If you live in Maryland, sontact your lawmakers today and ask them to support HB 656 and SB 771. Yesterday, House Speaker Michael Busch and Senate President Mike Miller created a work group to study legalizing marijuana for adult use. The work group, which was announced in December, will be analyzing legalization-related topics such as the impact on the criminal justice system, how to promote participation by small, minority-owed and woman-owned businesses, public health effects, and how the state…

If you live in Wisconsin, let your state lawmakers know it's time for humane marijuana policies. Wisconsin is rapidly becoming an island of backwards marijuana laws. Minnesota and Illinois have both decriminalized marijuana and legalized medical cannabis. Meanwhile, in November, Michigan voters made their state the first in the Midwest to legalize marijuana for adults. Gov. Tony Evers (D) has a bold vision to improve Wisconsin's marijuana laws. His budget, which will be released in late February,…

Idaho continues to lag behind other states on marijuana policy reform — it is the only remaining state in the country that does not acknowledge any form of medical marijuana under state law. However, lawmakers this year have proposed two bills to move the state in the right direction. Rep. John Gannon (D-Boise) is cosponsoring legislation with Rep. Bryan Zollinger (R-Idaho Falls) to replace penalties for first-time marijuana possession offenses involving half an ounce or less with a civil infraction…

After Prop 1's victory last November, we celebrated the end of marijuana prohibition in Michigan. But the effort to move marijuana policy reform forward isn't over. The frontlines have now shifted to cities and towns, where many municipalities are imposing bans on marijuana businesses in their jurisdictions. It's not only about holding the line. Local activism opens up the possibility of more progress, too. Organizers in Ann Arbor, for example, are working to put a social use initiative on the ballot…

Although medical marijuana is not yet available for Arkansas patients, patient ID cards went into effect on February 15, 2019. The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission began mailing out ID cards to qualifying patients, and over 7,000 patient ID cards have been approved. Patients who have a qualifying medical condition and a physician's written certification can apply online. Recently, the Medical Marijuana Commission awarded licenses to 32 retail medical marijuana dispensaries and five medical…

Online comments are being accepted now, too. At Lt. Gov. John Fetterman's first stops on his marijuana legalization listening tour, supporters made a passionate case to end marijuana prohibition. They also outnumbered opponents. Let's keep up the momentum. Gov. Tom Wolf (D) has also begun accepting online input on whether the state should legalize marijuana for adults' use. Submit your thoughts here. You can let the governor know the reasons why you support making marijuana legal, and make a…

If you live in Tennessee, write your lawmakers to ask them to support the Tennessee Medical Cannabis Act. Two-thirds of Americans now live in states with compassionate laws that allow the medical use of marijuana. Meanwhile, Tennessee patients are stuck with the cruel choice of forgoing a medicine that could bring them relief, uprooting from their home state, or breaking the law to ease their suffering. Ask your state lawmakers to make this the year that Tennessee joins 32 compassionate states. Last…

If you live in Pennsylvania, write your state lawmakers to ask them to support regulating — not prohibiting — cannabis for adults' use. In the past two months, the conversation about whether Pennsylvania should legalize and regulate marijuana for adults has picked up steam. In December, Gov. Tom Wolf (D) said the state should take a "serious and honest look" at legalization. Then, in January, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman announced a statewide listening tour on legalization that begins today in Harrisburg. The…

This coming Tuesday, February 12, please join Minnesota Political Director Jason Tarasek, Rep. Mike Freiberg, Sen. Michell Benson, and Ken Winters for a forum on marijuana policy, which follows a discussion on tax reform. The forum is hosted by the Mitchell Hamline School of Law Journal of Public Policy and Practice. What: A forum on tax legislation and marijuana legalization, hosted by the Mitchell Hamline School of Law Journal of Public Policy and Practice.When: Tuesday, February 12, tax discussion…

If you live in Maryland, contact your lawmakers today and ask them to support HB0656 and SB0771. This week, lawmakers introduced legislation to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older! Earlier this year, House Speaker Mike Busch and Senate President Mike Miller announced plans to create a work group to study how to best implement the legalization of marijuana.  Delegate Eric Luedtke and Senator Will Smith have introduced a pair of bills, HB0656 and SB0771, to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana…