Ask your Connecticut state lawmakers to legalize cannabis this year.

Exciting news! As you may recall, in April the Judiciary Committee advanced an amended version of Gov. Lamont’s proposal to legalize cannabis for adults over the age of 21 on a 22-16 vote. The final language the committee approved was a major improvement over the bill as-introduced. Lawmakers have now reached an agreement on the details of legalization — now S.B. 1118 — with a Senate vote expected on Monday.  

Please email your state lawmaker and ask them to support legalization.

Some key features of the new bill — which is sponsored by Senate President Martin Looney and House Speaker Matt Ritter — are: 

• Social equity applicant status is defined as an applicant for a cannabis establishment license that is at least 65% owned and controlled by one or more individuals who lived in a disproportionately impacted area for either at least five of the past 10 years or nine of their first 17 years of life. 
• A disproportionately impacted area is a census tract that has either an unemployment rate of over 10% or that has a high rate of drug arrests over the past 40 years.
• Social equity applicants must also have a median income for the last three years that was no more than triple the state’s median income. 

• Dedicates 50% of the maximum number of each license type for social equity applicants.
• Allows existing medical businesses to become licensed after paying a hefty conversion fees that are directed to social equity start-up; the fee can be reduced by half if they incubate one to two social equity businesses. 
• Allows adults to possess up to one and a half ounces on their person and allows up to five ounces in a locked location in one’s home, the person’s locked glove box, or their vehicle’s trunk.
• Decriminalizes first offense of possession of more than five ounces on one's person and more than eight ounces in one’s home, person’s locked glove box, or their vehicle, and cultivation of up to six plants.
• Starting October 1, 2021, allows medical patients who are at least 18 to securely cultivate up to three mature and three immature plants in their homes.
• Starting July 1, 2023, allows all adults 21 and older to securely cultivate up to three mature mature and three immature plants in their homes.
• Creates a free, automatic erasure process for cannabis possession and sale convictions up to four ounces or six mature plants.
• Eliminates law enforcement’s ability to initiate a search on the basis of odor of cannabis or burnt cannabis.
• Creates $50 million in bonding for initial funding for start-up capital for social equity applicants, the cannabis business accelerator program, and workforce training developed by the Social Equity Council.
• Beginning on July 1, 2023, directs 60% to 75% of the cannabis excise tax revenue to the Social Equity and Innovation Fund. Social Equity and Innovation funds can be used to promote social equity in relation to access to capital for businesses, funding workforce education; and funding for community investments.
• Beginning on July 1, 2023, directs 25% of cannabis excise tax revenue to the Prevention and Recovery Services Fund for substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery services, and collection and analysis of data regarding substance use.
• Establishes the Social Equity Council to further develop equity criteria, priority in licensing and direct cannabis revenue.
• Creates a cannabis business accelerator program.

Although the bill is a vast improvement from what was presented in earlier versions of S.B. 888, we still have concerns that the language could be better tailored to assure equity applicants are at the forefront of the licensing process. We’ll continue pushing for those provisions to be removed but still strongly support the bill’s passage as it contains a ton of good provisions and is far better than the status quo. You can check out a full summary of the updated bill here.  

The bill needs 21 votes to secure passage in the Senate and advance to the House. Time is short: Both chambers adjourn at midnight on June 9. That’s why it’s critical that you contact your state senator and tell them to vote YES on S.B. 1118. With your continued support, I know we can get this across the finish line before the legislature adjourns. 

Tell U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan it’s time to end marijuana prohibition!

Last week, Gov. Chris Sununu signed HB 89, a bill adding autism spectrum disorder as a qualifying condition for the therapeutic cannabis program and adding moderate to severe insomnia as a qualifying symptom. This is welcome news, but most New Hampshire residents believe the state should go much further and legalize cannabis for adults’ use. A new poll published by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center indicates that three out of four Granite Staters support legalizing cannabis. This includes support from 86% of Democrats, 83% of Independents, and 62% of Republicans.

