Finally, the New York Legislature has adopted an effective medical marijuana law!

Now that the legislature has passed the bill, it’s up to Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to sign it. He was obstructing the bill earlier in the session, but the legislature made several amendments in order to reach a compromise and the governor has indicated he will support it.

Since 2003, MPP has been lobbying alongside allied organizations, patients, and other citizen activists to bring about this victory. Over the last 11 years, MPP has spent nearly $750,000 to pass a medical marijuana law in New York State.

In the early days, we recruited a coalition of more than 1,100 physicians in New York State who endorsed MPP's legislation. We announced this coalition in a full-page ad in the Albany Times, which made a big splash in the state capitol.

And just a couple weeks ago, MPP produced and aired a pair of TV ads that urged Senate co-leader Dean Skelos (R) and Gov. Cuomo to pass the measure this year.

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The movement to make Oregon one of the next states to make marijuana legal got a major boost Wednesday when the petition to put the question on the ballot received 100,000 signatures, reports Gant Daily.The measure is backed by New Approach Oregon (NAO), which reported the collected signatures exceeded the minimum 87,213 required to qualify for the ballot on Monday. The ballot initiative, called the Control, Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana and Industrial Hemp Act, would strictly regulate marijuana sales and possession for adults over 21 years old. If passed, it would allow for possession of up to eight ounces and growing up to four plants. Sales of marijuana would be taxed at $35 an ounce and $5 per plant.

The ACLU of Oregon has thrown its support behind the petition. Their executive director, David Fidanque, commented, “We need to stop wasting taxpayer dollars arresting and searching people in Oregon just because they use marijuana. Prohibition hasn’t worked and it never will. It’s time to be honest about that and take a path that makes sense.” This was in response to a recent ACLU report, which claimed that Oregon’s law enforcement had stepped up its marijuana citations and arrests by 45% since 2001. This was the fifth highest in the nation. The NAO believes this endorsement will help them to get the ballot initiative passed in November.

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[caption id="attachment_7759" align="alignright" width="220"] Sen. Rand Paul[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_7760" align="alignright" width="220"] Sen. Cory Booker[/caption]

Last month, we made history by passing an amendment in the U.S. House of Representatives intended to prevent the DEA from spending any money raiding and arresting medical marijuana patients and providers in states where it’s legal. Now, in order to get it to President Obama’s desk, we need to pass it in the Senate.

Please take two minutes to call both of your U.S. Senators and urge them to support the Paul/Booker medical marijuana amendment!

The good news is we will get a vote thanks to two courageous senators who are taking a stand for medical marijuana patients and respecting state laws. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) are sponsoring an amendment identical to the one that passed in the House last month. The amendment was filed yesterday and could be voted on at any time.

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The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has started taking control of the medical research for marijuana and is focusing more on marijuana use patterns rather than its potential benefits, Businessweek reports. NIDA currently serves as the gatekeeper for marijuana’s medical research. NIDA also provides oversight for the farms that grow the plants that can be used in clinical trials. However, advocates say that NIDA’s control over which plants can be used effectively makes it impossible to test the benefits of marijuana on ailments such as cancer-related nausea or epilepsy. Many believe that the supply should not be controlled entirely by one organization.

MPP’s director of federal policies, Dan Riffle, weighed in on this issue. He claimed that the federal researchers aren’t “set up to study potential medical benefits, so it’s inappropriate for NIDA to have a monopoly on supply.” MPP and other marijuana advocates are pushing for the DEA to grant additional growing permits so that marijuana can be researched in conjunction with other diseases. This is partly because of organizations, like the Epilepsy Foundation, that want end restrictions on research for marijuana’s effect on alleviating seizures. With NIDA controlling the supply, there is not enough marijuana to test all of its medical benefits.

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Yesterday, the Delaware House Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee voted 6-1 to release Rep. Helene Keeley’s decriminalization bill. This bill would remove criminal penalties for the simple possession of small amounts of marijuana, and instead impose a civil fine. The proposal may now be considered on the House floor.

This is a strong step towards more fiscally sound and humane marijuana policies. A March poll found that 68% of Delawareans across the political spectrum support making the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use punishable by a fine of up to $100, without jail time. Across the nation, 19 states and the District of Columbia have already passed similar measures.

