Mayor Muriel Bowser has signed the "Medical Marijuana Patient Access Extension Emergency Amendment Act of 2022" into law! The emergency legislation lowers barriers to the District’s medical cannabis program.

Here are the provisions included:

• Until September 30, 2022, senior citizens over age 65 will be able to self-certify their own eligibility for medical cannabis without having to get a recommendation from a doctor. The self-certification form is available online here.
• Allows patients whose registrations expired on or after March 1, 2020 to continue to purchase medical cannabis until September 30, 2022.
• Creates a “4/20 Medical Cannabis Sales Tax Holiday Week.” From April 15 through April 24, 2022, patients will not have to pay the six percent sales tax on medical cannabis.

In response to the legislation becoming law, the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) announced that it would be hosting a “Senior Week” from February 22-25 to help assist seniors in the self-certification process.

What: “Senior Week.” Walk-in applicants with completed applications will receive a digital and physical registration during their visit. Assistance completing applications will also be provided as needed.

When: From today, Tuesday, February 22 through Friday, February 25 between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Where: ABRA’s office is located at 2000 14^th Street NW, Suite 400 South, Washington, D.C. 20009.

More information on D.C.’s medical cannabis program can be found here, and you can find a list of licensed dispensaries in D.C. here.

Help spread the word on these improvements and opportunities by forwarding this message to your friends and family in the District!

Ask your lawmakers to legalize cannabis this year without delay!

The Maryland House Judiciary Committee just approved HB 1, legislation that would refer the question of legalization to voters on the ballot in November, and its companion, HB 837! The bills will now head to the full House for consideration.

HB 837 includes details for initial steps of cannabis legalization — such as possession limits, limited expungement, and funding for minority- and women-owned businesses — that would be contingent on voter approval of HB 1. It does not set up a licensing or regulatory system. Simple possession would not become legal until July 2023.

The committee approved several amendments to improve HB 837, including:

• an amendment allowing adults to share personal-use amounts;
• an amendment to lower the maximum fine for public smoking from $500 to $50 for a first offense and $150 for a second offense;
• an amendment to allow possession of 12 grams of cannabis concentrates and infused products containing no more than 750 milligrams of THC, in addition to 1.5 ounces of flower; and
• an amendment allowing adults to securely and discreetly cultivate up to two plants.

You can check out our full summary of HB 837, as amended, here.

While these amendments are certainly improvements, there are still improvements we’d like to see. Notably, possession would still not become legal until eight months after voter approval of the referendum. To further reduce police interactions and citations for cannabis, possession should become legal immediately upon voter approval. In addition, we would like the implementing law to include equity-focused legalization of sales.

Please reach out to your lawmakers and ask them legalize cannabis this year without delay!

Thank you to everyone who testified at Monday’s hearing on HB 1 and HB 837 and to those who participated in our lobby days this week! Our advocacy efforts are proving successful.

­­Tell your lawmakers to vote “NO” on HB 95!

Alarming news. A bill that would harm cannabis consumers and communities of color could get a vote in the Florida House of Representatives as soon as Tuesday!

Let your states legislators know they should be rolling back — not increasing — cannabis penalties.

Last year, Rep. Scott Plakon (R) and Rep. Webster Barnaby (R) authored HB 95, which would 1) charge a person who illegally distributes a controlled substance to someone who later dies with murder, and 2) enhance the penalties to 10-15 years in prison for possession with intent to sell a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a number of healthcare and substance abuse facilities.

Despite adopting medical cannabis in 2016, cannabis is still considered a controlled substance under Florida law. Cannabis doesn’t cause fatal overdoses, but HB 95 could potentially result in a person who shared a joint with a friend being convicted of murder if their friend irresponsibly drove while impaired and died as a result.

More troubling is the second goal of HB 95, which would disproportionately impact densely populated, urban centers that many of Florida’s health facilities and communities of color call home.

HB 95 was voted out of the House Judiciary Committee last month on a 14-6 vote and has been added to the House special calendar for Tuesday, February 22. It could receive a vote that day. 

That’s why we’re urging you to contact your state representative and tell them to vote “NO” on HB 95. Alternatively, we’re also asking lawmakers to amend HB 95 to exempt cannabis. After emailing your state representative, consider urging your friends and family to do the same. 