You can read more about the poll in this Marijuana Moment article.

Unfortunately, New Hampshire’s two U.S. senators have not supported legalization. Senator Jeanne Shaheen was quoted in a recent article saying, “I don’t support legalizing marijuana.” Senator Maggie Hassan opposed decriminalization bills and medical cannabis home cultivation bills during her tenure as governor, and she has not indicated a change in position since being elected to the Senate.

Write Senators Shaheen and Hassan today and urge them to support ending the federal prohibition of cannabis!

If you are a Twitter user, you can Tweet at them here: @SenatorShaheen and @SenatorHassan.

After you email these two U.S. senators, please share this message with your friends and family.

Call Gov. Abbott today and ask him to sign HB 1535 into law!

Texas’ 2021 legislative session adjourned on Monday, May 31. Although several cannabis reform bills were introduced this year, only one very modest reform — HB 1535 — was approved by the legislature. The bill now heads to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk for action.

Call the governor’s office today and ask that he sign HB 1535 into law!

The bill would expand the state’s low-THC medical cannabis program to include people with cancer and PTSD. It would also modestly increase the current 0.5% THC cap on medical cannabis to 1%.

Sadly, the Senate did not take up a bill — HB 441 — that would have eliminated the threat of jail time for up to one ounce of cannabis. Let your lawmakers know you want them to decriminalize cannabis during the next legislative session!

While HB 1535 is a modest improvement, there is still a great deal of work to be done to establish an effective medical cannabis program for patients across the Lone Star State.

After you call the governor and ask him to sign HB 1535 into law, please also reach out to your lawmakers to ask them to establish an effective medical cannabis program and decriminalize cannabis when they return in 2023!

Ask your state senator to stop jailing cannabis consumers!

Yesterday, the Louisiana Senate voted to allow medical cannabis in its raw, flower form in a 23-14 vote!

The Senate made some tweaks to the bill (HB 391), so it will head back to the House before landing on Gov. John Bel Edwards’ desk. The Senate has not yet voted on the separate bill (HB 514),  which MPP opposes, that would tax flower cannabis.

Meanwhile, a Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill (HB 652) to decriminalize possession of up to 14 grams of cannabis. The full Senate could vote on it as soon as Tuesday.

Write your state senator today to ask them to vote “yes” on HB 652. Let them know Louisianans shouldn’t be thrown in jail for using a substance that is safer than alcohol.

HB 652 would reduce the maximum penalty for possession of up to 14 grams to a $100 fine. Right now, the penalty  is up to 15 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $300.

While progress is being made, the legislature lags far behind the public on cannabis policy reform. Polling shows two-thirds of Louisiana voters support legalization, but efforts to end cannabis prohibition have died on the House floor.

Rep. Richard Nelson’s legalization bill — HB 699 — was pulled from consideration after a companion cannabis tax bill failed. And yesterday, the House voted down Rep. Candace Newell’s bill to set up a framework for legalization — HB 709 — in a 39-62 vote.

Several cities aren’t waiting for the legislature to roll back Louisiana’s devastating and racist war on marijuana. New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and East Baton Rouge have all decriminalized marijuana in recent years. More recently, New Orleans Council President Helana Moreno proposed an ordinance to dismiss all pending cases for misdemeanor possession of marijuana and pardon anyone who has a conviction. Almost 10,000 cases and convictions could be cleared.

Stay tuned for more updates, and don’t forget to write your state senator in support of decriminalization. It will save thousands of Louisianans from the trauma, disrespect, and disruption of being jailed for cannabis.

Urge your representative to support the MORE Act.

Today, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) reintroduced the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act. If enacted, the legislation would end the federal prohibition of cannabis by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act and ending criminal penalties under federal law.

