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.

Ask your lawmakers to legalize cannabis in 2022 without delay!

Delegate Luke Clippinger, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has filed HB 837, which will serve as companion legislation to HB 1, a bill that would refer the question of cannabis legalization to Maryland voters on the November 2022 ballot.

You can check out our full summary of the companion bill here.

While it’s encouraging that the House will consider companion legislation to the referendum, it still lacks the major priorities that the Maryland Cannabis Policy Coalition has been advocating for. As currently written, adults could not legally possess cannabis until July 2023, and home cultivation would carry a criminal penalty of up to three years' imprisonment.

There are several changes to the bill that we think would establish an equitable cannabis policy in Maryland. You can check out our suggestions to improve HB 837 here.

Please reach out to your lawmakers and ask them to legalize possession immediately and allow adults to cultivate a small number of plants!

A virtual hearing has been scheduled for both HB 1 and HB 837 in the House Judiciary Committee on Monday, February 14 at 10 a.m. We encourage folks to provide written and/or oral testimony at the hearing. You must sign up to testify 48 hours before the hearing — the sign-up will be open on Thursday, February 10 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Here you can find more information and a video tutorial on signing up to testify.

It’s important your lawmakers hear from their constituents. Please reach out to your lawmakers and ask them to legalize cannabis this year without delay and consider raising your voice in support of equitable legalization at the hearing on February 14.

We expect Senate bills on cannabis legalization to be dropped soon, so stay tuned for updates from the Senate too!

Black History Month is a time to reflect on the various contributions Black Americans have made throughout history. The Marijuana Policy Project proudly acknowledges the endless achievements of Black Americans as we continue our mission of advancing policies to reform our country’s views of cannabis and ending cannabis prohibition.

Cannabis criminalization dates to the1930s when Harry Anslinger, chief of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, lobbied to make cannabis public enemy number one. He launched a campaign rooted in racism and xenophobia by championing passage of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which outlawed the possession and sale of cannabis. Anslinger claimed that cannabis use could cause psychosis and eventually insanity. He argued that young people would become slaves to the drug, continuing addiction until they deteriorated mentally, became insane, and turned to violent crime, including murder. He suggested that Black people and Latinos were the primary users of cannabis and that jazz musicians were creating “Satanic” music due to its influence. This obsession led to the witch hunt against legendary singer and civil rights activist Billie Holiday who was mistreated by law enforcement until her death.

In 1944, the New York Academy of Medicine issued the LaGuardia Report, which completely debunked Anslinger’s assertions about the use of cannabis. The LaGuardia Report found cannabis use did not induce violence, insanity, or sex crimes, nor did it lead to heroin or cocaine addiction. Additionally, the report noted that the smoking of cannabis was not widespread among school children.

Still, over 75 years later, cannabis remains the reason for 43 percent of all drug arrests nationwide, and year after year there are more people arrested for cannabis offenses than for all violent crimes combined. According to a 2020 ACLU report, racial disparities in cannabis arrests have worsened in 31 states, and cannabis is still a primary pretext for police contact with Black Americans.

MPP remains dedicated to ending the racist policies of prohibition and pushing forward with cannabis decriminalization and equitable legalization. In honor of Black History Month, we encourage everyone to support Black-owned cannabis businesses across the country and help us to continue the press for total, federal legalization of cannabis. Let's honor Black History Month by learning from the past and investing in a fairer, more equitable future for Black Americans.  

A spotlight on Black advocates of the cannabis movement

Khadijah Adams

As the former COO of C.E. Hutton, Khadijah decided to expose the issues with cannabis that communities of color often face, while championing Black-owned businesses. Upon entering the cannabis space, Khadijah learned that most companies had not implemented diversity, equity, and inclusion plans — or they had implemented plans but somehow still managed to exclude Black Americans. In an effort to right these previous wrongs, Adams co-authored, “The Minority Report,” an annual marketing analysis on minority-owned businesses in the cannabis and hemp industries and recognition of the pioneers who run them. Khadijah also hosts NCIA's Cannabis Minority Report podcast.

Delegate Darryl Barnes

Del. Darryl Barnes represents Prince George’s County in the Maryland House of Delegates and is the chair of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus. In this role, Del. Barnes has worked towards improving the state’s medical cannabis industry by promoting fairness and equity. As a small business owner who founded a nonprofit embodying his view that success can only come if you help others along the way, Del. Barnes is committed to working on issues related to education, economic development, human rights, reentry, and criminal justice reform.

