“Can an employer punish someone for doing something that is constitutionally protected?” That’s the question raised by a pair of articles in Colorado today that lay out the precarious work situation many medical marijuana patients find themselves in. While the constitutional amendment that established medical marijuana in Colorado says that nothing “shall require any employer to accommodate the medical use of marijuana in any work place,” the state also has a “Lawful Off-Duty Activities Statute”…

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s second term ends at the end of the year and because of his state’s term limits he will not be back, so the big question is who will replace Gov. Arnold? How about Zsa Zsa Gabor’s ninth husband, Prince Frederic von Anhalt?  Yes, the 80 year old, German-born socialite turned prince (after being adopted by a Prussian princess in 1980), will reportedly announce his intention to run for governor on Monday, and that his campaign platform will likely be titled “Return…

The California Supreme Court affirmed today that the state's voter-approved medical marijuana law (Proposition 215) does not prevent qualified patients and caregivers from possessing more marijuana than is set forth in the personal guidelines established by the legislature in 2004. While the outcome of this case, People v. Kelly, hasn't fundamentally changed California law -- not in our view, at least -- the decision provided necessary direction for law enforcement. Although his status as a legal…

MPP Nevada spokesman Dave Schwartz debates the merits of the ballot initiative proposed for 2012 that would allow Nevadans over the age of 21 to legally purchase and possess marijuana in small quantities. This is part two of an appearance on Jon Ralston's "Face to Face". 01/15/2010

MPP Nevada spokesman Dave Schwartz debates the merits of the ballot initiative proposed for 2012 that would allow Nevadans over the age of 21 to legally purchase and possess marijuana in small quantities. This appearance is on Jon Ralston's "Face to Face". 01/15/2010

Last night, Scott Brown (R-Mass.) beat Democrat Martha Coakley in a special election to replace the late Senator Ted Kennedy, becoming the first Republican to hold a Senate seat in Massachusetts since the 1970s. So what happened up there? To state it simply, the Democrats chose a bad candidate. They backed one of the most vocal and public opponents of the MPP-funded ballot initiative, Question 2, which decriminalized marijuana possession in Massachusetts in 2008. Question 2 was more popular than…

MPP California Policy Director Aaron Smith appears on CNBC to discuss AB390. He debates with other guests about the benefits of a system that allows the taxation and regulated distribution of marijuana to adults 21 and over. 01/13/2010

A new ABC News/Washington Post poll reveals that more than eight in 10 Americans (81%) support efforts to make marijuana legal for medical use, up from 69 percent in 1997. Fifty-six percent say that if it's allowed, “doctors should be able to prescribe medical marijuana to anyone they think it can help.” Last week the New Jersey state legislature passed a medical marijuana bill and yesterday Gov. Corzine signed the bill into law, making New Jersey the 14th state to provide its sick and dying patients…

Last night, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine signed a medical marijuana bill into law, officially making New Jersey the 14th state in the nation to allow qualified patients to use medical marijuana with their doctor’s recommendation. The law allows the establishment of dispensaries around the state, but it does not make it legal for patients to grow their own marijuana. This law means that New Jersey will no longer prosecute sick and dying patients who try to ease their symptoms with marijuana, but…

Pete Holmes, the newly elected Seattle city attorney, is already making good on his campaign promise to dismiss any marijuana possession charges that come through his office, the Seattle Times reported last week. Holmes dismissed two marijuana-related cases on his first day on the job, and several others are about to be dismissed, including cases taken up by the previous city attorney. According to the Times, Holmes’ predecessor, Tom Carr, had continued to prosecute low-level marijuana arrests even…