Call on Congress to pass SAFE Banking!

Congress is now negotiating the fate of a bill that would make it easier for cannabis businesses to get basic banking services. The SAFE Banking Act, which would allow banks to legally work with state-licensed cannabis businesses, was recently added to a must-pass piece of legislation currently under consideration — the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). We are asking for your help to ensure it passes. 

Click here to send a message to your members of Congress in support of including basic banking protections for state-licensed cannabis businesses in the NDAA.

Leaving cannabis businesses unbanked is dangerous for both workers and communities. It is absurd that state-licensed businesses are required to operate entirely in cash simply because the federal government refuses to budge. Burglaries, armed robberies, and theft occur at disturbing rates. You can take action right now to help.

Small and minority-owned businesses in medical and adult-use states across the U.S. struggle to get started without banks, unable to take advantage of the same workarounds available for well-funded cannabis businesses. Simply put, the Senate’s failure to pass meaningful reform has disproportionately hurt small business entrepreneurs, many of whom are social equity- and minority-owned companies.

You can speak up right now to help.

The SAFE Banking Act is a key step toward ending federal cannabis prohibition. It would not only make businesses safer and give new startups a better chance, but it would also be an important victory in Congressional cannabis reform. Few elected officials anywhere are as popular as cannabis, and few issues in Washington are as bipartisan as SAFE Banking. Help pass this measure right now.  

Please take action today by calling on Congress to pass SAFE Banking.

Thank you for your support.

Tell your state lawmakers you support patient grow rights!

Exciting news! Just last week, a bipartisan pair of senators introduced a bill that would permit home cultivation of medical marijuana in Pennsylvania. Sens. Dan Laughlin (R) and Sharif Street (D), who also jointly proposed a separate legalization bill earlier this year, introduced the concept in a letter to senators calling on them to sign on as cosponsors.

Under the proposal, which hasn’t yet been formally introduced, Pennsylvania medical marijuana patients would be allowed to grow a limited number of plants for personal use. The senators cite Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board meetings as revealing significant disparities in accessibility, with some patients traveling more than two hours to access their medicine.

Offering patients the alternative to grow their own medicine would “help ease the cost and accessibility burdens,” both senators said. Please take a few minutes to email your state lawmakers to add your voice to the growing number of Pennsylvanians who support grow rights for medical patients.

Exciting news! On November 12, West Virginia’s first medical cannabis dispensary — Trulieve — opened its doors in Morgantown. A second location opened today in Weston.

Store hours in Morgantown are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays through Saturdays. The Weston location is open Mondays and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can check out more details on the first two dispensary locations here.

It has been a long-awaited moment, as West Virginia has had the slowest medical cannabis rollout in the country. The state legalized medical cannabis in 2017.

More information on West Virginia’s medical cannabis law, including qualifying conditions and how to obtain a medical cannabis card, can be found here.

Stay tuned for more cannabis policy reform updates in the Mountain State!

Email your D.C. lawmakers today and ask them to support The Comprehensive Legalization and Regulation Act of 2021!

Earlier this year, D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson introduced “The Comprehensive Legalization and Regulation Act of 2021," a bill to regulate and tax cannabis sales in the District.

A public hearing, which will be conducted via Zoom, has been scheduled for this Friday, November 19 at 9:00 a.m. Friday’s hearing will be the D.C. Council’s first official hearing on a bill to legalize adult-use cannabis sales.

If you are interested  in providing testimony on Friday, please sign up here. Testimony is limited to three minutes, and you must register to testify by the close of business on Wednesday, November 17. You may also submit written testimony for the record to cow@dccouncil.us. The record will close on Friday, December 3, 2021.

If you live in D.C, urge your councilmembers to support taxing and regulating cannabis sales for adults 21 and older in the District.

The Comprehensive Legalization and Regulation Act of 2021 would establish a regulatory scheme for the licensing, production, and retail sale of adult-use cannabis in the District, allow for automatic expungement of D.C. Code cannabis-related arrests and convictions, and establish a social equity program to provide opportunities in the legal industry for communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition. You can check out our summary of the bill here.

