Last Wednesday, Dale Quigley, deputy coordinator for the National Marijuana Initiative, a project of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, spoke virtually with North Dakota lawmakers, who began a study of adult-use cannabis 10 months ago. As policy makers in North Dakota continue to examine how legal cannabis is working in other states, Quigley presented findings from Colorado, one of the first two states to legalize adult-use cannabis in 2012.

During his presentation, Quigley acknowledged that youth cannabis use has declined in Colorado and other states that have legalized cannabis for adults, contrary to arguments commonly expressed by prohibitionists. “For some reason, the use rate among this age bracket is going down,” Quigley said. “We’re not 100 percent sure why it’s going down. It’s a good thing that it’s going down, but we don’t understand why.”

Using data from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Organization (SAMHSA), which conducts annual surveys on drug use, Quigley admitted that, “In looking at the state of Colorado for 12-to-17 year old current use, we had a spike in ’14, but overall the use rates in Colorado have been declining, and that matches what we’re seeing in other states and also the trend we’re seeing nationally.” (Note: SAMHSA defines “current use” as use within the past 30 days.)

Despite his concession that teen cannabis use is on the decline (and his admission that he doesn’t understand why), Quigley followed up with a few anecdotal and dubious claims about youth and cannabis. And although legalization laws are designed to only allow legal cannabis access for adults 21 and older, a persistent fear among prohibitionists and skeptics is the potential impact of legalization on youth use rates.

But the data speaks for itself, and other studies looking at teen use rates after legalization found similar declines, or at least no evidence of increased youth use, once again showing that the sky hasn’t fallen in legalization states. 

For a deeper dive into Quigley’s comments, check out the Marijuana Moment story here. You can also watch Quigley’s presentation via archived video of the hearing (Quigley’s remarks begin around the 9:22 a.m. mark), and slides from his presentation can be viewed on the North Dakota Legislature’s website.

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Click here to support new protections for businesses in adult-use legalization states.

MPP supports laws that protect state-licensed businesses from being targeted by federal law enforcement. It’s good for patients, consumers, and for those running cannabis shops. We’d like your help as an important measure is being considered by Congress.

Currently, federal law enforcement that operates through the U.S. Department of Justice is prohibited from targeting medical cannabis businesses that follow state law. This set of protections has been in place for several years, and we want to see them extended to apply to all full-use cannabis programs and the District of Columbia. It’s a modest step but an important one that can keep people out of trouble and out of prison.

Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Tom McClintock, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Barbara Lee are seeking to add those protections to an appropriations bill under consideration called the CJS (Commerce-Justice-Science) Funding Bill for fiscal year 2021. We want members of Congress to support this important addition. Click here to send a message to your Representative and ask them to support this important protection.

Businesses that are considered “essential” during a global pandemic and are following state law should not have to wonder if they will be targeted by federal agents. D.C. businesses should get protections like similar businesses in states with medical programs. Let your Congressional representative hear from you on this. And help us get the word out by forwarding this message to your network!

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On Friday, July 17, we got an exciting update out of Big Sky Country: according to numbers tallied by local officials, BOTH legalization initiatives have received enough signatures to qualify for the statewide ballot this fall!

That’s really good news. But leaders of the campaign are nervous about the potential emergence of a well-financed opposition effort assisted by groups like SAM.

Winning in Montana is not going to be easy, and due to the challenges the campaign faced in the signature drive, they were forced to spend far more than they planned. And now, they’re behind their fundraising goals.

Will you help give New Approach Montana the resources they need to continue building support for legalization and defeat the prohibitionists this fall? Any amount you can give will make a difference.

Donate directly to the Montana 2020 legalization campaign:

A victory in Montana will not only help Montanans. It will also give our movement a huge boost of momentum as we continue to build pressure on Congress to pass a federal legalization law.

Now’s a critical time to throw your support behind this important campaign.

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Urge Gov. Ige to sign the bill into law!

I have some exciting news to share with you! Last week, the Hawaii State Legislature approved a bill — HB 2097 — that will allow cannabis-infused edible products to be dispensed by the state’s eight medical cannabis licensees. It will also allow publicity for educational, scientific events and information and will allow for remediation of cannabis flower in certain cases under the oversight of the state Department of Health (DOH), in limited cases.

