Contact your lawmakers and ask them to support legalizing cannabis! The Virginia Legislature convenes for a special session tomorrow to focus on budgeting, criminal justice, and police reform. There is increasing momentum from elected officials to consider cannabis legalization during the special session! Both the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and Attorney General Mark Herring have included cannabis legalization in their list of priorities for the special session, and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney…

A new study published in the American Journal of Public Health found little effect of adult-use marijuana laws on prevalence of marijuana use among youth.In this examination, researchers focused specifically on 504 justice system-involved adolescents in California, who, as they point out, have substantially higher marijuana use levels as compared to the general youth population. Among this population, they found marijuana use levels in the past 24 hours were similar in 2015 (before adult-use marijuana…

Great news! Earlier today, the Montana Secretary of State announced that CI-118 and I-190, the two initiatives supported by New Approach Montana to legalize marijuana for adults, received enough signatures to appear on the ballot this fall.   When the pandemic hit earlier this year, some feared it would mean the end of this campaign. But the team persevered and overcame tremendous obstacles. Voters will now have the opportunity to enact a marijuana legalization policy that will create jobs, generate…

Next Tuesday, August 11 is Primary Election Day for the Connecticut General Assembly. This year’s election will be critical in determining whether Connecticut will finally legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older. We’ve put together a voter guide on where the candidates stand on legalizing, regulating, and taxing cannabis for adults 21 and older. It includes responses to our questionnaire along with past public statements. Unfortunately, this year’s legalization bill stalled due to COVID. I encourage…

The legislature is planning to resume its work soon — email your elected officials now and urge them to make passage of S. 54 a top priority! Vermont’s economy has been crippled in recent months by COVID-19. It is unfortunate that adult-use cannabis businesses were not already operating before the pandemic arrived, because they could have provided an important source of jobs and tax revenue during the crisis. Fortunately, the legislature will have an opportunity to finish its work and pass a final…

Learn candidates’ positions on cannabis policy and become an active participant in the election! Our voter guide for the New Hampshire primary elections, which will take place Tuesday, September 8, has now been published. The voter guide includes survey responses, votes cast by incumbents, and any relevant comments. In N.H., it’s never safe to assume a candidate’s position on cannabis policy on the basis of party affiliation, so please take time to read the voter guide and learn where candidates…

With less than 100 days until the November election — and with neither presidential contender taking a stand in support of cannabis legalization — the Marijuana Policy Project sent letters to the Biden campaign and the Trump administration urging both candidates to do better when it comes to cannabis policy. At a moment when cries for racial and criminal justice reform are echoing throughout the country, and a strong majority of Americans favor making cannabis legal, with support across all demographics,…

As of today, Louisiana’s list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis has gone from one of the most restrictive to one of the more expansive! Three new medical cannabis laws took effect today, August 1, 2020. Perhaps the most important of the new laws is HB 819, which allows doctors to recommend medical cannabis for any medical condition the physician “considers debilitating to an individual patient” that the physician is qualified to treat. Previously, patients could only receive a recommendation…

Starting today — August 1, 2020 — Minnesotans with chronic pain qualify for medical cannabis! Qualifying patients whose healthcare providers are willing to certify them for the medical cannabis program can enroll through the Department of Health. Until today, pain only qualified if it was “intractable,” meaning its “cause cannot be removed” and “the full range of [appropriate] pain management modalities … has been used without adequate result or with intolerable side effects.” Expanding the program…

Now it’s up to the Senate, and you can help.Several big measures have been put forth by the House of Representatives in the past 24 hours. Here is a quick rundown of the key provisions and how you can help:Protections for legalization programsThe House voted to protect state legalization programs from federal law enforcement. The Blumenauer-McClintock-Norton amendment was added to a budget bill called the CJS, which received a huge vote in support (254-163). Thanks to all those who reached out to…