Courtney Davis

Courtney is the director of public affairs and government relations for Marijuana Matters. In this capacity, she leads the community and government outreach efforts to advance equitable cannabis policies and regulations that eliminate barriers to economic opportunities in regulated cannabis markets for communities of color.

Prior to joining Marijuana Matters, Courtney served as legislative assistant to Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-CO). In this role, she advised the senator on policies related to agriculture and veterans’ affairs. Earlier in her career, she worked on several successful campaigns, including Mayors Kasim Reed of Atlanta and Michael Hancock of Denver.

Courtney received a B.A. in political science from Clark Atlanta University. She is originally from San Diego, CA, but she is now a proud D.C. Ward 8 resident. In her free time, she and her husband enjoy culinary country-hopping.

Tauhid Chappell

Tauhid Chappell is the founder of Color of Cannabis Conference, Philadelphia’s first media-led cannabis conference aimed specifically at communities of color to reverse the stigma of cannabis use, acknowledge and counter the amount of misinformation on the plant, and educate local media on why covering Black and Brown issues surrounding cannabis legalization is important and necessary as a service and function of the media industry. Tauhid’s experience as a medical cannabis patient drives his passion for expanding cannabis education to current and potential patients who may benefit from cannabis' therapeutic and medical effects.

U.S. Representative Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee represents California’s 13th Congressional District. She currently serves on the U.S. House Budget and Appropriations Committees and is the highest ranking Black woman in the House’s Democratic leadership. Congresswoman Lee is currently co-chair of the Cannabis Caucus whose Marijuana Justice Act legislation was included in the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act that reforms discriminatory cannabis policies and passed the House last year. Congresswoman Lee chaired the Congressional Black Caucus during the 111th Congress and was co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus during the 109th and 110th Congresses. 

Corvain Cooper

Corvain Cooper is Brand Ambassador at 40 Tons, a Black, woman-owned premium cannabis, clothing, and accessories brand from Los Angeles, California. In 2013, Corvain received a life sentence without parole after a “third strike” for his participation in a cannabis distribution operation. Corvain fortunately received a grant of executive clemency from Donald Trump in his final days as President.

Lanese Martin

Lanese Martin is co-executive director and political director of the Hood Incubator. She guides the organization’s political strategy, including base-building, community organizing, and political advocacy work. Lanese began her professional career consulting small family businesses by systemizing their operations and developing growth strategies for them. While studying for an M.B.A. in sustainable enterprise, she began to shift her professional focus from consulting to political organizing, focusing on progressive campaigns. Her work as the field director for an Oakland-based nonprofit led to deep relationships with nonprofits and Black and Brown communities not only in Oakland but across California. Additionally, her work as the field director for Nancy Skinner’s successful 2016 California state Senate race led to strong relationships with elected leaders as well as their staff in the Bay Area. Lanese earned a B.A. in political science and a minor in business from Dominican University of California and later returned for an M.B.A.

Jesce Horton

Jesce Horton is the co-founder of the Minority Cannabis Business Association. Additionally, Jesce founded NuProject with his wife Jeannette Ward Horton, an organization that provides grants, loans, educational resources, job-matching assistance, and entrepreneurial services to cannabis business owners and start-ups.

Losia Nyankale

Losia Nyankale is the executive director of Maryland NORML and owner of #GrowithLisa. Residing in D.C.’s Ward 7, Losia has worked tirelessly to ensure her neighbors have access to information about cannabis regulations through the Cannabis Business Development Group (CBDG), an organization she co-founded. CBDG organizes educational events for patients in Ward 7 that teach about cannabis medicine and how to obtain safe, legal products. As Maryland NORML’s executive director, she recruits local leaders as a means of diversifying the organization. She also assisted in organizing the 2020 Maryland Cannabis Policy Conference.

Leo Bridgewater

Leo Bridgewater is a longtime New Jersey cannabis advocate and is the national director of veteran outreach for Minorities for Medical Marijuana, co-founder of Leaf Launch Holdings, and chief innovation officer for the Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo. Like many veterans, his service left him with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and he found relief in medical cannabis.

