Ask your legislators to call for amendments to HB 1598.

On Thursday, March 3, the House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing on HB 1598, which would  legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older and create a state-run monopoly to sell cannabis. (The full House approved the bill once, but then re-referred it to Ways and Means due to its fiscal impact.)

While MPP’s mission is to legalize cannabis, we are concerned that this approach to legalization will result in a costly boondoggle that will never get off the ground — at least until federal law changes, which could be years away.

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.

We also have a number of other concerns, including that the bill would re-criminalize cannabis-infused products. You can check out my written testimony on the bill here and our bill summary here. I won’t be able to make it to New Hampshire to testify in person. But perhaps you can?

What: N.H. House Ways and Means Committee hearing on HB 1598 (The committee is required to focus on the fiscal aspects of the bill.)

Where: Legislative Office Building, Room 202-204, 33 N State St., Concord, NH 03301

When: Thursday, March 3, 1:00 p.m.

How: Fill out a sign-up card (they're pink) and submit it to the committee. It is advisable to limit testimony to three minutes.

Please ask your lawmakers to fix HB 1598 and spread the word! It’s past time New Hampshire end its status as an “island of prohibition” — but it needs to do so in a way that actually works.

Ask your state senator to oppose changes to Florida’s democracy!

Alarming news! Tomorrow at 1:30 p.m., the Florida Senate Rules Committee will hear SJR 1412. If enacted, SJR 1412 would severely limit the rights of citizens to participate in democracy through the ballot initiative process! If the proposal becomes law, it will prevent a ballot measure on cannabis legalization.

SJR 1412 proposes a constitutional amendment limiting the scope of future citizen initiatives to only government structure or procedural subjects, effectively ending the citizen initiative process in Florida. Ballot initiatives are typically a last resort policy option when lawmakers refuse to act on the will of the people. Floridians were only able to obtain medical cannabis access through the ballot initiative process in 2016.  And direct democracy is Florida’s best hope for adult-use cannabis legalization, given the legislature’s inaction.

SJR1412 and its counterpart, HJR 1127, are the latest in a string of bills to radically change the citizen initiative process. In 2019 and 2020, legislators passed two laws making the citizen initiative process more cumbersome. In 2021, lawmakers passed a bill to cap donations Floridians can give to ballot initiative campaigns they support. That’s why it's critically important to stop SJR 1412 dead in its tracks.

We’re urging everyone to contact their state senator and tell them to preserve the constitutional rights of Florida voters. After you do, please consider urging a friend or family member to do the same.

Ask your senator to support legalizing cannabis this year!

Today, the House of Delegates approved a pair of bills that would allow voters to decide whether to legalize cannabis for adults’ use in November 2022. This historic vote marks the first time either chamber in Maryland’s legislature has voted on a bill that would legalize cannabis.

HB 1, the bill to refer the question of cannabis legalization for adults’ use to Maryland voters on the November 2022 ballot, passed the House in a vote of 96-34. HB 837, the companion bill that would be contingent on voter approval of HB 1, passed the House in a vote of 92-37.

HB 837 includes details for initial steps of cannabis legalization, such as possession limits, limited expungement, and funding for minority- and women-owned businesses. It does not set up a licensing or regulatory system, and simple possession and limited home cultivation would not become legal until July 2023. You can check out our summary of HB 837 here.

Meanwhile, the Senate is set to begin taking up their own bills to legalize and regulate cannabis for adults next week. The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing for Sen. Jill Carter’s SB 692 and Sen. Brian Feldman’s SB 833 on Thursday, March 3 at 1 p.m.

The hearing will be held in person and streamed live on YouTube. To provide written and/or oral testimony at the hearing, you must sign up using an MGA account. A tutorial on how to do so is available here. All oral testimony is limited to two minutes.

In addition to legalizing simple possession and home cultivation, both Senate bills would also establish a regulatory framework for an equitable adult-use market—which is not included in the House package. You can check out our summary of SB 692 here, and a summary of SB 833 here. Our feedback on SB 833 is available here.  

Thank you to everyone who advocated to improve the House bills and to achieve today’s historic milestone! Next stop is the Senate. Please consider testifying at the Senate Finance hearing next week in support of equitable legalization without delay and reach out to your senators ahead of the hearing.

Together, we can end prohibition in the Free State!

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!