If you live in Texas, contact your state senator in support of marijuana decriminalization.

Yesterday, the Texas House of Representatives passed HB 63, a bill that would stop arresting and jailing individuals who possess up to an ounce of cannabis. The bill now heads to the Texas Senate for a vote. Already, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick tweeted that HB 63 is “dead” in the Texas Senate.

Let your senator know that marijuana decriminalization is not dead in Texas today!

While the bill removes the threat of jail time, we are disappointed that the fine was raised to $500 on the House floor yesterday. Such a steep fine will disproportionately effect Texans with lesser means. The Senate should lower the fine or allow community service in lieu of a fine.

Please contact your senator today, and let’s send the bill to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk!

If you live in Iowa, contact Gov. Kim Reynolds today to ask her to sign HF 732.

Just before the Iowa Legislature’s session adjourned on Saturday, the Senate passed a bill to expand Iowa’s nascent medical marijuana program. It now heads to Gov. Kim Reynold’s desk.

Contact Gov. Reynolds today to ask her to support Iowa’s medical marijuana patients.

The bill — HF 732 — would remove the three percent cap of THC in medical marijuana products and instead institute a per-person limit of 25 grams every 90 days. It would also expand the patient pool by allowing additional health professionals such as nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants to recommend medical marijuana. Finally, it would relax a restrictive definition of which pain patients can qualify.

These changes would significantly improve Iowa’s medical marijuana program, so please contact Gov. Reynolds today. After you have contacted her, please spread the word by forwarding this email to friends and family or by sharing the action link on social media.

The Marijuana Policy Project led the successful 2018 campaign to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in Michigan. Since voters approved Prop 1 last November, Michigan’s marijuana landscape has seen significant changes. A few recent updates are worth bringing to your attention.

In March, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order establishing the Marijuana Regulatory Agency within the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The new agency will soon replace the controversial Medical Marihuana Licensing Board, which held its final meeting last week. Read more here.

A Michigan court overruled a previous deadline and is allowing dozens of unlicensed medical marijuana dispensaries to remain open around the state, as caregivers continue to supply the market. Licensed businesses, which must comply with stricter regulations, want regulators to close these unlicensed entities down. A bill in the legislature would require businesses to be licensed by June 1 to continue operating.

State regulators are considering ways to satisfy a portion of Michigan’s adult-use legalization law that requires “a plan to promote and encourage participation in the marihuana industry by people from communities that have been disproportionately impacted by marihuana prohibition.” The provision was included to address the fact that communities of color saw significantly higher marijuana arrest rates compared to predominantly white areas under the old law.

The final rules for Michigan’s adult-use marijuana market are due this December. As regulators and stakeholders continue to shape the future of marijuana in the state, we’ll keep you informed about new developments.

Stay tuned!

If you live in Colorado, let your state senator know it’s time to legalize and regulate cannabis delivery.

The bill to allow safe, regulated cannabis deliveries in Colorado is out of committee and headed to the Senate floor! The vote could happen as soon as tomorrow, so there’s no time to lose.

Let your state senator know you want them to support this sensible bill.

Then, post the link to social media or forward this message to other supporters of sensible cannabis policy.

Unlike alcohol and other legal products, Colorado prohibits patients and adult consumers from having cannabis delivered.

A bill that would fix that — HB 1234 — has already passed the House.

Many medical cannabis patients have significant mobility limitations. Driving to the store is impossible for some due to their medical condition. Far more dangerous prescriptions can be delivered in the mail, but cannabis delivery remains illicit and in the shadows. Starting next year, medical cannabis deliveries would be allowed.

Beginning in 2021, HB 1234 would allow all adults 21 and older the benefits of cannabis delivery. This can provide safe, regulated access to adults and bring cannabis consumers closer to equal footing with alcohol consumers.

Don’t forget to take a few moments to send your senator a note using our free online tool, then share this message with friends and family in Colorado.

If you live in Alabama, contact your lawmakers in support of medical marijuana.

Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved SB 236 in a 6-2 vote. The bill would establish a medical marijuana program in Alabama and would allow patients 19 years or older to use medical marijuana to treat 33 different conditions, including autism, chronic pain, and anxiety.

Contact your lawmakers in support of SB 236 today. Medical marijuana won’t pass in Alabama without robust grassroots outreach, so please email them now.

Last week, the same committee approved a bill that would decriminalize marijuana.

Please contact your public officials today and then help get the word out by forwarding this email to friends and family. Together we can bring sensible marijuana laws to the South.

