With the majority of Americans now supporting marijuana legalization, and with legalization being a key component of broader criminal justice reform — a top issue among voters — primary constituents want to hear where candidates stand on our issue.

As MPP’s director of federal policies, I am currently on the ground for primary week in New Hampshire, attending campaign events and town halls all over the state and relentlessly pursuing the Democratic presidential hopefuls concerning their positions on cannabis.

From Claremont to Nashua, I am engaging with the candidates and working to raise the profile of marijuana policy reform in the presidential election. It’s important that we hold candidates accountable for their positions, and last week, I recorded a short conversation with Joe Biden in which the former vice president appeared to shift from his typical opposition to fully legalizing marijuana.

"I think it is at the point where it has to be, basically, legalized," Biden said in the recording, though it’s unclear whether the former vice president’s position on marijuana legalization has officially changed. You can hear the whole exchange, featured on Politico, here.

Although it sounded like Biden was on the verge of endorsing legalization (as all the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have, Bloomberg excepted), he failed to clarify his position and ultimately, only made it more unclear. As I told Marijuana Moment, “it turned out to be a big nothing.”

At the conclusion of our taped dialogue, however, I urged Biden to raise the issue with the American electorate, discuss it on the debate stage, and address the conflict between state and federal marijuana laws.

These on-the-ground efforts are just one of the ways MPP is working to drive the conversation on federal marijuana policy, both nationally and locally. Help us continue these kinds of exchanges and keep injecting marijuana policy reform into the discussion by making a donation today.

— Don Murphy, Director of Federal Policies

Urge your representatives to support S. 54!

The Vermont Ways and Means Committee approved S. 54 this week in an 8-3 vote. The bill to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis sales appears likely to receive a vote in the full House within the next couple of weeks.

Please contact your representatives now and ask for their support!

The House has amended the bill, including by changing the tax rate to a flat 20% (in the Senate’s version, it’s 16% plus a 2% local option tax), but none of the changes are final. Assuming the bill passes the House, it will proceed to a conference committee, where members of the House and Senate will work to resolve their differences and agree on a single version of the bill to send to Gov. Phil Scott’s desk.

You can read an updated summary of the bill here.

Vermonters have already waited far too long for legal, regulated sales of cannabis. After you contact your representatives, please share this message with your family and friends!

Focus returns to the House legalization bill and Gov. Chris Sununu — Email your legislators and call the governor!

Yesterday morning, the medical cannabis home cultivation bill (SB 420) passed the Senate in a voice vote. Next, it will proceed to the House, which has passed similar bills by overwhelming margins. Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a similar bill in 2019, and the Senate was three votes short of overriding his veto, so either the governor or three senators will need to change their positions if the bill is to become law this year.

While we wait for the House to schedule a hearing on SB 420, we will resume focus on HB 1648, the adult-use legalization bill that is pending in the House. Yesterday’s House session was cancelled because of snow, so the vote is currently expected on February 19 or 20.

Please email your elected officials and call Gov. Sununu today!

We are running a Facebook ad to promote the bill to the general public.

Please donate to help us reach more Granite Staters with our message of support for HB 1648!

Support the 2020 adult-use legalization ballot campaign!

It’s not an exaggeration to say that 2020 could be a game-changer for our movement. With voter referendum efforts in several conservative states underway, a serious campaign in South Dakota has already qualified an adult-use legalization initiative for the 2020 ballot, which will appear alongside a separate medical marijuana proposal. MPP staff are playing a central role in guiding the campaign, and we know that with sufficient resources to fight back against the opposition, the measure has a great shot at becoming law.

South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws is the committee leading the charge, and they need your help right now.

Imagine the nation seeing marijuana prohibition defeated on the ballot in a right-leaning, rural state like South Dakota. A victory like this would force Congress and both major parties to accept that the political will and public consensus around marijuana legalization is undeniable.

Of course, legalizing and regulating marijuana would also benefit the people of South Dakota by establishing a well-regulated marijuana market, creating new jobs, and generating tax revenue for important programs.

But none that will happen if we don’t support the campaign now. Prohibitionists will fight with everything they have to stop this, so get involved and contribute what you can.

Ask your lawmakers to replace marijuana prohibition with sensible, equitable regulation.

Today is the opening day of the Connecticut General Assembly. While last year’s efforts to end marijuana prohibition fell short, 2020 promises to be our best chance yet.

During Gov. Ned Lamont’s State of the State address this afternoon, he remarked, “We just marked the 100th anniversary of prohibition. How did that work out?”

He called for a coordinated regional approach to marijuana regulation to protect public heath and to “right the wrongs of a war on drugs that has disproportionately impacted our minority communities.” His budget includes new staff to prepare for legal sales in 2022.

Senate Democrats included legalization in their list of 2020 priorities, with Senate President Martin Looney saying, “We know there are very large numbers of Connecticut residents already traveling regularly to Massachusetts to buy this product... I don’t think we want to put our heads in the sand.”

Meanwhile, a recent poll found 65% of Connecticuters support legalization.

We’re ramping up our campaign. The Marijuana Policy Project hired attorney DeVaughn Ward, who will serve as co-chair of the coalition. During his years practicing law at his Hartford-based firm, he routinely represented clients who had their constitutional rights violated. Last year, DeVaughn was recognized as one of the “New Leaders in The Law” by the Connecticut Law Tribune.

But we can’t pass legalization without your support. Please write to your lawmakers today.

We also need your help to volunteer, write letters to the editor, and show up at the capitol at critical moments in the coming weeks. Please follow this link to sign up today!

