Volunteers needed — email info@nebraskamarijuana.org to get involved!

The Nebraska Legislature has adjourned for the year, and once again, prohibitionist lawmakers have prevented the passage of medical marijuana legislation. But the fight is far from over. The vast majority of Nebraskans support medical marijuana, and if a medical marijuana measure appears on the ballot in 2020, there's an excellent chance it will pass.

Nebraskans for Sensible Marijuana Laws is leading the charge, and they need your help. Last weekend, they collected an impressive 1,400 signatures in just two days, but there's still a long road ahead. They need as many volunteers as possible to meet their goal by the end of the summer.

Below are several volunteer opportunities coming up this weekend. Please contact the campaign field coordinators by emailing info@nebraskamarijuana.org to let them know which events you can attend.

SATURDAY (6/8):

LINCOLN - Haymarket Farmers Market
Saturday 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

OMAHA - Old Market Farmers Market
Saturday 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

LINCOLN - New Kids on the Block concert - Pinnacle Bank Arena
Saturday 6 - 8 p.m.

SUNDAY (6/9):

OMAHA - Aksarben Village Farmers Market
Sunday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

LINCOLN - College View Farmers Market
Sunday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

The campaign cannot qualify for the 2020 ballot without supporters like you. If you can, please get involved and volunteer today.

Thank you!

Contact your senator now in support of adding inhalation to the medical marijuana program!

Yesterday, a bill was barely defeated that would allow for inhalation of medical marijuana. Right now, patients are severely limited on how they can use medical marijuana.

But there's still hope! The legislature is back in session this weekend, and there is a chance to reconsider the bill and have another vote as soon as TODAY. Please write your senator right now in favor of allowing patients to use medical marijuana through inhalation.

Many patients with severe pain, spasms, and nausea need the immediate relief inhaled cannabis provides. Louisiana is the only one of the 33 medical cannabis states that fails to allow this important mode of administration.

It's so important to contact your elected officials, so please do so NOW. Then, spread the word to others in Louisiana, so that they, too, can speak up for a workable medical cannabis program.

As we celebrate this history-making progress, make a contribution to MPP to help us support smooth implementation of the law.

Big news! Lawmakers in Springfield just approved legislation to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older. The bill now goes to the desk of Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has championed legalization.

With the governor's signature, Illinois will become the 11th state to legalize marijuana for adults and the first to approve legal sales through the state legislature rather than a ballot measure. Legal marijuana sales are scheduled to begin on January 1, 2020.

The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA) will legalize the possession and purchase of up to 30 grams of marijuana for adults and establish an inclusive, regulated market for cultivators, processors, retail stores, and testing labs.

Crafting a bill that could get past the finish line involved a long and difficult negotiation process. Although we weren't able to get everything we hoped to see (such as home cultivation and delivery for adults), the bill is an enormous step forward. It will help hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans and set a new standard for addressing the harms caused by decades of marijuana prohibition.

The CRTA includes far-reaching expungement provisions, funding for communities hard hit by the drug war, and assistance to business applicants operated by those harmed by prohibition or from areas of disproportionate impact. It also legalizes home cultivation for patients. Read a complete summary of the legislation here.

This victory is the result of a collective effort, and there are so many to thank for their support: MPP donors who made our years-long advocacy effort possible; legislative champions Rep. Kelly Cassidy, Sen. Heather Steans, Sen. Toi Hutchinson, and Rep. Jehan Gordon; Gov. Pritzker; our dedicated lobbyists Pete Baroni and Kareem Kenyatta; Sen. Steans' cannabis policy staffer Rose Ashby; Clergy for a New Drug Policy; and all the individuals and organizations who worked to move the legislation forward.

We wouldn't be able to do this work without the support of those who contribute. Please consider making a donation today to help us ensure Illinois' legalization law is implemented quickly and smoothly, and to help us roll back prohibition in other states.

Late last week, Gov. Kim Reynolds vetoed HF 732, a bill that would have dramatically improved Iowa's medical marijuana program, including by allowing patients to use cannabis with the amounts of THC that works for them. The bill originally passed overwhelmingly in the House and Senate.

