Ask your state lawmakers to legalize cannabis this year.

Great news! Earlier today, the Judiciary Committee advanced an amended version of Gov. Lamont’s proposal to legalize cannabis for adults over the age of 21 in a 22-16 vote.

Please email your state lawmakers and ask them to support legalization.

Here are some key features of the bill, as amended:

• Social equity applicant status is defined as an applicant with 51% ownership or control by one or more persons with an immediate family member with a cannabis-related conviction, a resident of a disproportionately impacted area for five of the last 10 years, or a resident of tribal land.
• Awards new licenses only to social equity applicants until January 1, 2024.
• Allows existing medical businesses to become licensed on September 1, 2021, after paying a hefty conversion fee.
• In addition to allowing adults to possess up to one and a half ounces on their person, it also allows up to five ounces in a locked location in one’s home.
• Decriminalizes possession up to four ounces.
• Creates a free erasure process for cannabis possession and sale convictions up to four ounces or six mature plants.
• Eliminates law enforcement’s ability to initiate a search on the basis of odor of cannabis or burnt cannabis.
• Establishes a Cannabis Control Commission to establish guidelines for the issuance of licenses.
• Establishes a 12-member Social Equity Council to further develop equity criteria, priority in licensing, and direct cannabis revenue.
• In first two years, all cannabis revenue would be directed to the general fund. In year three of legal sales and every year thereafter, 55 percent of the revenue would be directed to the Cannabis Equity and Innovation Fund, 15 percent to prevention and recovery services, and 30 percent to the general fund.
• Creates a cannabis business accelerator program.

It’s anticipated that the bill will now head to the Senate for a floor vote. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as the bill makes its way through the legislative process. In the meantime, please spread the word by writing your legislators and urging them to support legislation to regulate and tax the sale of cannabis to adults in the 2021 session.

Email your representatives and encourage them to support creating a more equitable cannabis regulation policy!

On March 25, the Vermont Senate passed S. 25, a bill that would strengthen the social equity provisions in Vermont’s cannabis legalization law. The bill would require the Cannabis Control Board to reduce or eliminate licensing fees for social equity applicants, which are defined as “individuals from communities that historically have been disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition or individuals directly and personally impacted by cannabis prohibition.”

It would also create a Cannabis Business Development Fund to assist these applicants.

Additionally, the bill would incentivize municipalities to vote on whether to approve retail sales by March 2023; if they fail to hold a vote, they will be considered to have opted into allowing retail sales.

Write your representatives today and urge them to support improving Vermont’s cannabis regulation policies!

In other news, Gov. Phil Scott finally appointed three members to the Cannabis Control Board, more than two and a half months after his deadline to do so. If they are confirmed by the Senate, they will begin working to establish regulations for Vermont’s adult-use cannabis market. Retail sales are expected to begin in the fall of 2022.

After you write your representatives, please share this message with your family and friends.

Yesterday, the New Mexico House and Senate passed a bill to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis for adults 21 and older during a special session called for that purpose by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. When she signs the bill, New Mexico will become the 17th state to legalize adult-use cannabis and the fourth to do so through the legislative process rather than by voter initiative.

You can read a summary of the final bill, HB 2, here.

Thanks to all who contacted their legislators and urged them to support this important reform!

In addition to legalizing personal possession of at least two ounces of cannabis, HB 2 will also allow home cultivation of six mature plants. A companion bill — SB 2 — would provide for automatic expungement.

Congratulations to all of the lawmakers and advocates who made this victory possible, including our allies at the Drug Policy Alliance.

Please share this excellent news with your family and friends!

The governor’s proposed amendments would also speed up expungements and sealing of criminal records; urge lawmakers to support the amendments!

As expected, Gov. Ralph Northam has asked the Virginia General Assembly to amend the adult-use legalization bill so possession and home cultivation will become legal on July 1, 2021 instead of waiting until 2024. The governor also requested other changes, including an amendment that would expedite the process of expunging and sealing criminal records, beginning as soon as state agencies are able to do so. Legislators will meet to consider these changes beginning on April 7.

Please write your state legislators and urge them to support the governor’s proposed amendments!

Unfortunately, Gov. Northam did not request an amendment to the provision that would criminalize bringing small amounts of cannabis into Virginia. We will continue to raise awareness about this problem with the law and work to get it changed in 2022.

In other positive news, Gov. Northam signed HB 1862, a bill that will protect medical cannabis patients from being disciplined or fired by their employers for using cannabis away from work.

After you email your elected officials, please share this news with your family and friends!

Please take action and contact your state lawmakers!

MPP and local advocates have been working for years to pass a law to legalize cannabis for adults in Rhode Island. With your help, we have a real chance of getting it done this legislative session.

Top political leaders, including Gov. McKee and the Senate Majority Leader, have introduced legislation to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis. You can read more details and find summaries of each bill here.

It is critical that your elected officials hear from you. Please take a minute right now to contact your state representative and senator by using our online action tool.

Tomorrow, the Senate Judiciary and Finance Committees will hold a joint hearing on both legalization proposals. You can find more information, including how to make your voice heard and provide testimony, here. The event will be streamed live on the General Assembly’s Capitol TV service.

While we are hopeful that this will be the year, lawmakers will not act on legalization unless they hear from enough constituents. Please contact them today.

Thank you!

New York just legalized adult-use cannabis! 

Last night, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) received final approval from state legislators, and earlier today, Gov. Andrew Cuomo officially signed the legislation into law, making New York the 16th state to end cannabis prohibition and the third to adopt a legalization policy via its state legislature.

