[caption id="attachment_10420" align="alignright" width="180"] Rep. Tom Marino[/caption] The Marijuana Policy Project has issued the statement below in response to reports that Congressman Tom Marino (R-PA) will be named the next director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), also known as the “drug czar.” As a member of Congress, Marino has consistently voted against marijuana policy reform legislation. MPP's Robert Capecchi released the following statement in a press…

On Tuesday, Regulate Rhode Island and allies made a strong case to the House Judiciary Committee to vote on H 5555, the legislation to regulate marijuana similarly to alcohol. Click below to watch testimony from: Rep. Scott Slater, primary sponsor of H 5555 Jim Vincent, president of the NAACP Providence branch and co-chair of Regulate Rhode Island Dr. David Nathan, founder and board president of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation Rev. Jamie Washam, pastor of First Baptist Church of America Matthew…

The Iowa Senate Appropriations Committee introduced a bill to establish a comprehensive medical cannabis program in the state. The bill already received unanimous support by a subcommittee at a hearing last week, and may receive a full Senate vote as early as this week. The bill would allow patients suffering from cancer, PTSD, intractable pain, and a host of other aliments access to this life-saving treatment option if their doctors certify them for the program. The bill would not allow patients…

Slowly but surely, the New Hampshire Senate appears to be evolving in support of marijuana policy reforms. After hearing compelling testimony from patients and medical providers, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted to pass two important bills that would improve the therapeutic cannabis program: HB 157, which would allow patients to qualify if they suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain, passed 4-1, and HB 160, which would add post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a qualifying…

MPP is proud to announce the launch of the Coalition for a Safer Illinois, a group of organizations and community leaders committed to replacing marijuana prohibition with sensible regulations. We know prohibition has failed in Illinois, and we think it’s time for a better approach. Check out the coalition’s new website, including our awesome members, like it on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter. If you are part of an organization that might be interested in endorsing marijuana regulation, or if…

After lengthy delays, the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission is finally opening the patient registry in a phased rollout beginning on Monday, April 10. Please see below for the full announcement from the Commission. Dispensaries are required to be operational by December 9, 2017. IMPORTANT NOTE: MEDICAL CANNABIS IS NOT AVAILABLE YET IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND. Pre-approved growers, processors, and dispensaries are still constructing their businesses, and depending on the date these operations commence,…

North Dakota Sen. Rich Wardner’s medical marijuana bill, SB 2344, continues to work its way through the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, being revised and improved along the way. While an earlier version of the bill would have significantly harmed patients, the current version — which passed the House in early April— leaves more of the will of the voters intact. Voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of establishing a medical marijuana program last November, in a margin greater than the support received…

West Virginia is on the verge of becoming the next state with an effective medical marijuana law! The bill received final approval in the West Virginia Legislature on Thursday and is headed to the desk of Gov. Jim Justice. He has publicly expressed support for legal access to medical marijuana and is expected to sign the bill into law, making West Virginia the 29th state to adopt an effective medical marijuana law. SB 386, titled the West Virginia Medical Cannabis Act, charges the Bureau of Public…

Governors of the first four states that legalize marijuana for adults sent a letter to Trump administration officials this week asking them to respect their states' marijuana laws. In the letter, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee ask Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to adhere to Department of Justice's 2013 Cole Memorandum and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) guidance, which…

Voters in Kansas City — the largest city in Missouri and the sixth largest city in the Midwest — overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure on Tuesday to reduce the city's penalties for marijuana possession. The Kansas City Star reports: The measure lowers the maximum fine for marijuana possession in city court to $25 from $500 and eliminates jail time as a penalty. Under the old ordinance, a sentence of 180 days was possible. The change applies only to cases in Kansas City Municipal Court in which…