Sirita Wright

Sirita Wright is a cannabis advocate and co-founder of EstroHaze, a media company that offers women of color a space to learn about lifestyle and career opportunities in the cannabis industry. Wright met her other co-founders, Safon Floyd and Kali Wilder, while working at Black Enterprise. The ladies decided to create EstroHaze after attending the Canopy conference and observing a lack of inclusion when it came to highlighting Black women working behind the scenes in cannabis. Wright looks at the legal cannabis industry as a way for people of color to create generational wealth and sees this as a time for communities of color to learn about the industry as well as understand how to invest in cannabis stocks and companies.

Meet the Ladies of Blounts&Moore, LLC

It all began with a girls’ trip of nine women to Kiawah Island, South Carolina in April 2019. They were there to relax, rejuvenate, and share their future goals. However, they all left with a significant interest in the world of cannabis, and after several meetings, they agreed to establish cannabis-related businesses in several states. This team of professional women with expertise in law, medicine, media, social justice, and government are focused on crashing the cannabis market, bringing Black community with them. The group includes two Blount sisters and two Moore sisters, hence the name: Blounts&Moore.

Sherri Blount, Gwen Adolph, Dale Cochran, Robyn Coles, Karen C. Phillips, Earline Richardson, Terri W. Roberts, Rita Scott, and Marva Smalls all are of the belief that cannabis is an avenue for Black Americans to build generational wealth. They have established cannabis-related businesses in Illinois, with a license pending in Virginia. Their next plan of action is to branch out and set up shop in the Carolinas.

Blounts&Moore Wellness, LLC is currently in the Carolinas advocating for the health and economic benefits of medical cannabis. They are following legislation in both states: SB 711 in North Carolina and H. 3361/S. 150 in South Carolina, compassionate medical bills that will provide patients with access to medical cannabis.

Medical use of cannabis is legal in 37 states and the District of Columbia, with Mississippi just approving a measure this month. It is estimated that the U.S. cannabis industry will be worth $80 billion by 2030.

Urge state officials to create opportunities for small business owners!

Good news! Today, a 90-day application period for Disproportionately Impacted Cultivators and Social Equity Retailers opens. These are the first of nine adult-use cannabis license types that will become available as a result of Connecticut’s 2021 legalization law.

Applications can be found here and must be completed through an online portal. Information about what is required to apply for each license type is available at ct.gov/cannabis. Interested applicants can also view a description of each license type here. The application period for the remaining license types opens on the following days:

• Micro-cultivator: February 10, 2022
• Delivery Service: February 17, 2022
• Hybrid Retailer: February 24, 2022
• Food and Beverage: March 3, 2022
• Product Manufacturer: March 10, 2022  
• Product Packager: March 17, 2022
• Transporter: March 24, 2022

Licenses will be reviewed after each application period ends in 90 days. In each licensing round there are a limited number of licenses available through the social equity and open license lottery:

• Retailer: 6 general licenses, 6 social equity licenses
• Micro-cultivator: 2 general licenses, 2 social equity licenses
• Delivery Service: 5 general licenses, 5 social equity licenses
• Hybrid Retailer: 2 general licenses, 2 social equity licenses
• Food and Beverage: 5 general licenses, 5 social equity licenses
• Product Packager: 3 general licenses, 3 social equity licenses
• Product Manufacturer: 3 general licenses, 3 social equity licenses
• Transporter: 2 general licenses, 2 social equity licenses

Also, late last week, MPP and cannabis allies called on the Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner and Gov. Ned Lamont to limit the number of businesses existing medical operators can create in order to allow more licenses to be available through the lottery process. We know that a diverse, stratified market benefits consumers and the economics of Connecticut. Consider adding your voice to our call for increased opportunities for equity and small business applicants. 

As the adult-use market continues to roll out in Connecticut, we’ll continue to keep you updated on all the progress.

Call your senator today and urge them to pass the Compassionate Care Act!

After seven long years, Sen. Tom Davis’ medical cannabis bill, S. 150 — The Compassionate Care Act — could get a vote on the Senate floor as soon as this week!

Sen. Davis brilliantly defended the bill on the Senate floor last week, and debate will continue again starting tomorrow afternoon. However, opponents from SLED, the sheriffs departments, and the Palmetto Family Council are flexing their muscles to try to peel off votes. We need your help TODAY to make sure senators hear from the overwhelming majority of their constituents who want them to stand up for compassion.

