Learn more and get tickets!

MPP is proud to be an official advocacy partner of the 6th Annual National Cannabis Festival (NCF), and we're excited to be joining in the festivities on Saturday, April 23 in Washington, D.C.!

Please join us as we celebrate progress toward ending cannabis prohibition with a day of education, advocacy, music, fellowship, and fun! Wiz Khalifa will headline this year's concert, along with performances from Lettuce, Ghostface Killah, Backyard Band, Dupont Brass, and more. Get tickets here.

MPP President and CEO Toi Hutchinson will be speaking on a panel — The Evolution of the Cannabis Reform Community — in the Culture Pavilion at 4:15 p.m. The discussion will center on the changing cannabis industry, how cannabis reform is tied to other national movements for justice, and how allied organizations can work together to continue to advance cannabis reform and justice for all. MPP’s Manager of Development Alex Langer will moderate the session.

Before that, Toi will also be moderating another panel — In Conversation: Gary Chambers & Doug Gansler — at 2:30 p.m. in the Culture Pavilion, where the focus will be on two pro-legalization candidates, Gary Chambers (candidate for U.S. Senate, Louisiana) and Doug Gansler (Gubernatorial candidate, Maryland). It should be an interesting discussion!

In addition, Toi will be offering the introduction for a special message from Congressman Dave Joyce (OH) at the National Cannabis Policy Summit on Friday, April 22 at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center in D.C. Rep. Joyce is co-chair of the Cannabis Caucus and an ally who is dedicated to the swift and responsible end of cannabis prohibition.

Last, but not least, MPP will have a booth at NCF in the Advocacy Area, so please stop by to say hello! We’ll have MPP merch available, and we can tell you all about the work we’re doing on a daily basis to end cannabis prohibition across the country. 

We hope to see you at NCF!

Ask your state senator to support legalization.

Great news! For the first time ever, legalization has passed a New Hampshire Senate committee and is headed to the Senate floor! This morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed HB 629 in a 3-2 vote. HB 629 already passed the House and is now headed to the full Senate.

Ask your state senator to vote “yes” on HB 629, which would legalize simple possession and home cultivation of cannabis. (Check out our summary for more details.)

Meanwhile, New Hampshire State Rep. Daryl Abbas’ bill (HB 1598) to legalize cannabis but create a state-run cannabis monopoly will receive a hearing in the Senate Ways and Means Committee next Wednesday. Unlike HB 629, HB 1598 does not include home cultivation.

Rep. Abbas’ model for legal sales is almost surely unworkable due to federal law. Requiring state workers to commit federal felonies is preempted (or nullified).

MPP is encouraging the committee to amend HB 1598 in a number of ways — including to at least create a “Plan B” with automatic licensing of privately run retailers in the event that state-run stores don’t get off the ground.

What: Senate Ways and Means Committee hearing on HB 1598, the state-run stores legalization bill

Where: Room 100, State House, 107 N Main St, Concord, NH 03303

When: Wednesday, April 20 at 9:00 a.m.

If you’re not comfortable attending in person but want to make your voice heard on this bill, you can email comments to the committee.

And don’t forget to write your senator to express your support for HB 629. Then, spread the word to other Granite Staters, so they, too, can raise their voices to encourage the state to live up to its “Live Free or Die” motto.

Email your lawmakers today and ask them to legalize cannabis for adults this year!

Today, two separate cannabis legalization bills were passed in committee!

HB 371, which would simply legalize possession of up to one ounce of cannabis for adults 21 and older, was approved by the House Health and Human Development Committee.

HB 372, which would regulate and tax cannabis sales for adults in Delaware, was approved by the House Revenue and Finance Committee.

Please reach out to your lawmakers today and urge them to end cannabis prohibition in Delaware this year!

Next, HB 372 must be considered by the House Appropriations Committee before heading to the House floor. Because it has no fees or taxes, HB 371 should head straight to the floor. It only requires a simple majority of 21 votes to clear the House, while HB 372 will require a supermajority of 25 votes.

By passing both HB 371 and HB 372 this year, Delaware can reduce the number of cannabis-related arrests and police interactions, free up law enforcement resources to focus on more serious crimes, and generate a new revenue source for the state.

A strong majority of Delawareans support legalization, but the legislature must act to bring this important policy change to Delaware. Ask your lawmakers to stand with a majority of Delawareans and legalize cannabis for adults this year.

Stay tuned for future updates!

As the legislature sets to adjourn its 2022 legislative session at midnight tonight, cannabis policy reform has crossed the finish line!

