Rates of current and lifetime marijuana use among Colorado high school students has dropped since the state made marijuana legal in 2012, according to a press release distributed Thursday by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.  According to preliminary data from the state’s biennial Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, in 2013 - the first full year the drug was legal for adults 21 and older - 20 percent of high school students admitted using pot in the preceding month and 37 percent…

What are the next states to legalize marijuana? Find out by watching this new short video, which highlights the states we believe will end marijuana prohibition within the next few years.

If yesterday’s elections in Hazel Park and Oak Park are any indication, voters in cities and towns across Michigan will be standing up for sensible marijuana policies in November. Voters in both communities voted to make it legal under local law for adults to possess up to an ounce of marijuana on private property. The measures received 62% of the vote in Hazel Park and 53% in Oak Park. Congratulations to organizers Debra Young and Tim Beck and to the many activists who helped make these victories…

The D.C. Board of Elections has officially certified Ballot Initiative 71 for November’s general election. If passed by a majority of D.C. voters, Initiative 71 will repeal all criminal and civil penalties for the personal possession and limited, private cultivation of marijuana. Passage of this initiative will be yet another step towards sensible marijuana policies in our nation’s capital, so make sure your voter registration is current if you are a D.C. resident so you can vote “yes” on November…

On July 29, D.C. Mayor Vince Gray signed the Medical Marijuana Expansion Emergency Amendment Act of 2014. The ordinance takes effect immediately, but it is only temporary, so another measure and Congressional approval are needed to make the compassionate changes permanent. This temporary law allows physicians to recommend marijuana for any debilitating condition they think would respond favorably to the therapeutic use of marijuana and increases the number of plants D.C.’s licensed cultivators may…

The Minnesota Department of Health has issued draft rules governing applications and oversight for two medical marijuana manufacturers. These rules are provisional, and may be revised before becoming final. Anyone interested in commenting on these proposed rules may do so by following the department’s instructions. In addition to publishing draft manufacturer rules, the department will be hosting a public meeting for parties interested in the medical marijuana manufacturing process. There will be…

The Natalie M. LaPrade Medical Marijuana Commission is working hard to implement Maryland’s medical marijuana program. And it wants your help! The commission has already released draft regulations for informal feedback. Check out the proposed rules for cultivators and physicians. MPP has already submitted comments on the physician regulations and comments on the cultivator regulations, and there are several concerning areas that need revision. But we want Maryland residents to tell the commission…

Colorado is successfully regulating marijuana, according to a report released Thursday by the Brookings Institution’s Center for Effective Public Management. [caption id="attachment_7931" align="alignright" width="300"] John Hudak[/caption] The report, authored by John Hudak, a Brookings fellow in Governance Studies, determined that "the state has met challenging statutory and constitutional deadlines for the construction and launch of a legal, regulatory, and tax apparatus for its new policy. In…

[caption id="attachment_7928" align="alignright" width="240"] Dr. Jon Gettman[/caption] A report released today by Dr. Jon Gettman shows that despite increasing support for ending marijuana prohibition, arrests for possession are actually increasing in some states. The report and other information can be found on Dr. Gettman's new site, RegulatingCannabis.com. According to a blog by Paul Armentano at NORML: From 2008 to 2012, seventeen state-level jurisdictions experienced an average annual increase…

The good news: South Portland officials have informed us that we collected enough signatures to place an initiative on the November ballot that would make marijuana legal for adults. We also expect to qualify a similar measure in Lewiston next month. The not-so-good (but not-too-bad) news: Getting on the ballot in York just got a little more difficult, and we need your help to do it. Last night, the town Board of Selectmen voted 3-2 against putting our measure on the ballot, which means we must collect…