Committees in both the House and Senate will vote on cannabis legalization later today

Exciting news: Rhode Island could soon become the next state to legalize cannabis for adults! 

Later today, members of the House Finance Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on an amended proposal to legalize and regulate cannabis for adults after several weeks of discussion among legislators and stakeholders.

Thanks to the work of MPP and local criminal justice reform organizations, a major change from the previous version of the legislation is the inclusion of a state-initiated process for the clearance of past misdemeanor and felony convictions for cannabis possession. A prior version of the General Assembly’s legislation would have required individuals to take action and file a petition with the court to have their records expunged. But under the revised language, tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders will receive relief automatically by July 1, 2024.

The amended bill also eliminates all registration and plant tag fees for medical cannabis patients and establishes additional provisions that allow localities to set their own cannabis policies.

Once approved by the committees, the bill is expected to advance to the floor of both legislative chambers soon before it goes to the governor’s desk. 

Stay tuned for more updates soon! 

On April 20, Delaware State University’s female lacrosse team was traveling back from end-of-season games in Florida. While driving on I-95 North outside of Savannah, the team’s bus was pulled over for driving in the left lane on the interstate. Delaware State is a Historically Black University, and the driver and most of the students were Black. 

A deputy was recorded saying, “There's a bunch of dang schoolgirls on the truck. Probably some weed.” With no probable cause, local police brought in a drug-sniffing dog and searched student bags that were stored under the bus. The 45-minute stop and search, which involved male officers rifling through the young women’s underwear and menstrual products, found no contraband and resulted in no arrests or citations. One of the student athletes wrote about the incident.

This isn’t the first time Georgia law enforcement has traumatized dozens of innocent Black young people in pursuit of marijuana convictions. 

On New Year’s Eve 2017 in the city of Cartersville, Georgia, police entered an apartment where there was a party without a warrant and found under an ounce of cannabis. They proceeded to arrest all 64 people at the party, all of whom, except nine, were people of color. They were held for between one and three days in the county jail in extremely overcrowded cells. The case was eventually dismissed, and the City of Cartersville agreed to pay $900,000 in damages.

Until the Georgia General Assembly removes criminal penalties for cannabis, humiliating and intrusive searches and life-altering cannabis arrests will continue in large numbers. Researchers have found that traffic searches disproportionately target Black Americans, despite the fact that they are less likely to result in contraband than searches of white drivers. Black individuals are also three times more likely to be arrested for cannabis in Georgia compared to white people, despite similar use rates. 

Yet, the Georgia General Assembly has refused to make sensible changes to its cannabis laws. Decriminalizing cannabis can reduce the damage that these laws inflict on otherwise law-abiding citizens. The supposed smell of cannabis is the most common pretext to search a vehicle. Legalization has been shown to dramatically reduce the number of traffic searches. 

Over 30 states have decriminalized or legalized cannabis. Let your legislators know it is past time for Georgia to join the majority of the country in decriminalizing or legalizing personal amounts of cannabis.

Share your story about why it’s time to legalize cannabis for adults.

Last week, the Hawaii Legislature adjourned its legislative session. The Hawaii Senate approved a legalization bill in 2021 that carried over to 2022. Unfortunately, the House never gave it a public hearing or a vote, and several other legalization bills died without a vote.

However, there is some good news: Both chambers passed HB 2260, which makes significant changes to Hawaii’s medical cannabis program. Most notably, it allows purchases, sales, and inter-island transport between dispensaries and extends the sunset on caregiver cultivation for an unlimited number of patients until December 31, 2024. The extension of caregiver cultivation rights is a huge victory for medical patients and was forged by support from cardholders and advocates like you. You can check out a full summary of HB 2260 here. 

On the legalization front, the Dual Use Cannabis Task Force held its first meeting last month. You might recall that in 2021, both chambers passed and Gov. David Ige signed SB 1139 — which mandated the creation of the task force. The task force is charged with exploring adult-use cannabis legalization and regulation, with a focus on its impact on medical cannabis. The Office of Medical Cannabis Control and Regulation is required to submit a report of the task force findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than 20 days before the legislature begins its 2023-2024 legislative session. The task force will meet every last Monday of the month from May until November. Its work is crucial as Hawaii continues to explore approaches to make cannabis available for adults over age 21. You can find meeting information here.

Additionally, as you likely know, election season is upon us, and every elected office in Hawaii state government is on the ballot this year. It’s imperative, now more than ever, that we let candidates know how important cannabis legalization is to create much needed revenue and jobs in Hawaii. As the election draws closer, we’ll be releasing our voter guide to let you know exactly where the candidates stand on the issue of legalization so you can be informed at the polls. 

Lastly, we know that personal stories can have a tremendous impact in persuading lawmakers to end cannabis prohibition. That’s why we’re asking you to please consider sharing your story with us as we continue to press for the end of cannabis prohibition in Hawaii. Let us know if you’ve been harmed by a cannabis arrest or cannabis prohibition. We’re also particularly interested in hearing from supportive former law enforcement, medical and substance abuse professionals, and clergy who support replacing prohibition with sensible regulation.

Mahalo nui loa for your continued support.

Ask Gov. Carney not to stand in the way of progress.

Exciting news! Today, for the first time ever, the Delaware Senate passed a legalization bill — HB 371 — in a 13-7 vote. HB 371 would simply legalize possession of up to one ounce of cannabis for adults 21 and older in Delaware. It passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee just one day earlier.

The bill now heads to Gov. John Carney’s (D) desk! Gov. Carney has been wary of legalization, so we are calling on Delawareans across the state to call the governor today and ask him to allow HB 371 to become law. You can then follow up with an email.

You may have seen this recent traumatic search of the Delaware State University women’s lacrosse team in Georgia make national news. Officers told the HBCU’s team during the stop, “marijuana is still illegal in the state of Georgia.” While Gov. Carney has spoken out against the incident, these searches are still happening right in Delaware. Ask him to stop racist pretextual searches and legalize cannabis in the First State!

In other news, a separate bill to legalize, regulate, and tax adult-use cannabis sales is now cleared for a vote on the House floor. HB 372 could be on the House floor as early as next week, where it will need a supermajority (25 votes) to pass. Urge your representative to support and pass HB 372 this year! You can also share this action on social media to help spread the word.

Thank you to the lawmakers, advocates, and residents who helped us reach this historic moment. After years of advocacy, Delaware is so close to finally legalizing cannabis for adults. We need all hands on deck to make sure we cross the finish line THIS YEAR!

After you reach out to the governor, please forward this message to your friends and family in Delaware and encourage them to take action too.

Tell your senator to get medical cannabis across the finish line!

With the end of the 2022 legislative session fast approaching, time is critical to urge the Senate to get Kansans access to safe and legal medical cannabis. In May 2021, the Kansas House of Representatives passed a medical cannabis bill, 79-42. The bill stalled in the Senate. In March of this year, Sen. Robert Olson introduced SB 560 in an effort to revive the efforts to create a medical program. Eventually, the language was adopted into SB 12, previously passed legislation.

A conference committee was called to resolve the differences and to move forward. The legislature is on break until May 23, but the conference committee can work in the meantime. We need you help encourage Senate leadership to ensure the committee meets and creates a workable medical cannabis bill.

Tell your senators to support medical cannabis!

Kansans have fought long and hard to alleviate the suffering of patients, and this bill will meet the needs of those patients. They should not continue to suffer without access to safe, lab-tested medicine or be forced to seek relief via the illicit market, where there is no testing and patients run the risk of arrest or robbery. Kansans are ready to join the other 37 states that have access to safe medical cannabis.

Spread this message to friends and family in Kansas to create a medical cannabis program this year! Together, we can get this done by letting legislators know we support this bill.

Contact your senator today and ask them to support HB 371!

Big news! Today, for the first time, the Delaware House of Representatives approved (26-14) a bill – HB 371 – that would legalize possession of up to one ounce of cannabis for adults! 

HB 371 now heads to the Senate for consideration. Please email your senator today and urge them to support and pass HB 371 this year!

By passing HB 371 this year, Delaware will save thousands of residents from police interactions and citations for simple cannabis possession. This is particularly important as adult-use sales begin in neighboring New Jersey.

Notably, HB 371 does not set up a regulatory framework for adult-use sales. Those details are addressed in separate legislation, HB 372, which is awaiting consideration by the House Appropriations Committee.

Unless the legislature also passes HB 372, adults will still have no legal access to regulated cannabis in Delaware. For equity, public health, and public safety, it’s important that HB 372 also passes this year. Because HB 372 has taxes and fees, it will need a supermajority (25 votes) to pass the House. As you may recall, a comprehensive legalization bill, HB 305, fell just two votes short of the needed 25 votes to pass earlier this year.

