Yesterday, the California Assembly's Public Safety Committee voted 4-3 in favor of legislation that would make marijuana legal, taxed, and regulated throughout the state. Before the vote, committee members heard supportive testimony from me and the Drug Policy Alliance's Stephen Gutwillig. Not surprisingly, A.B. 390's opponents were mostly entrenched law enforcement officials who make their living waging war on marijuana consumers.

A.B. 390 isn't likely to make it further this year due to a legislative deadline, but that shouldn't diminish the historical significance of this vote. Marijuana has been illegal for nearly 100 years in California and it's no small achievement for the first proposal to reform that arcane policy to be approved by a key legislative committee.

A.B. 390's author, Asm. Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), is committed to introducing similar legislation again in the near future. And, the looming November ballot initiative is also likely to be giving California lawmakers a reason to prioritize the regulation of marijuana in California.

You can watch the full hearing here.

Yesterday, the New Jersey state legislature passed a bill allowing seriously ill patients with certain qualifying conditions to use medical marijuana with their doctor’s recommendation. Gov. Jon Corzine has said he will sign the bill into law before he leaves office Jan. 19, at which point New Jersey will become the 14^th state in the nation to stop treating sick and dying patients as criminals, simply because they try to relieve their conditions through marijuana.

This vote is the latest victory along the path to reforming our nation’s cruel and ineffective marijuana laws, but there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done. Thirty-six states have yet to pass urgently needed medical marijuana laws that would treat patients with compassion and dignity. To find out how to contact legislators in those states, click here.

Tomorrow, I’ll be testifying before the California Assembly’s Committee on Public Safety during a hearing on A.B. 390 – legislation that would remove criminal penalties for personal adult marijuana use and tax and regulate its sales comparably to alcohol. After hearing testimony, the committee is very likely to vote on this landmark bill, which has been introduced by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), the committee's chair.

Regardless of the outcome, tomorrow’s hearing will mark a historic milestone in the road toward bringing the era of prohibition to a close. This is the first time in U.S. history that any state legislative committee will be voting on making marijuana legal, taxed, and regulated – and we actually have a chance of winning!

California residents: Please take a few minutes today to call your assemblymembers in support of A.B 390. MPP’s online action center couldn’t make calling any easier: Just enter your information and you’ll be provided with a phone number for your assemblymember and a script to help guide you through your call.

MPP Director of Communications Kurt A. Gardinier appears on Press TV to discuss changing attitudes in the general public regarding marijuana and the rising support for reform of marijuana laws. Apologies for the poor video quality. 01/03/2010

Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws chairman Dave Schwartz discusses the petition to put a measure that taxes and regulates marijuana like alcohol on the Nevada ballot in 2012. This initiative would allow persons 21 and over to possess and transport up to an ounce of marijuana, and would allow for commercial sales at licensed outlets. 01/06/2010

MPP Nevada's Dave Schwartz appears on KTVN 2 CBS to speak about the benefits of taxing and regulating marijuana in N

evada and the new ballot initiative introduced to treat marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. 01/06/2010

Today, on the steps of the State Capitol Building in Carson City, Nevada, the group Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws unveiled the details of a proposed 2012 ballot initiative that would establish a taxed and regulated marijuana market in that state.

The campaign will need to collect 97,002 valid signatures by November 2010 in order to qualify for the November 2012 ballot. If the initiative were adopted, it would, in the words of NSML campaign manager Dave Schwartz, “give Nevada the best marijuana laws in the world.”

Among its specifics, the proposal would:

• Make the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana and any marijuana paraphernalia legal for adults 21 and older,
• Allow adults to purchase marijuana from approximately 120 retail stores spread throughout the state,
• Give state licenses to 50 suppliers to cultivate and distribute marijuana,
• Establish regulations for packaging and regulating marijuana that would ensure consumers know what they’re buying and that their marijuana is free of any additives or contaminants,
• And generate much-needed tax revenue for Nevada, steering the profits away from drug cartels and the criminal market and into the hands of legitimate state businesses.

The proposal would also implement restrictions to prevent abuse and make it more difficult for minors to obtain marijuana. Retail marijuana stores would be required to check customer IDs and face significant penalties for selling to minors. Penalties for driving under the influence of marijuana would be maintained.

Simply put, this is the best proposal ever for a regulated marijuana market.

Similar proposals to tax and regulate marijuana in Nevada failed to win majorities in 2002 (39% support) and 2006 (44% support), but each year more and more Nevadans are realizing the great failure of marijuana prohibition and the need for better, common sense laws, such as the one proposed today in Carson City. Let’s hope they become a majority by 2012. If that happens, Nevada can set a national example for how to lift marijuana prohibition and implement a well-constructed, regulated marijuana market.

For more information about the proposal, visit www.SensibleMarijuanaLaws.org.

A new report by the NHS Confederation and Royal College of Physicians says the United Kingdom’s drinking culture is straining their health care system. The U.K.'s taxpayer-funded medical system, the National Health Service, now spends 2.7 billion pounds ($4.4 billion) a year treating patients for alcohol-related problems—double the amount five years ago, the report said.

Any strain on the U.K.'s health care system caused by marijuana users was not mentioned. Maybe it’s because they’re not straining the system?  A 2006 study by the Canadian government concluded that the health care costs per alcohol user are eight times greater than the health care costs per marijuana user.

The new report also warns that about 10.5 million adults in Britain drink above sensible limits, and 1.1 million people have some form of alcohol addiction.  In contrast, dependence on marijuana is both rare and mild.  In a report commissioned by the White House, the Institute of Medicine concluded that, “Compared to most other drugs … dependence among marijuana users is relatively rare.”  So, why does the substance that’s far less toxic, harmful and addictive remain illegal?

The new year brought new, sensible marijuana laws to the vibrant ski town of Breckenridge, Colorado.  In November, citizens voted by nearly a 3 to 1 margin to remove criminal and civil penalties for adults over 21 carrying up to an ounce of marijuana and smoking paraphernalia. The law takes effect today, January 1, 2010.

"There is no sense in criminalizing a substance that is far less toxic, less addictive, and less problematic than alcohol," said Brian Vicente, executive director of Sensible Colorado. "This is a huge step toward more a more sensible policy, in which adults are no longer punished for making the rational, safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol."

The new law doesn’t change laws prohibiting use by minors, smoking in public, or driving under the influence. It also doesn't allow for the possession or use of marijuana while skiing. While conflicts with state and federal law remain, this first and necessary step toward ending marijuana prohibition sends a strong message to lawmakers in Colorado and around the country.

It is unfortunately quite common for members of our military to return from the battlefield suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). “Charlie,” who asked the news service AlterNet not to use his real name in a recent interview, is one of them. On top of a 100 percent disability rating with PTSD, Charlie returned home from Afghanistan with a traumatic brain injury, a back injury, and gastrointestinal problems. Veterans Affairs did everything it could to treat him and to ease his pain, but nothing worked.

What did work was using marijuana, which Charlie says has been the best pain management he’s found. “Me and the rest of my veterans' group talk about it all the time," he says. "Most of them also medicate with marijuana. If you asked any of us what, out of everything, was most effective in PTSD treatment, we would tell you marijuana.” But since VA is a federal agency, it is prohibited from recommending or dispensing marijuana, even in the 13 states where medical marijuana is legal.

Supporting our troops, especially when they return home from battle is an issue I think everyone can get behind. So, why is the federal government not allowing our troops to use the medicine that works best for them?