[caption id="attachment_8703" align="alignright" width="214"] Rep. Kelly Cassidy[/caption] Illinois Rep. Kelly Cassidy’s bill to reduce penalties for possessing a personal amount of marijuana reached a critical milestone today when it passed the House of Representatives in a 62-53 vote. The bill now moves to the Senate. If you are an Illinois resident, please help keep up the momentum and ask your senator to vote in support of HB 218 today. Let them know it’s time to reduce the penalty for simple…

Earlier today, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) has reintroduced the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. This short, simple bill would resolve the tension between state and federal marijuana laws by making an exception to federal law for activity in compliance with state laws that regulate marijuana for medical or adult-use purposes. [caption id="attachment_8698" align="alignright" width="300"] Dan Riffle, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, and Rob Kampia[/caption] Please take…

Michele Leonhart is expected to resign from her position as head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to a report from CBS News. [caption id="attachment_8692" align="alignright" width="300"] Michele Leonhart (Photo: Reuters)[/caption] The Marijuana Policy Project called for Leonhart’s resignation last year in a Change.org petition which now has more than 46,000 signatures. During her tenure as DEA administrator, Leonhart: -refused to answer a congressman’s question about whether…

[caption id="attachment_8688" align="alignright" width="300"] Gov. Deal (Photo: David Goldman/AP)[/caption] On Thursday, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law HB 1, the Haleigh’s Hope Act. This new law, which was sponsored by Rep. Allen Peake, will allow qualified patients to legally possess up to 20 fluid ounces of low-THC cannabis oils with their doctors’ recommendations. While this is an improvement to current law, it leaves the vast majority of medical marijuana patients without legal protections for…

The ballot initiative campaign to end marijuana prohibition in Arizona is officially underway!  The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Arizona filed an initiative with the Secretary of State’s Office this afternoon that, if approved by voters in November 2016, would legalize marijuana for adults and establish a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol. In summary, the Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act would: -       allow adults 21 years of age and…

This Sunday, President Obama is expected to voice his support for allowing medical marijuana and moving away from jailing people for drug abuse. The Daily Caller reports:  In a CNN special to be aired on Sunday, not only will President Barack Obama state his full support of medical marijuana, he’ll also advocate for alternative models of drug abuse treatment which don’t involve incarceration. The television special, called “Weed 3,” features CNN’s chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon…

The Iowa Senate voted 26-19 yesterday in support of a compassionate and comprehensive medical marijuana proposal! The bill now crosses over to the House of Representatives for debate. The program approved by the Senate would allow Iowans who suffer from a variety of debilitating conditions to use and safely access medical marijuana with their doctors’ recommendations. The bill also requires the state to register in-state businesses to produce and distribute medical marijuana to qualified patients.…

Yesterday, voters in Wichita, Kansas approved a ballot measure that greatly reduces the penalties for marijuana possession. The Wichita Eagle reports: Of the 37,000 Wichita voters, 54 percent said they wanted more lenient penalties for first-time offenders. About 45 percent wanted to keep the status quo. The major provision of the ballot initiative was to reduce the punishment for a first-time marijuana conviction to a $50 fine. Violations would be an infraction that wouldn’t have to be disclosed…

After securing approval from the Iowa Senate Ways and Means Committee, the Medical Cannabis Act is primed for a floor vote by the full Senate. This vote could happen any day now, so it’s important for Iowa residents to email your Senator TODAY and ask her or him to vote “yes” on the Medical Cannabis Act when it comes to the floor. The Medical Cannabis Act, or S.F. 484,  makes significant improvements to the ineffective CBD-only law that was enacted last year in an effort to bring relief to individuals…

Earlier this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics published an article called The Impact of Marijuana Policies on Youth: Clinical, Research, and Legal Update. While the report failed to recognize the benefits of regulating marijuana similarly to alcohol, it did  support decriminalizing marijuana because of the harms caused by arrests and their aftermath. We put together this handy guide to highlight the most important points. Please share it with anyone who still thinks arresting and prosecuting…