Yesterday, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 701, setting in motion a plan to begin legal marijuana sales in January 2022. 

Cannabis policy reform advocates successfully fended off a series of last-minute attempts to make significant changes that would have undermined Initiative 190, the law voters approved last year by a 14-point margin. After a dramatic series of back-and-forths, state lawmakers agreed on a bill that makes some modifications to the ballot measure but keeps most of the original language intact. Click here to read a comprehensive summary of the legislation.

Pepper Petersen, political director for the New Approach Montana campaign in 2020, heralded passage of the legislation as a victory for Montana’s cannabis community: 

“The Montana Cannabis Guild was in the trenches fighting for the little guys during the 2021 Montana legislative session. Mom and Pop dispensaries are the backbone of cannabis in Montana, and we made sure the laws we passed here this year would keep their interests paramount.”

The Marijuana Policy Project played a leading role in the 2020 ballot initiative campaign to legalize marijuana in Montana, helping to pass CI-118 and I-190 with 57% and 58% of the vote, respectively. Our team is proud to have helped end the failed policy of marijuana prohibition in Montana.

Moments like these are a reminder of why MPP’s work is so important. If you support our efforts to legalize marijuana in other states and at the federal level, please consider making a contribution to help us educate more voters about sensible marijuana policies.

At long last, Minnesota’s medical cannabis patients will be allowed to use cannabis in flower form instead of being limited to extracts and other more costly preparations!

The Minnesota House and Senate have approved a conference committee version of an omnibus health bill that allows flower for patients who are 21 or older and includes other medical cannabis improvements. Gov. Tim Walz (D) is expected to sign the bill — HF 2128 — into law.

Flower cannabis would be allowed beginning either on March 1, 2022, or at an earlier date if the Health Commissioner determines testing labs and rules are ready sooner.

HF 2128 also relaxes provisions for caregivers. All patients would be allowed to have caregivers, who could pick up their cannabis for them. Currently, patients can only have a caregiver if their health providers attest they require assistance due to a disability. The bill also allows caregivers to serve any number of patients from up to six households — rather than limiting them to a single patient  — and allows curbside pickup.

Thanks to the more than 330 of you who wrote key senators in support of allowing flower cannabis! We are also grateful to our allies at Sensible Change Minnesota for leading the advocacy effort to improve Minnesota’s medical cannabis program.

In other news, the legislature adjourned its regular session on Saturday. As expected, the Senate did not take up the House-passed bill to legalize cannabis for adults — HF 600.

Over the summer and fall, consider setting up a meeting with your state senator to make the case for legalizing and regulating cannabis for adults. You can find some pointers for lobby visits here. We also have talking points and a wealth of other information.

Thank you for supporting humane cannabis policies!

Today, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed the Compassion Act (SB 46) into law, making Alabama the 36th state to legalize cannabis for medical use.

The Alabama Legislature overwhelmingly approved the bill with bipartisan support. The legislation will allow registered patients with qualifying conditions in Alabama to safely access and use medical cannabis with a doctor’s recommendation. Medical cannabis will be available to patients in forms such as pills, lozenges, oils, and patches. Our summary of the law is available here.

Although the new law is far better than the status quo, there are a number of provisions that are unnecessarily burdensome on patients and doctors. It steers pain patients to try opioids first and requires doctors to jump through hoops — including a four-hour course and a fee of up to $300 — that will depress participation. It also prohibits smoking, vaporization, and whole-plant cannabis, which drives up prices and denies some patients the treatment option that works best for them.

But, we are encouraged that Alabama will now provide important medical marijuana protections to patients, joining 35 other states that have adopted effective medical cannabis laws, including several Southern states such as Arkansas, Florida, and Louisiana. Thirteen additional states have laws on the books that acknowledge the medical value of cannabis but are more limited. (Sadly, the count of effective medical cannabis laws no longer includes Mississippi. Last week, the Mississippi Supreme Court issued a deeply flawed ruling to overturn Amendment 65, the medical cannabis law that voters overwhelmingly approved at the November 2020 election.)

Despite the disappointing news regarding Mississippi's medical cannabis setback, today's success in Alabama shows again that medical cannabis is possible in any state in the country, no matter how conservative. With 91% of Americans in support of medical cannabis, according to an April 2021 Pew poll, it’s clear that this is an issue of compassion, not partisanship. If you live in a state still lacking medical cannabis protections, write your state lawmakers and urge them to sponsor or support a medical cannabis bill.

