Earlier today, a committee of 25 North Dakotans filed a 2022 ballot initiative petition to legalize cannabis. After a review by the Secretary of State and Attorney General, New Approach North Dakota will begin collecting signatures from voters. The campaign must gather more than 15,582 valid signatures by July 11 to qualify the measure for the November 2022 ballot.

President-elect Biden will soon announce his pick for the next Attorney General, and rumors are already swirling over possible candidates. For cannabis consumers and patients, as well as reformers, regulators, and members of the industry, few roles in the federal government will be more important than that of the United States Attorney General. 

Secretary of State and Attorney General must review the proposed initiatives before signature collecting can begin New Approach Montana, a statewide political campaign working to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana, today submitted two complementary 2020 ballot initiatives to the state government for review. The first is a statutory initiative that would legalize marijuana in Montana for adults aged 21 and over and establish a regulatory framework for cultivation and sales. The second is a constitutional…

Candidates for governor and attorney general have debated medical cannabis — find out where they stand before you go to the polls! Kentucky’s general election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 5, and the candidates for governor and attorney general have all been talking about cannabis policy. Here’s a brief overview of what they’ve been saying: In the race for governor, incumbent Gov. Matt Bevin (R) has indicated support for medical cannabis, but he has been harshly critical of Colorado and other…

Yesterday’s blue wave in Illinois poised to become a green wave next session Gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker, who has been a vocal supporter of legalizing, taxing, and regulating cannabis for adults’ use, appears to have handily won yesterday’s gubernatorial election. While official election results are still pending, both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times reported a margin of victory of around 55% of the vote. In the race for state attorney general, cannabis reform supporter…

On Wednesday, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions was narrowly confirmed as the new Attorney General in a 51-47 vote, split largely along party lines. MPP released the following statement from its federal policies director, Robert Capecchi: "MPP remains cautiously optimistic that the Trump administration will refrain from interfering in state marijuana laws. When asked about his plans for marijuana enforcement, Attorney General Sessions said he ‘echo[es]’ the position taken by Loretta Lynch during her confirmation…

[caption id="attachment_10197" align="alignright" width="170"] Sen. Jeff Sessions (PHOTO: Gaga Skidmore)[/caption] President-elect Trump's pick for the top law enforcement position is known for making some disturbing statements, particularly about marijuana, that have made activists extremely nervous about federal marijuana policy in the next administration. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), who is likely to be confirmed as attorney general in the coming months, has been pretty clear that he is no…

Today, the Vermont Senate Appropriations Committee voted 4-3 to approve S. 241, a bill that would end marijuana prohibition for adults and create a regulated and taxed system for marijuana production and sale. The bill has already been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. Next, S. 241 will move to the Senate floor for a vote by the full Senate, which will probably happen later this week. If it passes there, it will go to the House of Representatives, and the…

On Tuesday, the Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana held a press conference to announce the launch of an ad campaign featuring former Vermont Attorney General Kimberly Cheney highlighting the benefits of regulating marijuana. Cheney served as Vermont attorney general from 1973 to 1975. Previously, he served as an assistant attorney general and was elected Washington County states attorney. He has held a variety of other civic positions and is a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). The…

[caption id="attachment_9196" align="alignright" width="200"] Attorney General Bill Sorrell[/caption] While many states will be considering making marijuana legal in 2016, Vermont may be the first to do so through its legislature. MPP's New England Political Director Matt Simon is so optimistic that he is moving to the state from nearby New Hampshire in order to spend more time working with lawmakers there. Now, the state's attorney general has predicted that Vermont will make history next year. VTDigger.org reports: [Attorney…