Send an email to your representative in support of the MORE Act. In addition to federally decriminalizing and descheduling cannabis, the MORE Act would require federal courts to expunge prior cannabis-related convictions and provide for resentencing; provide grants and funding to communities most harmed by the war on cannabis; lift barriers to licensing and employment in the cannabis industry; block federal agencies from denying public benefits or security clearances due to cannabis use; protect immigrants from being denied citizenship over cannabis; and allow VA physicians to recommend medical cannabis to veterans.

Further, since serious criminal justice reform cannot progress in our country without ending the war on cannabis, the MORE Act would set federal policy on a path toward correcting an unfair system by addressing many of the harms caused by prohibition using an equity and justice-centered framework. A summary of the bill’s key provisions can be found here. 

The House of Representatives previously passed the MORE Act in December 2020, but the bill did not advance in the Senate.

With the reintroduction of MORE, members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have the opportunity and responsibility to come together and pass this important piece of legislation. The prohibition and criminalization of marijuana has led to decades of injustice and devastating consequences, particularly in Black, Latino, and low-income communities, and it’s clear that a strong majority of Americans do not support the status quo. It is past time for Congress to listen to the American people and take real action towards ending the war on cannabis and advancing serious criminal justice reform.

Please urge your U.S. representative to support this legislation, and then share the link to take action far and wide. We’ll continue to keep you up-to-date on MORE and other federal cannabis reforms. 

Call your senator today and ask them to improve and pass HB 1535!

With just a few days left in the legislative session, the medical cannabis expansion bill is getting close to the finish line!

Yesterday, the Senate State Affairs Committee unanimously passed (9-0) a bill (HB 1535) that would expand the state’s low-THC cannabis program. The bill has already been approved by the House of Representatives and is now cleared for a vote by the full Senate.

Please call your senator to improve and pass HB 1535.

Disappointingly, the bill was amended to reduce the cap on THC from 5% to 1% by weight. (The current cap is 0.5%.) The committee also amended the qualifying conditions: The bill now expands the program to include PTSD but omits chronic pain.

The legislative session is set to end on May 31. Ask your senator to stand with patients and improve the state’s low-THC cannabis program before session ends.

Thank you to our allies at Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, who are working hard to improve and pass this legislation. Please call your senator today, and stay tuned for future updates!

Ask your state senator to allow — but not tax — flower cannabis.

This evening, the Louisiana Senate is scheduled to consider allowing raw/flower medical cannabis (HB 391), along with a separate bill that would impose state and local sales tax on it (HB 514). Both bills have already passed the House.

Ask your state senator to vote “yes” on allowing flower (HB 391) and “no” on  taxing suffering patients (HB 514).

We also have disappointing news on the legalization front. Rep. Richard Nelson’s marijuana legalization bill (HB 699) was pulled from consideration on the House floor after a companion bill to tax sales (HB 434) was voted down. The tax bill required a two-thirds vote, but only received 47 yeas and 49 nays.

On a brighter note, Gov. John Bel Edwards recently acknowledged legalization “is going to happen in Louisiana eventually.” His comments suggest he is beginning to come around on the issue.

In other news, Rep. Cedric Glover’s bill to stop jailing those found with up to 14 grams of cannabis (HB 652) has been scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow. It already passed the House in a 68-25 vote. 

Please send a note to your state senator to ask them to support Rep. Glover’s decriminalization bill. Let them know Louisiana needs to stop turning lives upside down over a plant that is safer than alcohol.

Thank you for supporting humane cannabis policies!

Yesterday, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 701, setting in motion a plan to begin legal marijuana sales in January 2022. 

Cannabis policy reform advocates successfully fended off a series of last-minute attempts to make significant changes that would have undermined Initiative 190, the law voters approved last year by a 14-point margin. After a dramatic series of back-and-forths, state lawmakers agreed on a bill that makes some modifications to the ballot measure but keeps most of the original language intact. Click here to read a comprehensive summary of the legislation.

