Emil Ekvardt from Great.com interviews Senior Legislative Analyst Matt Simon of MPP as part of their 'Great.com Talks With...' podcast. This series is an antidote to negative news stories that aims to shed light on organizations and experts whose work is making a positive impact on the world.

Virginia’s cannabis legalization bills — HB 2312 and SB 1406 — passed their final committees yesterday. The House and Senate are expected to vote on these bills by tomorrow, which is their deadline for advancing the legislation.

Delegate Jazz Lewis’ legalization bill, HB 32, has been scheduled for a committee hearing on Tuesday, February 16 at 1:30 p.m.

Since April 19, 2017, when Gov. Jim Justice signed West Virginia’s medical cannabis bill into law, patients have been waiting for the program to become operational. Fortunately, the wait finally appears to be nearing an end. The state’s Office of Medical Cannabis announced last week that permits have been granted for 100 dispensaries across the state, and today they opened the process for patients to begin registering for the program.

Virginia’s cannabis legalization bills — HB 2312 and SB 1406 — have passed two committees each, but there is still much work to be done, and the outcome remains uncertain. Both bills must be considered by a third committee, Finance/ Appropriations. Then, at least one of these bills needs to pass the House or Senate by this Friday’s “crossover deadline” to have a chance of passing both chambers before the session concludes on February 11.

The Marijuana Policy Project — the nation’s largest cannabis policy reform organization — has announced the election of Sal Pace to serve as the new chair of its Board of Directors. Pace replaces Arcview co-founder Troy Dayton, who has served as MPP Board Chair for the last seven years.

Despite overwhelming testimony from New Hampshire residents in favor of cannabis legalization at Wednesday’s hearing, the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted 14-7 to “retain” both legalization bills. As a result, the House will avoid voting on cannabis legalization until 2022, and adults who consume cannabis will continue being fined and arrested for at least another year.

Last year, the Alabama Senate overwhelmingly approved the Compassion Act — which would have legalized medical cannabis — but it stalled in the House when the coronavirus derailed the legislative session. This year, Sen. Tim Melson, MD, has already filed the 2021 version of the bill, SB 46.

Last week, Sen. Sharif Street filed a bill with the Judiciary Committee to decriminalize up to 30 grams of cannabis. Currently, possession and distribution of 30 grams of cannabis (or eight grams of hashish without intent to sell) is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days imprisonment and a $500 fine.

Two legalization bills have been introduced in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, and both have been scheduled for hearings in the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on Wednesday, January 27, beginning at 11 a.m. The hearings will be conducted via Zoom, which means it will be easier than ever for Granite Staters to support ending cannabis prohibition.