This is a much-needed measure in Delaware, where African Americans are more than three times more likely to be arrested for the possession of marijuana than users of other races are, despite similar rates of use across all races. Criminal records have devastating effects; they can become obstacles to obtaining an education, employment, and even housing. This measure would also free up law enforcement to focus on addressing serious crimes instead of arresting adults for using a substance objectively safer than alcohol.

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[caption id="attachment_7750" align="alignright" width="201"] Hillary Clinton[/caption]

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seems to have changed her mind when it comes to marijuana policy, according to National Journal. Clinton had previously expressed that she did not want marijuana decriminalized, but thought research ought to be done into its benefits. On Tuesday, she appeared to be more acquiescent to a change in the law. Clinton called for more research to be done, without doubting the medical benefits. Hillary stopped short of making an endorsement, saying, “I think we need to be very clear about the benefits of marijuana use for medicinal purposes. I don't think we've done enough research yet.”

When she came to the issue of whether it should be legal for adults to use, Clinton said that states like Colorado and Washington have already reformed and that they are “laboratories of democracy.” Clinton claims to be holding out on forming her opinion until she has the evidence from the two states. Her change of heart mirrors that of the Democratic Party, which, as of late, has become more amenable to the case for making marijuana legal for adults to use, medically or otherwise.

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The Board of Water Works of Pueblo County, Colorado is meeting later today to discuss two resolutions that would supply treated water to the county to grow marijuana within the city limits, the Pueblo Chieftain reports. The resolutions are an attempt to work within current law that forbids the use of public water, such as that from the county’s Lake Pueblo, from being used to grow marijuana. They would also allow for the sale of water from the water board’s direct flow rights in Pueblo Dam while not selling water with any federal links to growers. Though Colorado voters approved medical marijuana in 2003 and adult use was made legal in 2012, growing marijuana plants is still a federal crime.

The resolutions would allow the water board to supply marijuana growers while still adhering to federal policy. It would also clarify some of the water rights that are not subject to federal policy. However, the water board retains the right to terminate the use of water for marijuana growing if federal policy changes. The second resolution would make about 260 million gallons of raw water available to Pueblo County growers annually by lease. This, too, contains provisions to cancel contracts as they are subject to federal policy changes. Pueblo County hopes to raise about half a million dollars in additional revenue from these new policies.

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Groups hoping to lessen the penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana have filed petitions in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, The New Mexico Telegram reports. Current New Mexico law allows for a $50 fine and up to 15 days imprisonment for a first offense. Additional offenses can amount to a $500 fine and up to 90 days in prison. The petitions would lower the fine to only $25 for less than one ounce of marijuana and completely eliminate incarceration for first-time offenders.

This current petition is the latest in a long series of efforts to change New Mexico’s marijuana policy. In 2013, a bill that would have decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana narrowly passed the New Mexico House of Representatives but garnered little support in the Senate. Earlier this year, advocates tried to amend the New Mexico state constitution to make marijuana legal for adults, but the initiative was unable to gather enough signatures to be put on the state ballot. The current petitions are getting signatures from registered voters in both cities in order to be put on the local ballots. To be passed, the petitions would need 20% of the turnout of the last city election in Albuquerque and a third of the mayoral election draw in Santa Fe.

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The Jamaican government announced Thursday that it is rethinking its marijuana policies, reports the Sacramento Bee. Justice Minister Mark Golding and the Cabinet are supporting legislation being drafted that would decriminalize possession of under two ounces of marijuana. In addition, a bill that would provide a path for those convicted under the current system of laws to having their criminal records expunged is in the works.

Debate regarding the loosening of marijuana laws in Jamaica has been ongoing for many years, as much of the island nation’s culture is tied to marijuana. The law is being changed mainly for religious reasons, as Rastafarianism, a prominent religion within Jamaica, uses marijuana in many of its ceremonial practices. Though the legislature has tried to decriminalize marijuana in the past, it was shot down because due to fear of backlash from Washington. Minister Golding believes now is a good time to pass the legislation, as the Obama administration is unlikely to push back against this proposed decriminalization.

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