On Friday, Gov. Hogan (R) announced that he would let HB 837, “Cannabis Reform,” become law without his signature. As you may recall, the legislature already passed HB 1 — which will refer the question of legalization to voters on the November ballot.

The question that HB 1 lays out to appear on the ballot is: 

“Do you favor the legalization of the use of cannabis by an individual who is at least 21 years of age on or after July 1, 2023, in the State of Maryland?”

If voters approve HB 1 on the ballot, HB 837 will allow residents 21 and older to legally possess up to 1.5 ounces and cultivate up to two plants beginning July 1, 2023. The bill also includes limited expungement, funding for minority- and women-owned businesses, and a community reinvestment and repair fund.

You can check out our summary of the bill here.

Thank you to the lawmakers, advocates, and residents across the state who helped to achieve this big step to finally end cannabis prohibition in the Free State!

We look forward to continuing to work to bring equitable legalization to Marylanders.

Follow New Approach North Dakota and support their effort to legalize cannabis!

Earlier today, a committee of 25 North Dakotans filed a 2022 ballot initiative petition to legalize cannabis. After a review by the Secretary of State and Attorney General, New Approach North Dakota will begin collecting signatures from voters. The campaign must gather more than 15,582 valid signatures by July 11 to qualify the measure for the November 2022 ballot.

If approved by a majority of voters later this year, the measure would:

• Allow adults 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of cannabis and cultivate up to three plants in their homes;
• Establish retail cannabis stores, product manufacturers, testing laboratories, and other types of cannabis businesses; and
• Direct regulators to establish rules and implement the adult-use cannabis program by October 1, 2023. 

The full text of the initiative language can be found at www.NewApproachND.org/measure.

If you live in North Dakota, please get involved as a volunteer. The campaign will also be hiring full-time and part-time petition circulators. Potential applicants are encouraged to apply through the campaign’s website.

Be sure to sign up for email alerts on the New Approach North Dakota website to follow their progress. And if you have friends or family in North Dakota, please forward this email to them!

Ask your lawmakers to make 2022 the year Delaware legalizes cannabis for adults!

Good news! The effort to legalize cannabis for adults in Delaware this year is not over.

After a comprehensive legalization bill — HB 305 — failed to get a three-fifths supermajority on the House floor in March, Rep. Ed Osienski (D) has taken a new two-track approach and introduced two separate cannabis bills — HB 371 and HB 372.

HB 371 would simply legalize possession of up to one ounce of cannabis for adults 21 and older. Because it has no fees or taxes, HB 371 only requires a simple majority of 21 votes. Notably, it has 21 cosponsors.

HB 372, which is largely identical to HB 305, would regulate and tax adult-use sales. Because it has taxes and fees, HB 372 would still need the three-fifths supermajority to pass. Encouragingly, some members may be more likely to vote to legalize regulated sales once possession has been legalized.

Please reach out to your lawmakers today and urge them to end cannabis prohibition in Delaware this year!

The new legalization bills have already been scheduled for committee hearings this coming Wednesday, April 13. Please consider making your voice heard at the hearing by providing written or oral testimony.

HB 371 (legalizing possession) is scheduled to be heard by the House Health and Human Development Committee on Wednesday, April 13 at 11 a.m., while HB 372 (regulating and taxing sales) is scheduled to be heard the same day by the House Revenue and Finance Committee at 1 p.m.

The public may provide public comment for the hearings by attending in-person at Legislative Hall (411 Legislative Avenue, Dover, DE 19901). Oral testimony will be limited to two minutes. Written comments can be submitted ahead of the hearings to HouseCommitteeComment@delaware.gov.

A strong majority of Delawareans support legalization. Help make sure legalization crosses the finish line this session by providing testimony at the upcoming hearing and emailing your lawmakers in support of legalizing and regulating cannabis for adults!

Together, we can end prohibition in the First State!

Email and call your representative and urge them to vote YES on S. 150 in the final vote!

This afternoon, the South Carolina House of Representatives’ 3M Committee passed Sen. Tom Davis’ medical cannabis bill, S. 150 — The Compassionate Care Act — in a 15-3 vote! After seven long years, S. 150 is finally headed to the House floor! The Senate already passed the bill in February.

It’s time to double down on our efforts to make sure it gets past the finish line.

Here’s what we need from you:

• Email your state representative to ask them to vote “yes” on S. 150. Then, follow up with a call. (Our call script and pointers make it easy.)
• Spread the word to friends and family on social media, and rally them to email their reps.

Too many have fought for years, and we are now in the final stretch to full House passage. Our opponents will be doing everything in their power to defeat this historic legislation — including proposing 1,000 amendments to try to slow down the process. So, we must do everything in our power to make sure S. 150 gets final passage in the South Carolina House of Representatives.