In other news, please consider signing and sharing this petition to have the Council remove the $100 fee that the regulating agency (ABRA) charges to process cards for medical cannabis patients. This is a huge barrier to patients obtaining the medicine they need.

Washingtonians deserve access to safe, regulated cannabis. Don’t miss the opportunity to have your voice heard at Friday’s historic hearing. Please share this message with your friends and family in the District!

Check out the voter guide from our friends at VA NORML!

The last day to vote in the 2021 Virginia General Election is Tuesday, November 2. Virginia has accomplished sweeping cannabis policy reform over the last few years—including legalizing cannabis for adults 21 and older.

While some provisions of the new legalization law, including possession and home cultivation of cannabis, went into effect July 1 of this year, other aspects—such as details of establishing a regulated cannabis market—don’t kick in until 2024.

This year’s election is critical in determining the fate of legalization. Nearly all of the cannabis sales provisions are subject to further approval by the legislature and governor.

Our allies at Virginia NORML have published a voter guide that details where candidates stand on cannabis policy reform. Be sure to check out the voter guide and make a plan to vote!

State legislative races are often close contests that can be decided by just a few votes. Don’t miss out on a chance to decide who will represent you in Richmond and vote on Virginia’s cannabis policy.

Polls are open on Election Day, Tuesday, November 2, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Here you can check your voter registration and find your polling location. The last day to vote early in person is Saturday, October 30. You can find more information on voting in Virginia here.

Be sure to share this information with your friends and family in Virginia!

NMM has filed a pair of two new complementary ballot initiatives for medical cannabis

Medical cannabis advocates in Nebraska are not backing down. Last weekend, volunteers from across the state mobilized to officially launch the #NMM2022 signature drive to qualify a pair of medical cannabis initiatives for the ballot next year.

Please get involved and support this important effort. Right now, the campaign is asking supporters to share your story about why you support medical cannabis, become a volunteer petition circulator, and donate to the signature drive.

If the campaign is successful in collecting enough signatures by next summer, voters will have an opportunity to approve both measures in the November 2022 election. You can learn more about the initiatives and read the full language here.

Crista Eggers, whose seven-year-old son Colton suffers from daily epileptic seizures, is leading the grassroots signature drive as the statewide campaign coordinator. In a recent interview with KETV Channel 7, Crista and Nicole, whose child also has epilepsy, explained what is at stake in this campaign. Please watch this emotional news clip and share with your friends and family.

For many families, the stakes of this fight couldn't be higher. Now is the time for all of us to step up. Will you commit to standing with the parents and patients who are suffering?

Please forward this email to others, and if you are not already, follow NMM on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay plugged into this exciting campaign!

Keep checking your inbox for more updates on Nebraska.

Other reforms also take effect starting Friday, October 1.

Good news! As you may recall, as part of Connecticut’s legalization law, starting tomorrow, Friday, October 1, medical cannabis patients who are 18 or older will be allowed to grow cannabis at home!

Each registered patient is allowed up to three mature plants and three immature plants at their primary residence. The number of plants is capped at 12 per household, even if several patients live in the same home. Cannabis plants must be secured from access by anyone other than the patient and his or her primary caregiver.

Also starting tomorrow, medical patients will no longer be required to designate a dispensary to receive their medication. This change will allow patients to access the medicine they need if their local dispensary runs out of supply or they want to try products offered at other dispensaries. Additionally, starting tomorrow, the Department of Consumer Protection commissioner will be allowed to add to the list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis use without further action.

These provisions would not have made it into the final version of the bill without support from supporters like yourself. Many thanks to all of the grassroots advocates that made these crucial provisions reality. 

Finally, several changes will be made to Connecticut’s Clean Indoor Air Act starting tomorrow, October 1. These changes require employers to ban smoking and e-cigarettes in any area of the workplace, regardless of the number of employees. The legalization law also expanded the Clean Indoor Air Act to include e-cigarettes, hemp, cannabis, or lighted cigarettes, and all retail establishments visited by the public.