We will be in touch soon to keep you in the loop on what’s happening at the capitol. This is our moment, and we need you now more than ever!

Ask your lawmakers to support HB 550.

Although Maryland decriminalized simple possession of marijuana back in 2014, thousands of Marylanders continue to have their lives derailed by possession arrests. With your help, that could change this year: Delegate Nick Mosby (D) has proposed a bill to stop many of these arrests by increasing the decriminalized amount from 10 grams to one ounce.

Email your lawmakers today and ask them to support HB 550!

The bill — HB 550 — is scheduled for a House Judiciary Committee hearing next Tuesday. You can voice your support for this important reform by testifying in person or submitting written testimony.

What: Hearing on the decrim fix bill, HB 550

When: Tuesday, February 11, 1:00 p.m. (Note that other bills are also scheduled during this committee meeting, so there could be a significant wait before the bill is called.)

Where: House Office Building, Room 101, 6 Bladen Street, Annapolis, MD

You can find guidelines on providing testimony here. If you provide oral testimony, you will be limited to three minutes. Please be polite and respectful and dress in business or business-casual attire.

Under HB 550, possession of up to an ounce would be punishable by a civil fine of $100 rather than a criminal penalty that carries possible jail time. Also, a person could no longer be charged with possession with intent to distribute based solely on possession of an ounce or less.

HB 550 would reduce the number of arrests and criminal charges for marijuana possession. Arrests for simple possession can be traumatic, and a criminal conviction can hinder one’s ability to obtain a job, housing, or a college education.

Please take a minute to email your lawmakers and ask them to support HB 550, and consider showing your support at next week’s hearing. Then, forward this message to your friends and family in Maryland and encourage them to do the same.

Urge your senator to support SB 420!

Last year, the New Hampshire House and Senate passed a bill that would have allowed patients and caregivers to grow a limited supply of cannabis. Sadly, Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed the bill. The House voted to override his veto, but the Senate fell three votes short of doing so.

A nearly identical bill, SB 420, passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee last week, and it is scheduled for a vote in the full Senate on Thursday, February 6.

For the sake of patients who are still struggling because of limited access to cannabis, please contact your senator right now and urge them to support HB 364!

Additionally, if you live in the Manchester area, it is especially important that you follow up with a phone call to your senator’s office. All three of Manchester’s senators voted against the bill in 2019!

SB 420 would allow possession of three mature plants, three immature plants, and 12 seedlings for each patient. The bill is critically important because many patients are unable to afford the products that are available at dispensaries, which are not covered by health insurance. For some patients, home cultivation is simply the best, most affordable option.

After you contact your senator, please share this message with your family and friends.

Contact your elected officials today and urge them to support allowing home cultivation!

Eleven states have legalized cannabis for adults’ use, and Washington is one of only two that does not allow home cultivation. Fortunately, legislation is advancing in Olympia that would legalize home cultivation of up to six plants per person and 15 per household.

Please contact your elected officials and urge them to support HB 1131 and SB 5155!

To have an even greater impact, show up in person at the House Appropriations Committee tomorrow, and sign in to register your support. Be sure to dress professionally and be respectful.

When: Wednesday, February 5, 3:30 p.m.

Where: House Appropriations Committee, House Hearing Room A, John L. O'Brien Building, 504 15th Ave SW, Olympia, WA

What: Sign in to register your support for home cultivation — HB 1131

Much like home brewing of beer, there is no good reason to deny adults the freedom to grow their own cannabis. For many Washingtonians, such as those who don’t live near a retail store, home cultivation would provide an ethical and cost-effective alternative to purchasing from the illicit market.

HB 1131 has already passed the House Committee on Commerce and Gaming in a 9-2 vote, and it has been scheduled for a hearing in the Appropriations Committee tomorrow afternoon. An identical bill, SB 5155, has been introduced in the Senate.

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

Controversial host community agreements have compromised the program’s swift and equitable implementation — tell state legislators it’s time for the Cannabis Control Commission to review and regulate these agreements!

There are now more than 30 cannabis retail stores operating in Massachusetts, and the state recorded over $400 million in sales in 2019. These are the first retail stores serving adults in the northeast, and we know that this is only the beginning of what will become a robust market throughout the region.

Unfortunately, the rollout of the program has been frustrating for many Bay Staters, especially those who are trying to get businesses up and running. In particular, the requirement that applicants sign host community agreements (HCAs) with municipalities has created significant problems, especially for smaller businesses. HCAs detail benefits cannabis businesses must provide to a locality, such as fees and “voluntary” donations. They are typically negotiated between individual business applicants and the locality, rather than localities having generally applicable terms.

Massachusetts law already caps the amount of financial benefits HCAs may require, but the Cannabis Control Commission has not reviewed HCAs to ensure compliance. There have been many reports of HCAs exceeding the limits of the law. Fortunately, the legislature’s Cannabis Policy Committee has advanced a bill, S 1126/H 3536, that would clarify the rules for HCAs and give the Cannabis Control Commission express authority to regulate them.

Please contact your state legislators and urge them to support this urgently needed reform!

Then, please share this message with your family and friends.

Email your state legislators today and ask for their support!

Yesterday, the N.H. House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted 13-7 to pass HB 1648, the bill to legalize adults’ possession and limited cultivation of cannabis. As the Concord Monitor reported, this is a stronger vote from the committee than last year, when it passed a legalization bill 10-9.

Next, the bill will be voted on by the full House of Representatives in early February. We need to continue building support in order to keep the momentum going into the Senate. Please email your state legislators today and take other actions in support of HB 1648!

You can read a summary of HB 1648 here.

Please share this message with your friends and family.