Here’s what you can do: 

1. Call your state senator in support. We provide tips and a sample script to make it easy.
2. Sign up to phone bank with our allies at Americans for Prosperity South Carolina. We need your help to mobilize supportive constituents in key Senate districts.
3. Spread the action link on social media. 
4. Email your state legislators.
5. If you have a personal connection to the issue — including if you have a serious illness and could benefit from medical cannabis — please fill out this form.

This legislation has been a long time coming and has only made it this far due to the diligence and tenacity of Sen. Davis as well as people such as yourself who have raised your voices in support and contacted your legislators about the importance of this bill to the seriously ill and injured patients of South Carolina.

You can read our summary of the bill here. And you can watch the debate — which resumes shortly after noon tomorrow (Tuesday) — here.

Together, we can make the idea of a medical cannabis program a reality. 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.

Today, the will of Mississippi voters was restored! Mississippi is poised to — once again — become the 37^th medical cannabis state.

In November 2020, nearly 70% of Mississippi voters approved a ballot initiative to legalize medical cannabis. But the state Supreme Court overturned the voter-approved medical cannabis law on a legal technicality in May 2021. In the aftermath of the law’s invalidation, Mississippi legislators crafted a compromise bill, SB 2095, to restore a medical cannabis law in the state. Both legislative chambers have approved the bill by a veto-proof margin, and it now heads to the desk of Gov. Tate Reeves (R). You can find our summary of the legislation here.

In one of the most conservative states in the nation, medical cannabis boasts strong public support. When 69% of Mississippi voters cast their ballots in favor of enacting a medical cannabis program, 74% of them voted for the broad program, Initiative 65, while rejecting the far more restrictive alternative lawmakers had placed on the ballot, Initiative 65A. But even when we win overwhelmingly at the ballot, our prohibitionist opponents try challenging voter-enacted cannabis laws in the courts. Today, though, justice and compassion prevailed, as Mississippi legislators upheld the will of the people of the Magnolia State.

We can’t sit back while politicians ignore what constituents demand or attempt to trample on policies enacted by the people of their states, especially when patients continue to suffer needlessly. Despite tremendous support for medical cannabis in every state and nationwide, patients are still considered criminals in 13 states for using it. Please donate today to help us change that. MPP will continue the fight for medical cannabis access in the remaining states without medical programs.

Congratulations to Mississippi voters, patients, and advocates!

Ask your lawmakers to support HB 305!

Today, Delaware’s House Health and Human Development Committee voted 10-4 in favor of HB 305, a bill to legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis for adults 21 and older. It now moves to the House Appropriations Committee for consideration before heading to the House floor.

The bill will need a three-fifths supermajority (25 votes) to pass the House, so it’s very important your representatives hear from you.

You can check out our full summary of the bill here.

By passing HB 305 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.

Ask your state rep to stand with 61 percent of Delawareans and vote YES on HB 305! After you contact your representative, forward this message to your networks in Delaware — or share the action link on social media — and encourage them to do the same.

Together, we can end prohibition in the First State!

Today is the day to let your senator know you support medical cannabis in South Carolina!

Despite overwhelming popular support, South Carolina remains one of only 14 states with no effective medical cannabis law. Let’s make 2022 the year that finally changes. After seven years of relentless advocacy, Sen. Tom Davis’ (D) S. 150 — the Compassionate Care Act — has been scheduled a Senate floor debate this week! To view a summary of the legislation, click here.

Sen. Davis’ medical cannabis bill carries over from last year, when it passed out of committee. The debate may last for days or even weeks before the Senate votes. But with your support, this could be the year we see passage of this historic legislation. To watch the debate live — which will start Tuesday or Wednesday — click here.

Ask your state legislators to support S. 150 — and to enact a compassionate medical cannabis program!

If you have a personal connection to the issue — including if you have a serious illness and could benefit from medical cannabis — please fill out this form. 

After you reach out to your lawmakers, be sure to share this message with your friends and family in South Carolina and encourage them to do the same! The sheriffs association and other opponents are pressuring lawmakers to vote “no.” It’s vital that legislators hear a tide of support from the supermajority of their voters who want them to pass this compassionate bill without further delay.