Last November, Missouri voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 2 to establish constitutional protections for medical marijuana patients and create a system for them to safely access medical marijuana. For the past several months, state officials have been making progress in implementing the new law. Here are a few updates:

• The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has issued draft rules governing physicians and the system they must use to issue medical marijuana recommendations to qualifying patients.
  
  
• The law requires the department to finish the rule-writing process by June 4.
  
  
• Regulators are also accepting suggestions from the public about rules for the medical marijuana program. Click here to share your opinions with them!
  
  
• Patients will be able to apply for a medical marijuana registration card by July 4.
  
  
• DHHS has established 10 advisory committees composed of subject matter experts to help review draft questions for the facility license applications. More information about these committees and how feedback can be provided can be found here.
  
  
• The state commissioned and published a study by three economists predicting there will be 26,000 registered medical marijuana patients in Missouri by 2022.

Thank you for continuing to support sensible marijuana policy reforms, and stay tuned for more updates from us!

If you live in Colorado, let your state senator know it’s time to legalize and regulate cannabis delivery.

Unlike alcohol and other legal products, Colorado prohibits patients and adult consumers from having cannabis delivered. Sure, delivery exists, but it’s unregulated and unsafe for everyone involved.

But a bill to fix that is on the move. HB 1234 — which would allow safe, regulated delivery — has passed out of the House and is starting to make its way through the state Senate.

Let your state senator know you want them to support this sensible bill.

Many medical cannabis patients have significant mobility limitations. Driving to the store is impossible for some due to their medical condition. Far more dangerous prescriptions can be delivered in the mail, but cannabis delivery remains illicit and in the shadows. Starting next year, medical cannabis deliveries would be allowed.

Beginning in 2021, HB 1234 would allow all adults 21 and older the benefits of cannabis delivery. This can provide safe, regulated access to adults and bring cannabis consumers closer to equal footing with alcohol consumers.

HB 1234 can pass this year, but it’s crucial that senators hear from supportive constituents. Take a few moments to send your senator a note using our free online tool, then share this message with friends and family in Colorado. 

If you live in N.H., urge your senator to support HB 364; hearing on legalization bill will continue May 7

For the first time in history, a New Hampshire Senate committee has voted to approve a bill allowing home cultivation of medical cannabis. HB 364, which has already passed the House in a voice vote, was voted “ought to pass” yesterday in a 3-2 vote of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

For the sake of patients who are still struggling because of limited access to cannabis, please contact your senator right now and urge him or her to support HB 364!

HB 364 would allow possession of three mature plants, three immature plants, and 12 seedlings for each patient. The bill is critically important because many patients are unable to afford the products that are available at dispensaries, which are not covered by health insurance. For some patients, home cultivation is simply the best, most affordable option.

Additionally, for those who were not able to testify at yesterday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the legalization bill (HB 481), there will be another opportunity to testify on Tuesday, May 7, beginning at 9 a.m. in State House Room 100. There were so many people waiting to speak that they decided to continue the hearing. Please mark your calendars for May 7 right now!

After you contact your senator in support of the home cultivation bill, please share this message with your family and friends.

If you live in Texas, contact your lawmakers today in support of HB 63.

After passing in a 5-2 vote in the House Jurisprudence Committee, HB 63 is scheduled for a vote in the Texas House of Representatives this Thursday. Please contact your lawmakers in support of marijuana decriminalization right now.

If HB 63 passes, possession of one ounce or less of marijuana would be punishable by a $250 fine for the first two offenses, and it would be considered a class C misdemeanor for subsequent offenses. Currently, possessing any amount of marijuana is punishable by jail time in Texas.

Given that the Texas Republican Party endorsed marijuana decriminalization and Gov. Gregg Abbott has expressed willingness to sign a bill that reduces penalties for possession, the environment has never been better for change in Texas.

So please, contact your lawmakers today and then forward this email to friends and family and ask they do the same. Together, we can reform marijuana laws in Texas.

Yesterday, the Department of Financial Services released the first draft of the rules governing Maine’s adult-use marijuana program. These rules come from the work the Marijuana Legalization Implementation Committee did over the last two years.

As required by the Maine Administrative Procedures Act, a final draft will be provided at least 20 days prior to the date of a scheduled public hearing. Following the public hearing, an additional 10-day public comment period will occur. The rules cover cultivation tier sizes, license fees, packaging rules, and much more. You can read the preliminary rules here.

After you have read the rules, the state has set up an online form to collect public feedback. You can find the form here.

We are hopeful that the rules will be approved by the legislature this session, allowing for stores to open as early as late 2019. It’s been a long and winding road, but we are almost there.