Let your representative know you support allowing the medical freedom that safe, legal access to medical cannabis brings to patients with debilitating conditions. You can read our summary of the bill here.

Together, we can make the idea of a medical cannabis program a reality here in South Carolina. Please have your friends and family around South Carolina have their voices heard! It is up to us to show S.C. representatives that we want the freedom this bill gives patients and doctors to make their own medical decisions.

Urge your senator to support HB 629!

Cannabis legalization is being considered in the Senate this week! Earlier this year, the House passed HB 629 — legislation to legalize possession and limited home cultivation of cannabis for adults 21 and older.

Now, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 629 this Thursday (April 7) beginning at 9 a.m. You can indicate your support for this important legislation and testify in support on Thursday.

If you’re able to visit the State House in person, the hearing will take place in Room 100. There will be a sign-in sheet where you can indicate your position on the bill and (optionally) sign up to testify.

If you’re signing in remotely, here are the steps:

1. Visit this page and select Thursday, April 7 on the calendar.
2. For “Select the Committee,” choose “Senate Judiciary” from the drop-down box.
3. Under “Choose the Bill,” select “9:00 am - HB 629.”
4. For “I am,” select “a member of the public” representing “myself.”
5. Click the bubble to indicate your position on the bill and submit the form.
6. Enter your name, email, and town on the next page and click “continue” to complete the process.

Please email your senator in support of HB 629 ahead of Thursdays hearing! You can check out our summary of the bill here.

In other news, a separate poison pill legalization bill, HB 1598, passed the House last week by a margin of 169-155. It has not yet been scheduled for a hearing in the Senate. The bill would only allow state-run stores to distribute cannabis, which is preempted by federal law. If you agree that HB 1598 is the wrong way to legalize, you can send your senator a message here.

Thanks for your commitment to sensible cannabis policy! After you email your senator today, please forward this message to your networks and encourage them to do the same.

Call Governor Hogan today and ask that he sign HB 837!

It’s been a busy week for cannabis policy reform in Annapolis! The legislature has approved HB 1 — which will refer the question of legalization to voters on the November ballot. Marylanders have long supported legalizing cannabis for adults, and this fall they will have the opportunity to weigh in to end cannabis prohibition in the Free State.

The legislature also approved HB 837 — legislation that would take effect if voters approve legalization. HB 837 would allow residents 21 and older to legally possess up to 1.5 ounces and cultivate up to two plants beginning July 1, 2023. The bills also include limited expungement, funding for minority- and women-owned businesses, and a community reinvestment and repair fund — that would be contingent on voter approval of HB 1.

You can check out our summary of the bills here.

The companion legislation now heads to Gov. Larry Hogan’s desk, where he can sign it into law, let it became law without his signature, or veto the legislation. Call the governor now and ask that he sign HB 837 into law!

Encouragingly, the bills passed with a veto-proof majority (92-37 in the House and 30-15 in the Senate). If the governor vetoed HB 837, there should still be time left in session for the legislature to override a veto before they adjourn on April 11.

Ask Gov. Hogan to stand with the majority of Marylanders and sign HB 837 into law!

Thank you to everyone who helped achieve this historic victory today! Maryland has taken a big step to finally end cannabis prohibition.

Bills that will allow reciprocity for out-of-state medical patients and medical paraphernalia to be heard next week!

Two bills will be heard in the House Committee Administration of Criminal Justice on Wednesday, April 6. Both bills are very important to making our medical program just and functional.

HB 137 would provide protection from prosecution for visiting qualified medical patients. Our family members and the millions of tourists who visit our state every year undoubtedly include tens of thousands of medical patients. They should not face criminal prosecution in the Pelican State for the use of their medicine. You can support visiting medical patients here.

HB 775 would remove paraphernalia used for therapeutic reasons from the definition of drug paraphernalia. Last year, the legislature legalized cannabis in its natural form and patients need not fear prosecution for items used to administer that cannabis. Let your legislators know that patients need access to methods of delivery for their medical cannabis.

Despite our best efforts and those of our allies, HB 700, which increases penalties for small amounts of cannabis for people under 18, last week was passed favorably (11-3) to the House for consideration. On Tuesday, April 5, the bill will get a vote in the House. You can let your legislators know you do not support incarceration for cannabis possession for any Louisianan.

Now is the time to engage your legislators. As the session kicks into high gear, they need to hear from constituents. Pressure from constituents is the best method to get your legislators to support cannabis reform in Louisiana.

We will alert you this session as cannabis bills continue to be heard in the legislature. You can view a synopsis of pending legislation here. Be sure to share this with your friends and families in Louisiana!