Click here to send a message opposing this bill to your lawmakers.

Colorado lawmakers are now considering a bill that is bad for patients and bad for consumers, and we would like your help opposing this prohibitionist measure. Now referred to as HB21-1317, this bill would require the state to gather skewed data on the supposed harms of cannabis use, which could be used to ban cannabis products. Yep, here we go again.

Please take action. The best and easiest thing is to send a message to your legislators, which you can do by clicking here. It takes half a minute and really does make a difference.

Collecting objective data on the risks and benefits of cannabis use should be lauded. That's a policy that MPP has always supported. But this bill uses an old trick to stack the deck — something the DEA and the National Institute on Drug Abuse have been doing for years. They authorize research, but only when it substantiates their false beliefs that cannabis is bad, and then point to that research to stick to the claim that there is no medical use for marijuana. Sound familiar? Now legalization opponents in Colorado are trying the same thing. It needs to be stopped.

This bill requires coroners to test for THC in the case of suicide, overdose, or accidental death, without screening for other more harmful drugs, and regardless of whether cannabis was even related! The purpose is to generate dire-sounding numbers to connect cannabis with these tragic incidents. There are similar requirements for emergency room visits.

A hearing is scheduled on this measure, which will be held at the State Capitol by the Public and Behavioral Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday, May 18 at 1:30 p.m. If you would like to attend and provide testimony on the measure, you can sign up for that here. Testimony can be given in person or online.

Again, we hope you will take less than a minute to send a piece of your mind to your lawmakers, who really should hear from you on it.

Onward!

Follow up with your senator to say thanks or express your frustration.

Yesterday, the New Hampshire Senate ignored the needs of patients, voting 15-9 to “table” the medical cannabis home cultivation bill. This means HB 350 will not be considered unless the Senate votes to remove it from the table (which is extremely unlikely). As a result, home cultivation will remain a felony in New Hampshire, with no exception for registered patients and caregivers.

The vote mostly fell along party lines. Seven of the 10 Senate Democrats voted against the hostile motion to table the bill, joined by two of the 14 Senate Republicans. Once again, the three Manchester-area Democratic senators (Kevin Cavanaugh, Lou D'Allesandro, and Donna Soucy) voted against the interests of patients, joining twelve Republicans in support of the motion to table.

Although this is extremely frustrating, we should be grateful to the nine senators who voted against the motion to table: Senators Harold French (R), Jay Kahn (D) Rebecca Perkins Kwoka (D), Suzanne Prentiss (D), John Reagan (R), Cindy Rosenwald (D), Tom Sherman (D), David Watters (D), and Rebecca Whitley (D).

Please take a moment to thank your senator if they voted in favor or express your frustration if they voted to maintain the status quo.

HB 350 would have legalized limited home cultivation for registered patients and caregivers (up to three mature plants, three immature plants, and 12 seedlings per patient). It passed the House in a voice vote after being approved 20-1 in committee. Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a similar bill in 2019.

A new home cultivation bill will almost certainly be reintroduced in 2022.

Ask your state senator to support legalization.

Last night, the Minnesota House of Representatives voted to legalize cannabis in a 72-61 vote!

Unfortunately, however, the legislature only has two days left before it adjourns for the year, and the Senate will not be taking up legalization. When the legislature reconvenes in 2022, legislation picks up where it left off — HF 600 will already be out of the House and in the Senate. However, Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka has said his Republican caucus is strongly opposed.

Gov. Tim Walz supports legalization, meaning Sen. Gazelka’s Senate majority is the only thing standing in the way of legalization of cannabis in Minnesota.

Legalization would create tens of thousands of desperately needed jobs and hundreds of millions in tax revenue, and it would reduce unnecessary stops, searches, and arrests that unfairly and unequally target Black Minnesotans.

Let your state senator know you want the Senate to legalize cannabis for adults in 2022.

Then, spread the good news to others in Minnesota.

Ask your legislators to pass the S.C. Compassionate Care Act in 2022.

The South Carolina Legislature adjourned today after once again failing to pass the S.C. Compassionate Care Act. This means another year of needless suffering for people with cancer, severe pain, seizure disorders, and other ailments.

We need your help to make sure that never happens again — and that 2022 is the year that patients finally get relief.

While the delay is heartbreaking, there is reason for hope. The South Carolina Medical Affairs Committee advanced medical cannabis legislation, and the bill sponsor — Sen. Tom Davis (R) — secured a commitment from his colleagues to allow the S.C. Compassionate Care Act to get a Senate floor vote early next year. Meanwhile, Gov. Henry McMaster’s stance on medical cannabis is improving. 