Patients in Iowa are suffering, and Gov. Reynolds has exacerbated their pain. It's inexcusable to withhold medicine that we know helps patients.

Contact Gov. Reynolds today and tell her "Shame on you for hurting Iowa patients!" You can shoot her an email through our automated system, or post to her Twitter or Facebook page. Remember not to say anything that is abusive, as that will only hurt our efforts.

After contacting the governor, email Speaker of the House Linda Upmeyer. Speaker Upmeyer refuses to bring the legislature back in session to override the governor's veto. Click here and tell Speaker Upmeyer to "Bring the legislature back to help Iowa patients."

Take action and then forward this email to your friends and family. It's time for Iowa to have a comprehensive medical marijuana program.

Earlier this week, the Texas Legislature adjourned after its 140-day legislative session. This year's session brought successes and setbacks. Prohibitionists went to great lengths to keep the status quo and some of their reefer madness unfortunately worked.

What Passed:

Industrial Hemp Legalization – HB 1325 legalizes industrial hemp in Texas and establishes a regulatory structure so that Texans may soon start growing hemp.

Limited Low-THC Medical Cannabis Expansion – HB 3703 removes the two-physician requirement for a medical marijuana card and expands the qualifying conditions to include: epilepsy, seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, spasticity, ALS, autism, terminal cancer, and incurable neurodegenerative diseases. It does not change the 0.5% THC cap. HB 3703 is currently on Gov. Greg Abbott's desk.

What Fell Short:

Marijuana Decriminalization – HB 63, which would have replaced possible jail time with a fine, passed in the Texas House but stalled in the Texas Senate after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made it his mission to kill the bill.

Comprehensive Medical Marijuana Expansion – HB 1365 would have expanded qualifying conditions for medical marijuana, increased the number of dispensaries, and established a research review board that could allow different amounts of cannabinoids. This bill passed in the Texas House but did not receive a hearing in the Senate.

Unfortunately, the Texas Legislature won't be back in session until 2021. That means two more years of patients suffering and needless arrests. We want to congratulate everyone who worked so hard to make progress, including Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy.

Support for marijuana reform is at an all-time high so let's keep our chins up and keep pushing. Together, we can change marijuana laws in Texas.

If you live in Delaware, write your lawmakers today and ask them to support HB 110.

The House Revenue and Finance Committee has scheduled a hearing for HB 110, legislation to legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis for adults 21 and older. The hearing will take place on Wednesday, June 5 at 2:30 p.m. in the House Chamber of Legislative Hall – 411 Legislative Ave, Dover, DE 19901.

Please ask your legislators to support legalizing, taxing, and regulating cannabis for adults 21 and older.

You can voice your support at the hearing by providing written or oral testimony. We particularly encourage testimony from supportive law enforcement, clergy, substance abuse and medical professionals, educators, and those who have been harmed by marijuana prohibition.

For more information on HB 110, you can read our summary here. Here you can find more information on providing testimony. If you provide oral testimony, you will be limited to two minutes. Please be polite and respectful, dress in business or business casual attire, and avoid repeating points that have already been made.

Written testimony can be submitted by emailing it to Chairman John Viola beforehand or by providing 11 copies to the committee staff in person at the hearing.

In other news, the Delaware Cannabis Policy Coalition is in the process of growing our network of supporters. If you are a member of an organization that might be interested in joining our coalition, we would love to hear from you.

Help us send a strong message to the General Assembly to end cannabis prohibition in the First State! Please show your support at the upcoming bill hearing, contact your lawmakers, and forward this message to your friends and family in Delaware.

Cannabis hospitality, delivery, and other improvements are coming soon!

Great news! In the past week, Gov. Jared Polis (D) has signed several bills to improve Colorado's cannabis laws — including to allow delivery and hospitality (cannabis cafés), to make investment easier, and to allow patients to use medical cannabis for anything a prescription opiate could be prescribed for.