Under the legislation, adults over 21 may possess up to three ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of concentrate, plus adults can grow a maximum of three mature plants and three immature plants once regulations are adopted. Legal possession of up to three ounces is effective immediately. Additionally, the law includes provisions for automatic expungement, community reinvestment, and measures to ensure the industry includes communities that have been disproportionately targeted by cannabis enforcement. Our summary of the MRTA is available here.

We expect this to be a record-breaking year for legalization in state legislatures. Until today, only two state legislatures had ever passed cannabis legalization — Illinois and Vermont, both efforts led by MPP. Now, we may see two legislatures pass legalization this WEEK alone.

• New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called a special session, which started yesterday, to finish the job on legalization. During the regular session, the House passed an equitable legalization bill, but the clock ran out before the Senate could. Already, committees have advanced legalization during the special session.
   
• Today, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam formally recommended the legislature move up legalization of possession and home cultivation to July 2021. (The legislatively passed bill did not legalize possession and home cultivation until 2024.) The legislature will consider his changes — which the speaker supports — on April 7.
   
• In addition, Delaware, Connecticut, and Rhode Island — all of which MPP is heavily involved in — have a real chance of passing legalization legislatively this year.

Adding New York to the list, 38% of Americans now live in a legalization state. But, that means 62% do not, despite more than two-thirds of Americans supporting legalization. We need your help to change that, so please support our work to pass more bills through state legislatures by making a donation today. 

Congratulations to the Empire State on this huge victory, and kudos to all the advocates who worked to make it possible!

Email and call your state senator today to let them know it’s time to legalize medical marijuana!

“The medicine that saves my life every day is illegal in South Carolina. I am asking my fellow South Carolinians, please support your veterans by asking your legislators to support compassionate legislation to bring this relief to everyone who needs it.”
 
— J., a female South Carolina veteran with PTSD and a severely painful kidney condition that medical cannabis has dramatically helped

Earlier today, the South Carolina Senate Medical Affairs Committee advanced the S.C. Compassionate Care Act in a 9-5 vote! After six long years of advocacy from patients and their loved ones, the S.C. Compassionate Care Act could get a Senate floor vote next week.

That’s where you come in …

We need all hands on deck to get this life-saving bill out of the Senate before the “crossover” deadline late next week. Here’s what you can do:

1. Send your state legislators an email asking them to stand up for patients.

2. Follow up with a polite call to your state senator.

3. Spread the word on social media, including by posting this action link.

4. Volunteer to phone bank from your own home. We’ll provide training and talking points on Friday, April 2 at 2:00 p.m.

Thank you for your compassion! Now, let’s get moving.

Ask your state legislators to support cannabis legalization!

Good news! This weekend, Gov. Cuomo and legislative leaders reached consensus on the details of legalizing cannabis in the Empire State.

You might recall earlier in the legislative session Gov. Cuomo released his plan to legalize cannabis in New York – the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act. Legislative leaders also reintroduced the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, which has been introduced several times since 2013. Gov. Cuomo later revised his bill to address concerns around equity and penalties for possession and usage.

This past weekend, the two sides reached a deal. You can check out a summary of the proposed legislation here.

Please email your state lawmakers and ask them to support legalization.

Under the proposal:

• adults over the age of 21 would be allowed to possess up to three ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of concentrate, plus a maximum of 12 plants per household once regulations are adopted;
• a hybrid tax would be imposed, with a potency-based tax levied on distributors (0.5 cents/mg of THC for flower, 0.8 cents/mg for concentrates, and 3 cents/mg for edibles) and a point of sale retail tax of 9% state tax and a 4% local tax (with 75% of the local earnings going to municipalities and 25% to counties); and
• after regulatory and administrative costs, 40% of cannabis revenue would go to community grants reinvestment, 20% to schools, and 40% to drug treatment facilities and public education, including for a youth-focused public health education and prevention campaign, a statewide public health campaign on the health effects of cannabis, and for substance use disorder treatment.

​​​​​​​The bill is expected to receive a floor vote later this week! Please write your legislators now and spread the word. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as the bill progresses through the legislature.

Email your delegates and urge them to support HB 590!

Last week, the West Virginia Senate passed HB 590, a bill that would allow medical cannabis patients to obtain edible products from dispensaries, in a 26-8 vote. This would be an important upgrade to the state’s medical cannabis law, which currently prohibits the sale of edibles. Next, the bill will be considered by the House of Delegates.

Please write your delegates today and urge them to support this bill.

The slow rollout of the medical cannabis law has been very frustrating for patients, but it appears that the long wait will soon be over. One potential roadblock was cleared recently when the state licensed its first medical cannabis testing lab. Patients are already able to register online, and it appears that the program is finally on the verge of becoming operational.

Once dispensaries are open, there is no good reason that they should be prohibited from selling edible products. Many patients find that edible forms of cannabis are most effective in treating their symptoms, and it’s important that they be available to patients in West Virginia as they are in other states.

After you write your delegates, please share this message with your friends and family.

Email your elected officials and urge them to support the legalization bill!

New Mexico lawmakers fell just short of reaching agreement on a cannabis legalization bill before the legislative session ended on March 20. Fortunately, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has called for a special session so the legislature can complete its work on this important issue. The special session will begin TOMORROW.

It’s important that lawmakers hear from you. Email your elected officials right now and urge them to support ending prohibition this year!

Polling has found that more than 60% of New Mexicans support legalizing, taxing, and regulating cannabis for adult use. The House passed a legalization bill, HB 12, last month, but the Senate was not able to agree on details and did not vote on the bill before the regular session ended.

Gov. Grisham expressed confidence that legislators would be able to complete their work and pass a legalization bill during the special session. “We must and we will forge ahead and finish the job on these initiatives together for the good of the people and future of our great state,” she said.

After you write your lawmakers, please share this important message with your family and friends.