MPP proudly commemorates Black History Month. As we honor the history and achievements of Black Americans, we must also seek to advance policies that address systemic racism and reform our criminal justice system. That includes ending cannabis prohibition.

Ask your lawmakers to decriminalize or legalize cannabis before they adjourn! On June 15, the Georgia Senate Democratic Caucus proposed the Georgia Justice Act — a broad measure that includes more than a dozen provisions to address police brutality and racism. One of those provisions is reducing the penalty for simple possession of marijuana to a fine with no jail time. The legislature is expected to adjourn tomorrow, so the clock is ticking. Contact your lawmakers NOW to let them know it’s past…

Organizations to support The African American Policy Forum: A think tank of activists, academics, and policy makers working to address systemic inequalities. The AAPF also co-created the campaign #Sayhername as well as a groundbreaking report of the same name addressing the silence around Black women and girls and police brutality. Black Visions Collective: A Black-led, Queer and Trans-centered, Minnesota-based collective dedicated to transformative justice principles and a world where all Black…

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 FBI just released its annual Crime in the United States report, detailing national crime data for 2015. According to the report, marijuana arrests are at a two decade low. This is definitely a good sign, but even one marijuana arrest is too many, and more than one marijuana arrest occurs every minute. Huffington Post reports: ...authorities in the U.S. made 643,000 arrests for marijuana-related charges in 2015 ― or about one every 49 seconds. Charges related to the drug accounted for 5.9 percent…

Just days after the New Hampshire House approved a bill that would remove the threat of arrest for low-level marijuana possession, a man in jail on a possession charge died of unknown causes in his cell. NHPR reports: A homeless man jailed for marijuana possession and unable to come up with the $100 cash bail was found dead in his cell at the Valley Street Jail in Manchester Sunday. [caption id="attachment_9681" align="alignright" width="225"] Jeffrey Pendleton (Photo: NH-ACLU)[/caption] Jeffrey…

[caption id="attachment_7873" align="alignright" width="150"] Chief John Dixon III[/caption] The president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) expressed on Tuesday that he believes marijuana laws are total failures, reports mlive.com. John Dixon III is a police chief from Petersburg, VA and spoke at the annual NOBLE conference, saying that law enforcement is too concerned with arresting people for minor marijuana offenses that can irreparably harm those who are…

The movement to make Oregon one of the next states to make marijuana legal got a major boost Wednesday when the petition to put the question on the ballot received 100,000 signatures, reports Gant Daily.The measure is backed by New Approach Oregon (NAO), which reported the collected signatures exceeded the minimum 87,213 required to qualify for the ballot on Monday. The ballot initiative, called the Control, Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana and Industrial Hemp Act, would strictly regulate marijuana…

Moments ago, the Washington, D.C. City Council voted to decriminalize marijuana possession! The measure removes criminal penalties for possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for individuals 18 years of age and older and replaces them with a civil fine of $25, similar to a parking ticket. It also removes penalties for possession of paraphernalia in conjunction with small amounts of marijuana, and it specifies that individuals cannot be searched or detained based solely on an officer’s suspicion…

[caption id="attachment_7374" align="alignright" width="128"] Gov. Martin O'Malley[/caption] Gov. Martin O’Malley has stated repeatedly that he opposes decriminalizing marijuana, a sensible measure already adopted by 16 other states, including red states like Nebraska and Mississippi. Gov. O’Malley does not support measures being considered in the legislature that would remove criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana. One such bill passed the Senate in a bipartisan vote last year,…