Delaware Gov. Jack Markell (D) informed state lawmakers Thursday that the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will be moving forward with drafting regulations for a medical marijuana dispensary program. This is very welcome news that is long overdue. In a letter to the legislators who sponsored the state's medical marijuana law, Markell said: As a result of our review of policies in Rhode Island, New Jersey and other states, I have become convinced that proceeding with our program, while…

CNN reports today that it's not just the network's medical expert Dr. Sanjay Gupta who has come around on marijuana policy reform. [caption id="attachment_6862" align="alignright" width="104"] Beau Kilmer[/caption] The nation has moved from the abstract matter of "if" to the more tangible debate over "how," said Beau Kilmer, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center and co-author of "Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know." Changing attitudes about…

MPP  released a video last week listing the country's "Worst State Legislators of 2013" on marijuana policy issues. The seven state representatives and one state senator were selected based on their legislative efforts to maintain or expand marijuana prohibition policies, as well as statements they made, during the 2013 legislative sessions. Watch the video countdown below.  The Huffington Post reports: The video counts down the MPP's top eight marijuana policy offenders, alongside some direct quotes…

One of the more horrific examples of how the war on marijuana hurts families is making the rounds right now, and it illustrates just one of the more serious hypocrisies of prohibition. Last week, the story broke that a two-year-old child had sustained fatal injuries at the hands of her foster care provider. After the parents were called to the hospital for the last days of their Alexandria Hill's life, the death was ruled a homicide and the foster guardian charged with murder. [caption id="attachment_6853"…

[caption id="attachment_6849" align="alignright" width="180"] Dr. Sanjay Gupta[/caption] CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has spent the last year creating an investigative report on marijuana, and the former critic of marijuana policy reform has changed his mind drastically on the subject. On Wednesday night, Dr. Gupta told Piers Morgan that "We've been terribly and systematically misled in this country for some time and I did part of that misleading,” when it comes to marijuana…

A recent investigation into drug treatment centers in southern California found rampant financial corruption and inflated reporting of patient attendance. The investigation, conducted by the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting and CNN, found that dozens of clinics showed signs of deception and questionable billing practices. The two worst offenders, Able Family and GB Medical Services, were virtually empty storefronts run by convicted criminals that bribed clients and submitted fake names…

[caption id="attachment_6842" align="alignright" width="183"] District Attorney Mitch Morrissey confused by science[/caption] At a Denver City Council hearing held on Monday to discuss implementing a 5% marijuana sales tax, Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey held the floor to claim that medical marijuana dispensaries are a haven for assaults, robberies, and murder. “We have had 12 homicides related directly to medical marijuana,” Morrissey told the council. “We have had over 100 aggravated…

Following the city’s first medical marijuana sale earlier this week, Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray said that the city should discuss the possibility of legalizing marijuana. “I don’t have a position on whether to legalize it or not, but we should have that discussion,” Gray told News Channel 8. [caption id="attachment_6838" align="alignright" width="220"] Mayor Vincent Gray[/caption] He said that the topic is an important one because current prohibitionist policies result in harmless young…

The Marijuana Policy Project is gearing up for a 2016 campaign to tax and regulate marijuana in another Southwestern state, Nevada. Although a recent poll found that a majority of Nevada residents (54%) support legalizing marijuana for adults and 39% voted in favor of legalization on a 2002 ballot, MPP’s communications director Mason Tvert said that there are several reasons to wait until the November 2016 election to launch a petition. By 2016, Tvert said, the campaign will almost certainly have…

The Uruguayan House of Representatives voted yesterday to approve a bill that would tax and regulate marijuana for adults. The measure will now move to the Senate where, if it passes as expected, will make Uruguay the first country in the world to create a fully legal and regulated marijuana market. All 50 members of the ruling Broad Front coalition approved the measure yesterday after more than 13 hours of passionate debate. Lawmakers in the Senate have stated that they have achieved a comfortable…