It’s important your lawmakers hear from you. Help make sure HB 372 crosses the finish line this year by urging your representative to vote YES!

Thank you to the lawmakers, advocates, and residents across the state who helped achieve today’s historic victory. Stay tuned for future updates!

This May, the Marijuana Policy Project is celebrating those mothers who are also advocates and pioneers in the cannabis space. We admire all the work that mothers do — taking care of their children and fighting for what they believe in. The women recognized here have, for one reason or another, decided to put everything on the line in their push for cannabis legalization. Their occupations range from legislators and journalists to waitresses and dispensary owners. The mothers we honor this month have found that the fight for cannabis legalization is very personal to them and to their children.

Starting with...

Brownie Mary

Born Mary Jane Rathburn in Chicago in 1922, Brownie Mary was a fighter for all rights. Her advocacy included the fight for abortion rights as well as for the rights of miners to form unions. After relocating to San Francisco, she married and had one daughter. Divorced by the 1960s, it would be 10 years later that she would first share a joint with major medical cannabis supporter Dennis Peron. That led her to the beginning of her crusade for the reform of cannabis laws.

While living in San Francisco, Mary held a waitressing job for 25 years as she simultaneously ran a side hustle of selling cannabis-infused brownies. After she was busted twice by law enforcement within a two-year period, she took her brownie business underground in December 1982. An unsympathetic judge informed Mary if she were caught a third time, she would land in jail.

While performing community service to avoid jail time, Mary was introduced to the Shanti Project, a nonprofit that assisted AIDS patients. She later began volunteering in the AIDS ward at San Francisco General Hospital, during which she would bake nearly 600 of her brownies a day for AIDS patients. This is the same year that her only daughter was killed in a tragic car crash.

After being arrested in 1992, Mary testified before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors about the medical benefits of cannabis. Her testimony led to a Board resolution that made medical cannabis possession the “lowest law enforcement priority” in arrests and prosecution. Soon after, Proposition 215 passed, exempting patients and defined caregivers who possess or cultivate cannabis recommended by a physician for medical treatment from criminal prosecution. It is thanks in part to Brownie Mary that patients can access medical cannabis in 37 states today.

Shonitria Anthony

A journalist and mom who indulges in cannabis, Shonitira Anthony is the face behind the “Blunt Blowin’ Mama” community. She began Blunt Blowin’ Mama to create a space for women and mothers who have cannabis in common to connect and be seen.

The overarching goal of her cannabis lifestyle platform is to normalize the conversation around cannabis. Although targeted to Black women, the Blunt Blowin’ Mama community is for anyone who enjoys cannabis, leads a proactive lifestyle, and is looking to connect with others in the same space.

Judy Ghanem

Former Executive Director of Compassionate South Carolina, Judy Ghanem has been fighting for the legalization of medical cannabis for years. Within the last four years, Ghanem has spent many hours at the South Carolina State House meeting with legislators in an effort to urge them to approve medical cannabis legislation in her state.

Judy’s advocacy began because she has a severely autistic daughter whose prescription medications resulted in her suffering from terrible side effects. After seeking medical advice from several doctors, an acquaintance suggested that she try hemp and CBD oils for her daughter. The synthetic THC did not work, but the cannabis oils did. Judy learned that so many other illnesses and disabilities can be treated with medical cannabis, and she continues her fight for a compassionate medical cannabis program in South Carolina.

Jessica Gonzalez

Cannabis advocate and Instagram influencer dubbed “The Mommy Jane,” Jessica Gonzalez credits cannabis for saving her life and her relationships. She contends that it was cannabis that made her a healthier and happier version of herself... so much so that she has made it her mission to normalize the use of cannabis and plant medicines and help eliminate the stigma associated with being a “CannaMom.”

Toi Hutchinson

Marijuana Policy Project President & CEO Toi Hutchinson is a former Illinois state senator who co-authored the state’s 2019 Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA), the most equity-centric law in the nation to legalize cannabis for adult use. The CRTA promotes equity and invests in the communities that suffered most through the war on drugs, serving as a model of cannabis legalization for other states to follow.

Toi's advocacy for this legislation earned her and three other Illinois legislators the title of “Marijuana Moms.” In 2019, Toi was appointed by Governor JB Pritzker as his Senior Advisor for Cannabis Control. In January 2022, Toi joined MPP as the organization’s President & CEO. Since her arrival, Toi has advocated for the decriminalization and legalization of cannabis nationwide. This Marijuana Mom is featured on the cover of Sweet Jane Magazine's May issue.  

Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family, individuals who mother, as well as the concepts of motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers. It was not long ago that a mother acknowledging access to cannabis helped them to be better parent may have landed them in jail and/or their kids in the system. Our jails are filled with parents, mostly Black and brown, who consumed cannabis for a variety of reasons.

This Mother’s Day, let’s remember those moms, let’s continue the fight for their cause and release, and let’s celebrate the way cannabis helps everyone, including mothers, and makes the world a better place.

Tell your S.C. state representative to fight for patients’ medical freedom.

“We suffered a setback procedurally in the House today. I can’t cry about it. I can’t pout about it. I can’t come back and lash out and try to hurt other people’s bills. That’s not productive. I just need to find out a way to get this thing on the merits up or down in the House and that’s what I’m going to be working on.” 
— Bill sponsor Sen. Tom Davis (R-Beaufort)

I am writing to share infuriating news. Earlier today, S. 150 — the S.C. Compassionate Care Act — was defeated in a procedural motion.

Before debate on S. 150 could begin, Rep. John McCravy (R) raised a motion claiming the Compassionate Care Act is a revenue-raising bill and as such was not allowed to originate in the Senate. Speaker Pro Tem Tommy Pope (R) — a staunch opponent — ruled in favor of the motion to kill S. 150 after a lunch break.

Pope noted that S. 150 levies a 6% tax on cannabis and claimed, “there is no exemption in the cannabis bill for the paying of [the standard 6%] sales tax.” But he is wrong — Section 4 of S. 150 exempts cannabis from existing sales tax, meaning the bill would simply levy the same tax rate on medical cannabis as applies to almost every other item sold in South Carolina. In other words, the revenue component is incidental, which is allowed in Senate bills.

House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford (D) appealed Pope’s ruling, and an opponent of the bill made a motion to table the appeal before it could be heard. In a 59-55 vote, House members tabled the appeal, making Pope’s ruling final and killing the bill. (The “yes” votes to table the appeal included two cosponsors of the House medical cannabis bill and two reps who had voted in favor of S. 150 in committee.)

Let your representatives know how disappointed you are in the House, and that you want them to fight for medical cannabis patients.

South Carolina’s legislative session ends next Thursday. If the House does not find some way to protect medical cannabis patients by then, voters should elect a more compassionate House in November. Every seat is on the ballot.

In a 9-15 vote, New Hampshire Senate defeats HB 629

Earlier today, the New Hampshire Senate voted down a bill (HB 629) to make it legal for adults who are 21 or older to possess and grow small amounts of cannabis. Only nine of the 24 senators voted for legalization.

Outrageously, the “Live Free or Die” State will remain an island of prohibition — surrounded by jurisdictions where cannabis is legal — for at least another year.

Sen. Becky Whitley led the floor debate in support of HB 629, explaining,  “The so-called war on marijuana has not worked. It does not make us safer, it wastes taxpayer dollars, and it has needlessly ruined lives.”

Polling shows 74% of Granite State voters support legalizing cannabis. But, year after year, the Senate has ignored the will of voters and killed House-passed legalization bills.

As you may recall, a Senate committee unanimously rejected a separate proposal (HB 1598) that would have legalized cannabis possession — but not home cultivation — while creating a state-run monopoly on retail sales. I urged significant amendments, explaining a state-run monopoly on cannabis sales is a poison pill that is extremely unlikely to get up and running due to federal law. The Senate agreed with the committee today, rejecting HB 1598 in a voice vote.

2022 is an election year, so voters will have an opportunity to elect a new Senate. Stay tuned for a voter guide as the election season approaches.

Important news! Next Wednesday, May 4, the application period for the cannabis retailer lottery ends. To date, over 3,000 applications have been submitted for the 12 adult-use retail establishments that are set to open following passage of Connecticut’s 2021 legalization law.

The application periods for the remaining license types close on the following days:

• Micro-cultivator: May 11, 2022
• Delivery Service: May 18, 2022
• Hybrid Retailer: May 25, 2022
• Food and Beverage: June 1, 2022
• Product Manufacturer: June 8, 2022  
• Product Packager: June 15, 2022 
• Transporter: June 22, 2022

Applications can be found here and must be completed through an online portal. Information about what is required to apply for each license type is available at ct.gov/cannabis. Interested applicants can also view a description of each license type here.  

As the adult-use market continues to roll out in Connecticut, we’ll continue to keep you updated on the progress.