Tell your state senator you support S.167!

Despite having a medical marijuana program since 2018, Pennsylvania’s “zero tolerance” driving under the influence law still does not recognize the difference between medicinal and recreational cannabis use. This statutory oversight places unimpaired medical patients at risk of arrest, prosecution, and conviction every time they operate a motor vehicle, even when driving responsibly. Under current law, any amount of cannabis found in a driver’s system could result in a DUI charge, which carries a penalty of 72 hours of incarceration, a $1,000 minimum fine, and a 12-month license suspension for the first offense, with increased penalties for each subsequent DUI conviction.  

S.167, a bill sponsored by Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R), would amend current law to require proof of actual impairment — similar to the requirements for operating a vehicle while using prescription drugs — to form the basis for a DUI conviction. Thousands of Pennsylvanians have found relief for their chronic illnesses through the medical marijuana program, but until Title 75 is amended, patients will continue to risk arrest and conviction every day for using a substance that does not impair their ability to operate a vehicle.

That’s why we’re calling on Pennsylvania residents to write their state senators today and urge them to sign on as cosponsors to S.167 to remove DUI penalties for legal medical cannabis use. With your support, we can build the momentum needed to get this commonsense reform signed into law.

Thank you for taking action, and please stay tuned for additional updates throughout the 2021 legislative session. 

Ask your N.J. legislators to legalize home cultivation!

Although New Jersey legalized adult-use cannabis in February, growing a single cannabis plant remains a felony! The vast majority of legalization states — including New York and Connecticut — include the legalization of home grow.

Write your state lawmakers today and urge them to sign on as cosponsors to the bills to legalize home cultivation — A.5435, S.3582, A.5552, and S.3420.

Shortly after legalization was finalized in February, Sen. Vin Gopal (D) introduced S.3582, which would allow persons 21 and up to grow and possess up to six plants for personal use, with a maximum of 12 plants per household. It would also allow medical patients to grow up to 10 plants, with a maximum of 12 plants per household. S.3582 was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee where it is awaiting a hearing. In that same month, Assemblymember Bob Auth (R) introduced A.5435, which would legalize possession of six or fewer plants. A.5435 awaits a hearing by the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

In May, Assemblymembers Joanne Downey (D), Eric Houghtailing (D), and Andrew Zwicker (D) cosponsored A.5552 — an Assembly version of S.3582, which is awaiting a hearing by the Law and Public Safety Committee. Separately, in February, Sen. Troy Singleton (D) sponsored S.3420. That bill awaits action by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee.  

Although two-thirds of New Jersey voters approved legalization last November, growing a single cannabis plant remains a third-degree crime, punishable by three to five years in prison.

That’s why the passage of these bills is crucial in ensuring more New Jerseyans aren’t arrested and prosecuted for a plant that has proven to be far less harmful than alcohol or tobacco.

Please write your legislators today, then spread the word to others so that they, too, can raise their voices for reform.

Sign up here to make your voice heard!

After six long years of advocacy, the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act is poised to get a vote in the state Senate when the legislature returns to work! But to turn this long overdue bill into law we need to make sure the House of Representatives votes, too.

We’ve brought on a grassroots organizing team to prepare constituents in key districts to meet with their state reps and to do all the legwork to schedule and facilitate the meetings.

That’s where you come in … We’re looking for people with a personal connection to the issue who are willing to participate. Please fill out our form. Let us know if you could benefit from medical cannabis, have a loved one who could find relief from cannabis, or are a medical professional, veteran, clergy member, or former law enforcement — or if you are otherwise personally connected to the issue.

Polling shows more than 70% of South Carolina voters support allowing medical cannabis.  But some in law enforcement have been vigorously opposed. To get this done, it’s crucial that state reps hear from their own constituents who are depending on them to pass the Compassionate Care Act.

Personal stories change hearts, minds, and votes. Our team will handle the legwork and make it easy. So please, fill out the form, and share this message with others who may be willing to raise their voices for compassion.