As more and more Americans support ending marijuana prohibition and an increasing number of states consider marijuana policy reform legislation, it is sometimes easy to forget that there are still a lot of people in prison for marijuana-related violations. As shocking as it may seem, some are slated to spend the rest of their lives behind bars for something that millions of Americans do every day and that people in Colorado and Washington do legally. [caption id="attachment_7377" align="alignright"…

[caption id="attachment_7374" align="alignright" width="128"] Gov. Martin O'Malley[/caption] Gov. Martin O’Malley has stated repeatedly that he opposes decriminalizing marijuana, a sensible measure already adopted by 16 other states, including red states like Nebraska and Mississippi. Gov. O’Malley does not support measures being considered in the legislature that would remove criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana. One such bill passed the Senate in a bipartisan vote last year,…

Shortly after the Florida Supreme Court cleared the way for the medical marijuana ballot initiative to appear on the November ballot, lawmakers in Tallahassee took note and introduced a flurry of legislation to sensibly reform the Sunshine State’s marijuana laws. A bill to allow patients with devastating seizure disorders to use high CBD marijuana was the first to be filed. While this bill is an improvement on the status quo, it will also leave many patients without access to effective medicine. Thankfully,…

Earlier this week, lawmakers in Des Moines once again introduced the Medical Cannabis Act for consideration. Unfortunately, the legislation will die for the year if it is not reported out of the Senate Human Resources Committee by the end of the week. If you live in Iowa, please email the committee members today and ask them to hold a hearing on this bill. If passed, the Medical Cannabis Act will protect Iowans with serious and debilitating medical conditions from arrest or prosecution for using…

Late last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 to advance a proposal that would put an initiative on November’s ballot asking if marijuana should be taxed and regulated like alcohol. The vote means the proposal made it past the first committee deadline. The bill now goes to the Senate Rules Committee. If you are an Oregon resident, please email your lawmakers today and ask them to support this sensible idea. The bill, SB 1556, would ask voters in November if adults 21 and older should be…

The Kentucky House Health and Welfare Committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET on a bill that would allow people suffering from conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis (MS), and HIV/AIDS to use medical marijuana if their doctors recommend it. [caption id="attachment_7360" align="alignright" width="150"] Rep. Mary Lou Marzian[/caption] HB 350, known as the Cannabis Compassion Act, introduced on February 10 by Rep. Mary Lou Marzian (D-Louisville), a registered…

On Thursday, February 13, the Senate Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, and Commerce and Consumer Protection will meet to hear three marijuana-related bills. Two of these bills will bring needed sensibility to Hawaii’s marijuana laws, while the third would erode patient protections and needs to be pushed back against. The two good bills are SB 2358 and SB 2733. SB 2358 will make possession of a small amount of marijuana a civil infraction, as opposed to a criminal…

[caption id="attachment_7347" align="alignright" width="199"] Sen. Josh Miller[/caption] Rhode Island Senate Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Josh Miller and House Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Edith Ajello held a press conference today to announce that they will introduce a bill to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana similarly to alcohol. The founder of Brown University’s Alcohol & Addiction Studies Center, a former Providence police officer, and other opinion leaders joined them…

[caption id="attachment_7344" align="alignright" width="210"] Rep. Steve Cohen[/caption] U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) introduced a bill Tuesday that would change federal law so that the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), commonly known as the “drug czar,” is no longer prohibited from studying the legalization of marijuana and no longer required to oppose attempts to legalize marijuana for medical or broader adult use. Specifically, H.R. 4046, the Unmuzzle the Drug Czar…

[caption id="attachment_7339" align="alignright" width="164"] Sen. David Haley[/caption] In 2013, Senator David Haley introduced SB 9, which would establish a compassionate medical marijuana program in Kansas similar to the programs in 20 other states. That bill is still alive, but it has yet to be called to a vote in committee. In order to bring attention to the issue, he will be leading a rally to support patient access starting on the first floor of the Kansas Capitol Rotunda. Despite the repeated…