The bill now moves to the desk of Gov. David Ige, who has 45 calendar days to approve or reject the measure. If he does nothing, it will become law without his signature.

In light of COVID, patients are increasingly opting for edible forms of marijuana over smoking. Additionally, edible products are often times the preferred method for a number of conditions treated by medical marijuana. While patients can already produce medical cannabis at home, commercial production gives another option and allows for far better control of dosage.

Please urge Gov. Ige to sign HB 2097 into law.

In 2017, Hawaii’s first dispensaries began serving patients, two years after the state’s dispensary law passed and 17 years after Hawaii became the first state to legislatively enact a medical marijuana law. Edible products were excluded when dispensaries first opened in 2017 due to concerns around their potential appeal to minors. With this measure, Hawaii would join 32 of 33 medical marijuana states in allowing patients access to edible forms of medical marijuana.

Please contact Gov. Ige to express support for this important bill and spread the word to others.

Mahalo for your continued support.

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Ask your lawmakers to support legalizing and regulating marijuana for adults.

I have some encouraging news to share with you. Last week, a majority of Senate Democrats authored a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf arguing that adult-use marijuana legalization should be immediately pursued to make up revenue losses from the coronavirus pandemic.

The letter, which was signed by 18 Senate Democrats in total, argues that legalizing adult-use cannabis can protect Pennsylvanians from harmful tax hikes and spending cuts by raising new revenue to continue providing vital services. During the current 2019-2020 fiscal year, the Independent Fiscal Office estimated the General Fund would lose $3.9 billion due to COVID-19, including $2.1 billion that would be shifted to the next fiscal year. It also projected a $1.8 billion permanent revenue loss from a contraction of economic activity.

A 2018 Auditor General report found Pennsylvania could generate $581 million annually by regulating and taxing adult-use marijuana. The senators argue that legalizing adult-use cannabis would also serve as a revenue saving tool in agencies such as the Department of Corrections.

The letter builds on a rapidly developing conversation in the Keystone State in support of legalization, including a listening tour by Lt. Gov. Fetterman and a poll that showed support for the issue among Republican voters. Earlier this year, Rep. Jake Wheatley introduced House Bill 2050, which improves on prior proposals to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in the state. You can check out a summary of the bill here.

As the momentum continues to build for legalized, regulated sales of cannabis to adults in Pennsylvania, please take a few minutes to email your state lawmakers to add your voice to the growing number of Keystone residents who support marijuana legalization. With just four months until Election Day, stay tuned for voter guides and other opportunities to get engaged as the election approaches.

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Share your story to help add ADHD, insomnia, and anxiety to Minnesota's medical cannabis program!

The Minnesota medical cannabis program is once again accepting petitions to add new qualifying medical conditions. This year, our allies at Sensible Minnesota — in partnership with MinnMed — are petitioning to add ADHD, insomnia, and anxiety.

Letters of support from healthcare professionals; individuals with ADHD, insomnia, or anxiety; and parents or guardians of minors with these conditions are needed! If you fall into one of these categories, share your perspective with our allies at Sensible Minnesota by sending them an email here. Sensible Minnesota will be submitting these letters of support along with the petition.

When Minnesota’s medical cannabis law passed in 2014, its list of qualifying conditions was among the most restrictive in the country — leaving behind huge numbers of patients. But, through several petitions, the program has expanded, allowing tens of thousands of additional patients to qualify. On August 1, chronic pain will be added to the program, thanks to last year’s petition that Sensible Minnesota spearheaded. In prior years, PTSD, intractable pain, autism, and obstructive sleep apnea were added by the health department.

Please forward this message to any of your friends, family, doctors, nurses, or others who may be interested in helping out. The deadline to submit petitions is July 31, so the clock is ticking! Act now to help expand Minnesota’s medical cannabis program.

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Exciting news! Last Thursday, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana submitted over 182,000 signatures to the Secretary of State in support of their initiative to legalize medical cannabis for patients with serious health conditions. The campaign needs roughly 121,000 valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot.

Donate now to support the medical cannabis campaign in Nebraska!