If you are a seriously ill patient who can benefit from medical cannabis, a close family member of a patient who could benefit, or if you’re a supportive veteran, past or current member of law enforcement, or medical professional, please let me know. Your voice is particularly important to this effort. Please include your address or nine-digit zip code so we can figure out who your state legislators are.

Together, we can finally bring a compassionate medical cannabis law to the Palmetto State.

Sign up to become a volunteer signature gatherer.

Yesterday, Nebraska lawmakers effectively killed LB 474, legislation that would have established one of the most conservative medical cannabis programs in the country. Though a bipartisan majority of state senators voted to end a filibuster and allow the bill to proceed, it ultimately came up two votes short of meeting the necessary threshold.

While we hoped that enough lawmakers would listen to their constituents and do the right thing, this outcome was not entirely unexpected. 

Now it’s up to the people of Nebraska to provide the relief that so many patients and families deserve. The ballot committee, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, is now rallying supporters and ramping up their signature drive to put medical cannabis on the ballot in 2022. Please take action now to support this effort:

• Sign up to be a volunteer signature gatherer.

• Make a contribution to help the campaign print petitions and hire staff to oversee the signature drive.

In 2020, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana overcame a pandemic and collected more than enough signatures to qualify the initiative — and they can do it again. Unfortunately, a deeply flawed ruling from the Nebraska Supreme Court kept the initiative off the 2020 ballot. But this time they’re backing a one-sentence constitutional amendment designed to avoid all potential legal challenges. They are also working with a team of legal experts to guide the drafting of complementary statutory language. In short, their plan is to replicate the successful model of the 2020 casino gaming initiatives that passed in Nebraska last year. 

Nebraskans overwhelmingly support creating a system of safe, legal access to medical cannabis. Please support and get involved with the 2022 ballot campaign. With your help, the people will prevail. 

Submit your comments here — the deadline is this Sunday.

The Arizona Department of Health Services recently released a draft of rules that will guide implementation of the social equity licensing program for cannabis businesses, which was included as part of the voter-approved Prop 207 that legalized cannabis for adults last year. 

The department is accepting public comments through an online survey, which you can access here. Responses will be accepted through May 16. 

MPP will be submitting comments and encourages supporters of social equity to make their voice heard, too. We are concerned that the regulations do not define “communities disproportionately impacted by the enforcement of previous marijuana laws,” which is included in the social equity provisions of Prop 207. Furthermore, the eligibility criteria for the social equity licenses are excessively narrow and should be broadened to encourage more people who have been directly or indirectly harmed by cannabis prohibition to apply. 

If you would like to submit comments and have questions, you can contact me directly at jmoffat@mpp.org.

Let your state senator know that it is past time Louisiana stop jailing cannabis consumers.

Good news! Yesterday evening, the Louisiana House of Representatives voted to reduce the penalty for possession of 14 grams of cannabis to a fine of up to $100 with no jail time.

This bill would save Louisianans the trauma, humiliation, and disruption caused by being locked in a jail cell for possessing a substance that is safer than alcohol. Please take a moment to let your state senator know you want them to support this modest bill — HB 652.

A supermajority of Louisianans support making marijuana legal for adults. At the very least, you can let your senator know, Louisianans should not be incarcerated for simple possession of cannabis.

Meanwhile, the Louisiana House of Representatives has not yet taken up to bills to legalize marijuana for adults’ use. The votes have been rescheduled for today. While it is unlikely that Louisiana’s legalization bills will become law this year, the more lawmakers hear a groundswell of support from their constituents, the quicker that day will come.

Please take a few minutes to call your state representative and ask them to vote “yes” on the legalization bills — HB 699 and HB 434. Our automated software makes it easy to find your state rep’s name and number, and it provides talking points and a sample script you can use to help guide your call. 

Sheriffs who oppose legalization are out in force to try to persuade state reps to vote against legalization. It is crucial that state reps hear from supportive constituents before they cast their votes.

To go the extra mile, urge your friends and family to write their legislators in support of legalization and decriminalization by sharing the link on Facebook or Twitter.

P.S. The bill to allow flower cannabis in the medical cannabis program (HB 391) is on the move, too. It’s already passed the House and is scheduled for a hearing this morning in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee starting at 10 a.m. You can reach out to your lawmakers in support of the bill here.