Take action to support HB 106 and HB 143!

Wyoming is one of just a few states that continues to criminalize adults and patients for possessing and using cannabis. 

Lawmakers recently introduced two proposals that would change that. HB 106 would decriminalize small amounts of cannabis for adults, while HB 143 would establish a medical cannabis program for patients with serious health conditions in the state. Both bills would reduce senseless arrests for cannabis and make Wyoming a more just state to live in.

These bills will be considered soon — please contact your state representative now and ask them to support these important reforms. 

It’s crucial that your state representative hears from you on these important issues. Public opinion surveys show that both of these issues are overwhelmingly backed by voters, but if your lawmakers don’t hear from constituents, it won’t be a priority for them. 

Please forward this email to others who support sensible cannabis policy reform and ask them to take action too. Thank you for being part of the movement to end the failed war on cannabis.

Ask your lawmakers to support HB 305!

Exciting news! Today, the House Appropriations Committee approved HB 305 — a bill to legalize and regulate cannabis for adults in Delaware. As you may recall, the House Health and Human Development Committee had already approved the bill in late January. Now, the legislation is cleared for a vote by the full House of Representatives.

Email your representative today and ask them to vote YES on HB 305!

The bill needs to receive a supermajority (25 votes) to clear the House. It’s more important than ever that your lawmakers hear from you — ask them to legalize cannabis this year by voting YES on HB 305!

HB 305 is the just, equitable cannabis policy that Delawareans deserve. It would legalize possession of up to one ounce of cannabis for adults 21 and older, promote equity and inclusion in the legal industry from communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition, and reinvest a portion of tax revenue into those communities through a Justice Reinvestment Fund. You can check out our full summary of HB 305 here.

A strong majority of Delawareans support legalization. Ask your state representative to listen to their constituents and vote YES on HB 305! Please help us spread the word by forwarding this message to your friends and family in Delaware to help get HB 305 past the finish line. 

Ask your state legislators to advocate to amend HB 1598.

Yesterday, the N.H. House of Representatives voted 235-119 to pass HB 1598, which would legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older and create a state-run monopoly to sell cannabis. It would not allow home cultivation. The bill was referred to the House Finance Committee and will get another House floor vote before heading to the Senate.

Unfortunately, HB 1598 is simply not workable due to federal law. States can license and regulate private cannabis businesses, but they cannot direct their own workers to break federal law by selling cannabis. Doing so creates a “direct and positive conflict” and is preempted.

Please let your state legislators know there’s a better way to legalize — the approach all 18 states have taken. Then, spread the word to others in New Hampshire.

You can also check out former MPP New England Political Director Matt Simon’s op-ed raising other concerns about a state monopoly on cannabis distribution.

Ask your legislators to stop jailing cannabis consumers.

While cannabis policy reform is sweeping the country, Alabama remains one of only 19 states that still imposes jail time for simple possession of cannabis. SB 160, which takes jail off the table and allows for expungements, has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and will next head to the Senate floor! Now is the perfect time to let your elected officials know you want them to catch up with the times.

Ask your legislators to support decriminalizing cannabis in Alabama!

Polling shows that 63% of Alabama voters support legalizing cannabis for adult use. Surely the margin is even stronger for decriminalization. Still, the legislature must act in order to bring about this long overdue policy change.

Thousands of people are arrested each year for cannabis possession in Alabama! Black Alabamians are 4.1 times more likely to be arrested than white individuals, and in Dekalb County, the disparity is 45 times more likely for a Black resident to be arrested, the second highest disparity in the nation. The legislature must act in order to bring this long overdue policy change to the Yellowhammer State.

After you reach out to your lawmakers, be sure to share this message with your friends and family in Alabama and encourage them to do the same!

Ask your state rep to advocate to amend HB 1598.

The N.H. House of Representatives has voted to legalize cannabis three times since 2019. Sadly, the Senate has killed every attempt so far. Tomorrow, the House will vote on legalization once again, but this time there’s a twist. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Daryl Abbas (R), an opponent of previous legalization bills, and it includes a poison pill: state-run stores.

While there are several policy reasons why some might support or oppose a state monopoly on cannabis sales, as long as federal law prohibits cannabis, it’s a non-starter. We need your help to talk reps out of this wayward approach.

Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, medical cannabis and legalization laws aren’t preempted unless there’s a direct and positive conflict. Requiring state employees to sell cannabis creates that direct conflict: An employee cannot comply with both state law (requiring them to sell cannabis) and federal law (prohibiting it).  

Utah abandoned a similar plan to have the state distribute medical cannabis after county attorneys advised it would require staff to commit federal felonies. Licensing and regulating private businesses doesn’t create the same legal issue, and Utah, New Hampshire, and 35 other medical cannabis states are doing just that.

Let your legislators know you support legalization, but you want them to pass a law that actually works.

You can also check out former MPP New England Political Director Matt Simon’s op-ed with other arguments against state-run stores.

Please let your state reps know you want them to legalize cannabis the right way. Then, spread the word to others in New Hampshire.

Please email the senators below to let them know you oppose LB 1275.

Opponents of medical cannabis are attempting to undermine the 2022 ballot campaign led by Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana. We need your help to stop them.

Last month, medical cannabis advocates pointed out in the Lincoln Journal Star that LB 1275 is a “poison pill” bill, a medical cannabis bill with no cannabis. The fact that the proposal has received praise from SAM — a lobbying group that has fought for years against medical cannabis — tells you all you need to know: LB 1275 is NOT a true medical cannabis bill. 

LB 1275 is designed to be a stumbling block for the 2022 ballot initiative campaign. We need you to take action right now to help us defeat this bill.

