients fail to receive cards... within a mandated time frame."

The opponents of allowing home cultivation have frequently argued that the state's medical cannabis program is fine the way it is, but the performance audit tells a very different story. Please contact state legislators today and tell them patients in the "Live Free or Die" state deserve better — improvements are urgently needed, and they should start by overriding the governor's veto on HB 364!

The bill, which would allow registered patients and caregivers to possess up to three mature plants, three immature plants, and 12 seedlings per patient, passed the Senate 14-10 on May 2. However, since HB 364 was vetoed by Gov. Chris Sununu, two additional Senate votes will be needed in order to pass the bill into law.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote in favor of overriding the veto on Wednesday, September 18. Assuming that happens, the bill will proceed to the Senate for a final vote. We're committed to fighting for every vote we can get in the legislature and passing this bill into law.

Please share this link with friends and supporters: MPP.org/nhveto

Also, legalization advocates will debate prohibitionists this Wednesday, August 21 at 7 p.m. in Moultonborough!

The N.H. House is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, September 18 to vote on veto overrides, including HB 364, the bill that would allow limited home cultivation for patients. If the House votes to override the governor's veto and pass HB 364, the bill will proceed to the Senate for a final vote.

We're committed to fighting for every vote we can get in the legislature and passing this bill into law. To that end, I'm pleased to report that we found the designs from our 2009 N.H. Compassion campaign and updated them for current use.

Although the 2009 campaign tragically fell two votes short of success when Gov. Lynch's veto was sustained in the Senate after being overridden by the House, the patients who fought for that bill seemed to be fans of this design. Many of those patients are no longer with us, and I feel that "bringing back the heart" and using it for online ads and other materials would be a good way to honor their memories.

Please help us "bring back the heart" by making a donation to MPP's veto override effort today! We need to pick up two more Senate votes, but there are several votes in play.

If you haven't already done so, please contact your representatives and senator and urge them to support passing HB 364 into law!

Finally, in case you thought the legalization debate was dead until 2020, I'm pleased to report that former Rep. Ted Wright and I will be discussing the pros and cons of legalization with two opponents, including Sen. Bob Giuda, on a panel this Wednesday, August 21 at the Moultonborough Public Library, beginning at 7 p.m.

Please share this important news with your family and friends!

Little Rock City Board Member Ken Richardson is proposing to make marijuana arrests the lowest possible police priority. This measure — which would effectively reduce marijuana possession to a citation — will save court and law enforcement resources while not needlessly punishing adults with jail time.

While attitudes on marijuana policy are changing all over the country, we can't rest now. In fact, Little Rock voted down a similar ordinance last year!

To find your Ward Director, please click here. Be sure to reach out to them before the meeting and let them know you support this proposed ordinance. (If Richardson is your board member, you can thank him for his leadership.)

Here are a couple of points you can make in support:

* Please support Board Member Richardson's proposal to cite, not jail, people for marijuana possession. Incarceration is a traumatic, disproportionate penalty for possessing marijuana.

* This measure would allow law enforcement to spend more time on crimes with victims, instead of wasting their time booking individuals for using a substance most Americans think should be legal.

You can also show up in person to demonstrate your support for this important measure:

What: Little Rock Board of Directors meeting

When: Tuesday, August 20 at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Little Rock City Hall, 500 West Markham Street, Board of Directors' Chambers, 2nd floor

The city will vote on this next week and needs to hear from constituents beforehand. Reach out to your city board member today. If you or anyone you know is a resident of Little Rock, please let them know about the meeting and forward this email to them.

On July 31, Gov. John Carney signed a bill into law that expands decriminalization for cannabis possession of one ounce or less to those under 21. The law became effective upon the governor's signature.

This important legislation will save young adults from life-altering criminal convictions, which can close the door on opportunities including jobs, housing, and higher education. For more information on Delaware's decriminalization law, check out our summary here.

In other news, the adult-use legalization bill, HB 110, will pick up where it left off in the House Appropriations Committee in 2020. You can read our summary of HB 110 here.

Please ask your representative to support HB 110 to end cannabis prohibition and replace it with a system where cannabis is regulated similarly to alcohol.