This is Tahir's story — Tell us yours

I’m Tahir Johnson, MPP’s director of social equity and inclusion. I’m also one of the 15 million Americans who have been arrested for cannabis possession over the past 25 years. Twice.

Just as cannabis prohibition was borne of racism, the enforcement of cannabis laws is also inherently racist. Both of my arrests represent cases in racial profiling — both times I was pulled over for non-reasons, guilty of being young, Black, and driving a nice car.

My first arrest happened in Maryland in the early 2000s, long before cannabis was decriminalized in the state. The officer who pulled me over approached my car with his gun drawn (for his safety) and said, “you look like a drug dealer.” I did have a nickel bag on me, which I admitted in the wake of threats to destroy my treasured Lexus searching for it. I was locked up and charged with possession, but thanks to my family collecting money to hire a lawyer, I was able to complete diversion and probation and have my record expunged.

My second arrest occurred several years later in D.C., again before cannabis was decriminalized there. Since I worked in the insurance industry at the time, I was driving a Benz, which the arresting officer repeatedly commented on. He searched me, found a bag in my pocket, and I was arrested and spent a scary night in jail thinking about how this arrest would impact my future. I wasn’t able to hire an attorney for this charge, but the prosecutor ended up being a fellow Howard University alum who didn’t want to destroy another young Black man’s future over something so trivial, so he dropped the charge. (Even though the charge was dropped, the arrest record would still haunt me for a while given the intense background checks in the finance industry, until the record was eventually sealed in the wake of the District’s decriminalization ordinance.)

It’s unjust and inhumane that millions of otherwise law-abiding Americans are stopped, searched, arrested, and branded criminals simply for possessing a plant that is safer than alcohol. In the end, I was blessed. In the first case, my middle-class family was able to afford a lawyer for my defense, and in the second, I was lucky to encounter a prosecutor who understood the folly — and racist nature — of our nation’s cannabis laws. If I hadn’t been so lucky, I know my life trajectory could have been very different. And I also realize that many others haven’t been so fortunate.

This is where you come in. The millions of cannabis arrests in the U.S. over the last 25 years have caused humiliation, trauma, lost jobs, evictions, deportations, derailed dreams — and even death. But far too few of the stories have been told. 

If you’re one of the millions of people who have suffered the injustice of having your freedom put in jeopardy for a plant that is safer than alcohol, we want to hear from you. We also want to hear from law enforcement, criminal defense attorneys, prosecutors, and other witnesses to cannabis prohibition who think it’s past time governments stop locking up cannabis users.

My past arrests have fueled my passion for cannabis advocacy. Despite all the progress we’ve made, there are still 19 states where a joint can land you in jail and haunt you with a criminal record. Please consider sharing your experience with us so we can tell the stories of why this war on people who use cannabis must end. And please share this with anyone you know who has endured the devastating effects of the war on cannabis.

Thanks, 

Tahir

Ask your lawmakers to support HB 305!

The House Health and Human Development Committee has scheduled a hearing for HB 305, legislation that would make cannabis legal for adults 21 and older and replace prohibition with a system of regulation that focuses on public health and equity. The virtual hearing will take place on Wednesday, January 26 at 11 a.m.

Please write your lawmakers today and ask them to support HB 305!

You can voice your support at the hearing by providing written and/or oral testimony. We particularly encourage testimony from supportive law enforcement, clergy, substance abuse and medical professionals, educators, and those who have been harmed by cannabis prohibition.

For more information on HB 305, you can check out our summary here. You can find some arguments in support of legalizing and regulating cannabis here.

Written testimony can be submitted by emailing it to HouseCommitteeComment@delaware.gov. Please specify the House Committee (Health and Human Development), the date of the committee meeting (January 26, 2022), and the bill number for which you are submitting public comment (HB 305). Submissions will be accepted in advance of the committee meeting and up to 24 hours after the hearing has concluded.

Oral testimony will be limited to two minutes. You can register to submit oral testimony here. Check out the guidelines under “Minutes and Supporting Documents” for more details on providing testimony.

Help us send a strong message to the General Assembly to end cannabis prohibition in the First State this year! Please show your support at the upcoming bill hearing, contact your lawmakers, and forward this message to your friends and family in Delaware.