Please send a short email to each of the state senators below (the list includes the sponsor of LB 1275 and members of the Judiciary Committee). Your message should be clear, polite, and only 2-5 sentences long.

• Sen. Lathrop: slathrop@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Pansing-Brooks: ppansingbrooks@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Brandt: tbrandt@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. DeBoer: wdeboer@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Geist: sgeist@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. McKinney: tmckinney@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Slama: jslama@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Groene: mgroene@leg.ne.gov

You can read the full text of LB 1275 here. The Marijuana Policy Project has provided a summary here. Suggested points to make in your email:

• LB 1275 is an attempt to undermine the 2022 ballot initiative effort for medical cannabis. The state legislature has had years to act and has failed to do so. The voters of Nebraska deserve a chance to enact the policy they want.
• Despite being labeled a “medical cannabis bill,” LB 1275 would not create access to medical cannabis for anyone in Nebraska.
• Even if the bill is amended to provide for the production of medical cannabis in the state, the provisions are far too strict. Healthcare practitioners will be discouraged from participating, and the vast majority of patients who need access to medical cannabis will not be allowed to participate in the program envisioned by LB 1275.

Thank you for taking action. We need to send a clear message to state senators that LB 1275 is not supported by the medical cannabis community. Please forward this message to others and share the word on social media so others can take action, too.

And if you haven’t signed up to support Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, please visit the campaign website to get involved.

Ask your lawmakers to legalize cannabis in 2022 without delay!

As the cannabis legalization effort begins to pick up in the House, we’re hosting virtual lobby days next Wednesday and Thursday for constituents to meet with their lawmakers and let them know this issue is important to them.

Lobby days will start at 8 a.m. on both Wednesday, February 16 and Thursday, February 17. If you're available to join a meeting with lawmakers for any length of time during these lobby days, please register here. We'll follow up to confirm what time(s) you're available.

It’s important your lawmakers hear from you! Don’t miss this opportunity to meet with them and raise your voice in support of equitable legalization. You can check out some tips for lobbying on cannabis legalization here.

As a reminder, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hear both HB 1 and HB 837 — companion legislation to refer the question of legalization to voters on the November ballot — on Monday, February 14 at 10 a.m. The hearing is virtual, and you can tune in on the legislature’s website.

You can check out our summary of HB 837 here. While we’re encouraged the House is prioritizing legalization and implementation, we’re urging the legislature to strengthen the bills. Sharing, home cultivation, and making brownies at home would remain jailable offenses, and possession wouldn’t become legal until a year from July. You can also check out our suggestions to improve HB 837 here to help us advocate for these changes at lobby days. 

Be sure to reach out to your lawmakers in support of equitable legalization before the hearing, and we hope to see you at our lobby days next week.

Together, we can end cannabis prohibition in Maryland!

Urge your U.S. Senators and member of Congress to keep SAFE Banking in the final version of the America COMPETES Act!

Late last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed provisions of the SAFE Banking Act as part of the America COMPETES Act, marking the sixth time cannabis banking legislation has been approved by the chamber.

Because the Senate already passed its own version of the COMPETES Act without cannabis banking language included, there will be negotiations to decide the fate of the banking provisions in the large-scale legislation.

Please take a moment to urge Congress to keep SAFE Banking in the final version of the COMPETES Act.

Lack of access to banking is a serious barrier for state-legal cannabis businesses across the country. It keeps prices high for patients and consumers, hinders social equity efforts, and, due to the cash-only manner of operations, creates risks for workers and communities.

Eighteen states, and the District of Columbia, have now legalized adult-use cannabis, and more states are going to be moving forward with similar legislation. How long will federal lawmakers ignore this issue?

Ask Congress to support retaining basic banking protections for state-licensed cannabis businesses in the COMPETES Act.

The federal government’s failure to pass meaningful banking reform harms the entire cannabis industry, but it disproportionately hurts small-business entrepreneurs, many of which are social equity- and minority-owned companies. Passing cannabis banking reform is a key step toward dismantling federal cannabis prohibition. Please let your federal lawmakers know you want to see SAFE Banking in the COMPETES Act.

Urge your representative to support the S.C. Compassionate Care Act!

In an historic vote yesterday, the South Carolina Senate voted 28-15 on second reading and today passed on third reading by a voice vote for final passage S. 150, The South Carolina Compassionate Care Act. This act will alleviate the suffering of thousands of South Carolinians with debilitating conditions by providing safe and legal access to medical cannabis.

Urge your state representative to support this legislation!

Sen. Tom Davis has led the fight for seven years and has tenaciously defended the bill on the Senate floor. The final legislation is one all South Carolinians can be proud of. The proposed program will meet the needs of patients as well as senators who voiced concerns over the bill.

You can read our summary of the bill here. The bill will next need to be heard in House committee.

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

Let your senators know what you think of their votes on medical cannabis!

After seven long years, Sen. Tom Davis’ medical cannabis bill, S. 150 — The Compassionate Care Act — got its first vote (28-15) in the Senate on second reading today! A final Senate vote (“third reading”) could happen as soon as tomorrow. You can thank your senator for their YES vote or ask them to change their NO vote to a YES for final passage.

Our automated system will load the appropriate, editable letter after you type in your address — with a “thank you” letter for YES votes and a “please reconsider" note for NO votes.

This legislation has been a long time coming. It has only made it this far due to the diligence and tenacity of Sen. Davis and people like yourself who have raised your voice in support and emailed your legislators about the importance of the bill to the seriously ill and debilitated patients of South Carolina.

You can read our summary of the bill here. And you can watch the debate — which resumes at 11 a.m. tomorrow — here.

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