The new laws include:

• HB 1234, which will allow home delivery in cities and counties that allow it. Medical cannabis deliveries can begin as soon as January 2, 2020, and deliveries to adult consumers can start in January 2021;
• HB 1230, which allows businesses like hotels or restaurants to set aside a location for patrons to consume cannabis — also in cities and counties that opt in. It will also allow licensed retail locations to sell small amounts of cannabis for use on-site;
• HB 1090, which allows publicly traded companies to invest capital in cannabis businesses; and
• SB 13, which allows patients to register to use medical cannabis (which is taxed at a much lower rate than adult-use cannabis) for any condition for which they could be prescribed prescription opiates. It also makes it easier for minor patients to qualify, by allowing any kind of physician (rather than just certain specialists) to sign their certification.

Colorado continues as a leader in cannabis policy, and these new laws are yet another step forward. Our hearty appreciation to the bill sponsors, governor, and all those who worked to get these measures through a difficult process!

If you live in Illinois, ask your state rep to vote yes to end cannabis prohibition in the Land of Lincoln.

The Illinois Senate just voted (38-17) to legalize and regulate cannabis for adult use! Now the bill moves to the House, which could vote at any time. There's no time to waste: the legislature adjourns on Friday.

Make sure your state rep is on the right side of history. Send an email or make a phone call today!

State lawmakers really do listen to voters, and just a handful of calls and emails per district can make all the difference. The vote is expected to be close.

In New Jersey, hopes of legalizing marijuana in 2018 or 2019 were dashed when the vote count came up a few votes shy. Efforts also stalled in New York and Connecticut.

Don't let this chance to end prohibition in Illinois slip away: Write your state rep today. You could also look them up on social media and politely ask them to stand up for justice there. And don't forget to rally your friends to do the same: Share this on social media or by email.

We have known for years that marijuana prohibition laws disproportionately harm communities of color. A 2013 ACLU report analyzing FBI arrest data found that black Rhode Islanders were nearly three times more likely to be arrested than whites for marijuana possession from 2001 to 2010.

State Representatives Anastasia Williams and Marcia Ranglin-Vassell have introduced legislation (H 5795, H 6069, H 6070, and H 6073) to address the disparate impacts of marijuana prohibition, and tomorrow afternoon, the House Finance Committee will hold a hearing to discuss their proposals. Collectively, the bills would direct regulators to study the disproportionate harms of marijuana arrests, establish programs to assist business applicants who have been affected, create an economic opportunity fund for reinvestment in communities most harmed by prohibition, and require marijuana business licenses to be distributed more equitably.

You can find details about the hearing and links to each of the bills here. If you are able to attend, please consider testifying in support of cannabis equity in front of the committee. The committee will meet at roughly 4:30 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday, May 29) in Room 35 of the State House (82 Smith Street, Providence).

Thank you.

If you live in Illinois, ask your lawmakers to end prohibition in the Land of Lincoln.

With only three days left until the legislature adjourns, the Illinois House and Senate could vote on legalizing marijuana any day. This would be the first time ever that a state legislature (as opposed to voters) legalized adult-use marijuana sales.

Make sure your legislators are on the right side of history. Write them today!

State lawmakers really do listen to voters, and just a handful of calls and emails per district can make all the difference. The vote is expected to be close.

Not only would Senate Bill 7 legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older, it would create the best legalization law so far in terms of addressing the harms inflicted by cannabis prohibition. Senate Bill 7:

• Includes robust expungement provisions to stop derailing dreams of those with past cannabis convictions;
• Directs a significant amount of the tax revenue to communities that have been hard-hit by the drug war; and
• Includes groundbreaking measures to ensure an inclusive, equitable industry. Equity applicants — those directly harmed by cannabis prohibition or from communities most harmed by it — will pay lower fees, be eligible for low-interest loans, and will get points on their applications.

Although the votes weren’t there to allow home cultivation for all adults, the bill also includes home cultivation for medical cannabis patients. Patients would also be exempt from all adult-use taxes.

In New Jersey, hopes of legalizing marijuana in 2018 or 2019 were dashed when the vote count came up a few votes shy. Don’t let this chance to end prohibition in Illinois slip away: Write your lawmakers today. Then, rally your friends to do the same: Share this on social media or by email.