Take action to support HB 106 and HB 143!

Wyoming is one of just a few states that continues to criminalize adults and patients for possessing and using cannabis. 

Lawmakers recently introduced two proposals that would change that. HB 106 would decriminalize small amounts of cannabis for adults, while HB 143 would establish a medical cannabis program for patients with serious health conditions in the state. Both bills would reduce senseless arrests for cannabis and make Wyoming a more just state to live in.

These bills will be considered soon — please contact your state representative now and ask them to support these important reforms. 

It’s crucial that your state representative hears from you on these important issues. Public opinion surveys show that both of these issues are overwhelmingly backed by voters, but if your lawmakers don’t hear from constituents, it won’t be a priority for them. 

Please forward this email to others who support sensible cannabis policy reform and ask them to take action too. Thank you for being part of the movement to end the failed war on cannabis.

Ask your lawmakers to support HB 305!

Exciting news! Today, the House Appropriations Committee approved HB 305 — a bill to legalize and regulate cannabis for adults in Delaware. As you may recall, the House Health and Human Development Committee had already approved the bill in late January. Now, the legislation is cleared for a vote by the full House of Representatives.

Email your representative today and ask them to vote YES on HB 305!

The bill needs to receive a supermajority (25 votes) to clear the House. It’s more important than ever that your lawmakers hear from you — ask them to legalize cannabis this year by voting YES on HB 305!

HB 305 is the just, equitable cannabis policy that Delawareans deserve. It would legalize possession of up to one ounce of cannabis for adults 21 and older, promote equity and inclusion in the legal industry from communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition, and reinvest a portion of tax revenue into those communities through a Justice Reinvestment Fund. You can check out our full summary of HB 305 here.

A strong majority of Delawareans support legalization. Ask your state representative to listen to their constituents and vote YES on HB 305! Please help us spread the word by forwarding this message to your friends and family in Delaware to help get HB 305 past the finish line. 

Ask your state legislators to advocate to amend HB 1598.

Yesterday, the N.H. House of Representatives voted 235-119 to pass HB 1598, which would legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older and create a state-run monopoly to sell cannabis. It would not allow home cultivation. The bill was referred to the House Finance Committee and will get another House floor vote before heading to the Senate.

Unfortunately, HB 1598 is simply not workable due to federal law. States can license and regulate private cannabis businesses, but they cannot direct their own workers to break federal law by selling cannabis. Doing so creates a “direct and positive conflict” and is preempted.

Please let your state legislators know there’s a better way to legalize — the approach all 18 states have taken. Then, spread the word to others in New Hampshire.

You can also check out former MPP New England Political Director Matt Simon’s op-ed raising other concerns about a state monopoly on cannabis distribution.

Ask your legislators to stop jailing cannabis consumers.

While cannabis policy reform is sweeping the country, Alabama remains one of only 19 states that still imposes jail time for simple possession of cannabis. SB 160, which takes jail off the table and allows for expungements, has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and will next head to the Senate floor! Now is the perfect time to let your elected officials know you want them to catch up with the times.

Ask your legislators to support decriminalizing cannabis in Alabama!

Polling shows that 63% of Alabama voters support legalizing cannabis for adult use. Surely the margin is even stronger for decriminalization. Still, the legislature must act in order to bring about this long overdue policy change.

Thousands of people are arrested each year for cannabis possession in Alabama! Black Alabamians are 4.1 times more likely to be arrested than white individuals, and in Dekalb County, the disparity is 45 times more likely for a Black resident to be arrested, the second highest disparity in the nation. The legislature must act in order to bring this long overdue policy change to the Yellowhammer State.

After you reach out to your lawmakers, be sure to share this message with your friends and family in Alabama and encourage them to do the same!

Ask your state rep to advocate to amend HB 1598.

The N.H. House of Representatives has voted to legalize cannabis three times since 2019. Sadly, the Senate has killed every attempt so far. Tomorrow, the House will vote on legalization once again, but this time there’s a twist. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Daryl Abbas (R), an opponent of previous legalization bills, and it includes a poison pill: state-run stores.

While there are several policy reasons why some might support or oppose a state monopoly on cannabis sales, as long as federal law prohibits cannabis, it’s a non-starter. We need your help to talk reps out of this wayward approach.

Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, medical cannabis and legalization laws aren’t preempted unless there’s a direct and positive conflict. Requiring state employees to sell cannabis creates that direct conflict: An employee cannot comply with both state law (requiring them to sell cannabis) and federal law (prohibiting it).  

Utah abandoned a similar plan to have the state distribute medical cannabis after county attorneys advised it would require staff to commit federal felonies. Licensing and regulating private businesses doesn’t create the same legal issue, and Utah, New Hampshire, and 35 other medical cannabis states are doing just that.

Let your legislators know you support legalization, but you want them to pass a law that actually works.

You can also check out former MPP New England Political Director Matt Simon’s op-ed with other arguments against state-run stores.

Please let your state reps know you want them to legalize cannabis the right way. Then, spread the word to others in New Hampshire.

Please email the senators below to let them know you oppose LB 1275.

Opponents of medical cannabis are attempting to undermine the 2022 ballot campaign led by Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana. We need your help to stop them.

Last month, medical cannabis advocates pointed out in the Lincoln Journal Star that LB 1275 is a “poison pill” bill, a medical cannabis bill with no cannabis. The fact that the proposal has received praise from SAM — a lobbying group that has fought for years against medical cannabis — tells you all you need to know: LB 1275 is NOT a true medical cannabis bill. 

LB 1275 is designed to be a stumbling block for the 2022 ballot initiative campaign. We need you to take action right now to help us defeat this bill.

Please send a short email to each of the state senators below (the list includes the sponsor of LB 1275 and members of the Judiciary Committee). Your message should be clear, polite, and only 2-5 sentences long.

• Sen. Lathrop: slathrop@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Pansing-Brooks: ppansingbrooks@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Brandt: tbrandt@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. DeBoer: wdeboer@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Geist: sgeist@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. McKinney: tmckinney@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Slama: jslama@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Groene: mgroene@leg.ne.gov

You can read the full text of LB 1275 here. The Marijuana Policy Project has provided a summary here. Suggested points to make in your email:

• LB 1275 is an attempt to undermine the 2022 ballot initiative effort for medical cannabis. The state legislature has had years to act and has failed to do so. The voters of Nebraska deserve a chance to enact the policy they want.
• Despite being labeled a “medical cannabis bill,” LB 1275 would not create access to medical cannabis for anyone in Nebraska.
• Even if the bill is amended to provide for the production of medical cannabis in the state, the provisions are far too strict. Healthcare practitioners will be discouraged from participating, and the vast majority of patients who need access to medical cannabis will not be allowed to participate in the program envisioned by LB 1275.

Thank you for taking action. We need to send a clear message to state senators that LB 1275 is not supported by the medical cannabis community. Please forward this message to others and share the word on social media so others can take action, too.

And if you haven’t signed up to support Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, please visit the campaign website to get involved.

Ask your lawmakers to legalize cannabis in 2022 without delay!

As the cannabis legalization effort begins to pick up in the House, we’re hosting virtual lobby days next Wednesday and Thursday for constituents to meet with their lawmakers and let them know this issue is important to them.

Lobby days will start at 8 a.m. on both Wednesday, February 16 and Thursday, February 17. If you're available to join a meeting with lawmakers for any length of time during these lobby days, please register here. We'll follow up to confirm what time(s) you're available.

It’s important your lawmakers hear from you! Don’t miss this opportunity to meet with them and raise your voice in support of equitable legalization. You can check out some tips for lobbying on cannabis legalization here.

As a reminder, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hear both HB 1 and HB 837 — companion legislation to refer the question of legalization to voters on the November ballot — on Monday, February 14 at 10 a.m. The hearing is virtual, and you can tune in on the legislature’s website.

You can check out our summary of HB 837 here. While we’re encouraged the House is prioritizing legalization and implementation, we’re urging the legislature to strengthen the bills. Sharing, home cultivation, and making brownies at home would remain jailable offenses, and possession wouldn’t become legal until a year from July. You can also check out our suggestions to improve HB 837 here to help us advocate for these changes at lobby days. 

Be sure to reach out to your lawmakers in support of equitable legalization before the hearing, and we hope to see you at our lobby days next week.

Together, we can end cannabis prohibition in Maryland!