Since last year, the Nebraska team recruited hundreds of volunteers who gathered over 33,000 signatures — including 14,000 collected in just the last two and a half weeks. MPP staff played a central role in the effort and contacted over 35,000 voters to ask them to sign in the final days of the signature drive!

We’re confident the campaign collected enough signatures to qualify the initiative for the ballot, but we expect a well-funded opposition effort to emerge, led by politicians like Gov. Pete Ricketts. Patients and families in Nebraska need our help:

Can you contribute $25, $50, or $100 to help support families and patients in Nebraska?

Let’s make sure the Nebraska team has what they need to see this through and pass a compassionate medical cannabis law in November.

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Tell your state lawmakers you support SB 1206.

Good news! Last month, Sen. Camera Bartolotta sponsored legislation (SB 1206) that would reform Pennsylvania’s DUI laws to stop criminalizing medicinal marijuana patients for driving long after any impairing effects of cannabis have worn off.

Urge your state lawmakers to sign on as a cosponsor for SB 1206.

Pennsylvania legalized the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes in 2016. However, state law continues to criminalize drivers for having any amount of THC in their system. THC can stay in a regular consumer’s system for days after last use, meaning patients are criminalized for driving well after impairment wears off. SB 1206 would provide that, for medical marijuana patients, it is only a crime to drive when impaired — not to simply have THC in one’s system. The bill currently awaits a referral to a committee for a hearing. You can read a copy of the bill here.

In other marijuana-related news, early this year Rep. Jake Wheatley introduced House Bill 2050, which improves on prior proposals to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in the state. For more details, check out our bill summary. Although the bill has not gained traction as of yet, Rep. Wheatley’s bill adds to a rapidly developing conversation in support of legalization.

As the momentum continues to build for legalized, regulated sales of cannabis to adults in Pennsylvania, please take a few minutes to email your state lawmakers to add your voice to the growing number of Keystone residents who support marijuana legalization. With just four months until Election Day, stay tuned for voter guides and other opportunities to get engaged as the election approaches.

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This afternoon, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, a 2020 ballot initiative committee, will deliver over 182,000 signatures gathered from all 93 counties in the state in support of their ballot initiative to establish legal protections for medical marijuana patients with serious health conditions. If approved by a majority of voters in November, the initiative would allow patients to access and use medical marijuana as recommended by their physician or nurse practitioner.

To qualify for the ballot, the campaign needed to submit over 121,000 valid signatures, representing over 10% of the voters in the state. The campaign also had to collect signatures from at least 5% of voters in a minimum of 38 counties across Nebraska.

Since last year, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana has recruited hundreds of volunteers who gathered over 33,000 signatures for the campaign, including 14,000 collected in just the last two and half weeks.

In the coming weeks, state and local officials will tally the signatures collected by the campaign to confirm that enough valid signatures were submitted to qualify the initiative for the November 3 general election ballot. A decision is expected by mid-August.

More information about the initiative can be found at www.nebraskamarijuana.org.

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Contact your lawmakers and urge them to end cannabis prohibition.

In May, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed a decriminalization bill — SB 2/ HB 972 — into law, making Virginia the 27th state to decriminalize simple cannabis possession. Today, the new law officially goes into effect!

Starting today, possession of one ounce of cannabis or less is punishable by up to a $25 fine — the lowest fine of any decriminalization state. You can read a full summary of the new law here.

While this reform is long overdue in Virginia, broader reform — legalizing and regulating cannabis for adults — is needed to further reduce cannabis-related arrests, remove cannabis as a justification for police interactions, and displace the illicit market by providing adults safe, regulated access.

Just last week, the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus included legalization on its list of priorities for a special session set for August. The decriminalization law also creates a work group to study legalization in Virginia and make recommendations by November 30, 2020.

Now is a great time to reach out to your lawmakers and urge them to support legalizing, taxing, and regulating cannabis for adults 21 and older.

In other news, several improvements to Virginia’s limited medical cannabis program also go into effect today. Patients are now legally protected from prosecution (not just conviction) for possessing their medicine, and a greater variety of products and more dispensary locations will also be available to patients when products are available for purchase.

Please take a minute to reach out to your lawmakers in support of legalization, and be sure to share this news with your family and friends in Virginia!

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