Pepper Petersen, political director for the New Approach Montana campaign in 2020, heralded passage of the legislation as a victory for Montana’s cannabis community: 

“The Montana Cannabis Guild was in the trenches fighting for the little guys during the 2021 Montana legislative session. Mom and Pop dispensaries are the backbone of cannabis in Montana, and we made sure the laws we passed here this year would keep their interests paramount.”

The Marijuana Policy Project played a leading role in the 2020 ballot initiative campaign to legalize marijuana in Montana, helping to pass CI-118 and I-190 with 57% and 58% of the vote, respectively. Our team is proud to have helped end the failed policy of marijuana prohibition in Montana.

Moments like these are a reminder of why MPP’s work is so important. If you support our efforts to legalize marijuana in other states and at the federal level, please consider making a contribution to help us educate more voters about sensible marijuana policies.

At long last, Minnesota’s medical cannabis patients will be allowed to use cannabis in flower form instead of being limited to extracts and other more costly preparations!

The Minnesota House and Senate have approved a conference committee version of an omnibus health bill that allows flower for patients who are 21 or older and includes other medical cannabis improvements. Gov. Tim Walz (D) is expected to sign the bill — HF 2128 — into law.

Flower cannabis would be allowed beginning either on March 1, 2022, or at an earlier date if the Health Commissioner determines testing labs and rules are ready sooner.

HF 2128 also relaxes provisions for caregivers. All patients would be allowed to have caregivers, who could pick up their cannabis for them. Currently, patients can only have a caregiver if their health providers attest they require assistance due to a disability. The bill also allows caregivers to serve any number of patients from up to six households — rather than limiting them to a single patient  — and allows curbside pickup.

Thanks to the more than 330 of you who wrote key senators in support of allowing flower cannabis! We are also grateful to our allies at Sensible Change Minnesota for leading the advocacy effort to improve Minnesota’s medical cannabis program.

In other news, the legislature adjourned its regular session on Saturday. As expected, the Senate did not take up the House-passed bill to legalize cannabis for adults — HF 600.

Over the summer and fall, consider setting up a meeting with your state senator to make the case for legalizing and regulating cannabis for adults. You can find some pointers for lobby visits here. We also have talking points and a wealth of other information.

Thank you for supporting humane cannabis policies!

Today, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed the Compassion Act (SB 46) into law, making Alabama the 36th state to legalize cannabis for medical use.

The Alabama Legislature overwhelmingly approved the bill with bipartisan support. The legislation will allow registered patients with qualifying conditions in Alabama to safely access and use medical cannabis with a doctor’s recommendation. Medical cannabis will be available to patients in forms such as pills, lozenges, oils, and patches. Our summary of the law is available here.

Although the new law is far better than the status quo, there are a number of provisions that are unnecessarily burdensome on patients and doctors. It steers pain patients to try opioids first and requires doctors to jump through hoops — including a four-hour course and a fee of up to $300 — that will depress participation. It also prohibits smoking, vaporization, and whole-plant cannabis, which drives up prices and denies some patients the treatment option that works best for them.

But, we are encouraged that Alabama will now provide important medical marijuana protections to patients, joining 35 other states that have adopted effective medical cannabis laws, including several Southern states such as Arkansas, Florida, and Louisiana. Thirteen additional states have laws on the books that acknowledge the medical value of cannabis but are more limited. (Sadly, the count of effective medical cannabis laws no longer includes Mississippi. Last week, the Mississippi Supreme Court issued a deeply flawed ruling to overturn Amendment 65, the medical cannabis law that voters overwhelmingly approved at the November 2020 election.)

Despite the disappointing news regarding Mississippi's medical cannabis setback, today's success in Alabama shows again that medical cannabis is possible in any state in the country, no matter how conservative. With 91% of Americans in support of medical cannabis, according to an April 2021 Pew poll, it’s clear that this is an issue of compassion, not partisanship. If you live in a state still lacking medical cannabis protections, write your state lawmakers and urge them to sponsor or support a medical cannabis bill.