Ask your lawmakers to support establishing an effective medical cannabis program and to stop criminalizing possession of small amounts of cannabis!

While cannabis policy reform is sweeping the Midwest, Indiana remains one of only 14 states with no effective medical cannabis law and one of only 19 that still imposes jail time for simple possession of cannabis.

However, as more and more states move forward, it’s only a matter of time before Indiana improves its laws. The legislature has convened for its 2022 legislative session, and several cannabis policy reform bills have been introduced, including bills to legalize medical cannabis and decriminalize possession of small amounts of cannabis. 

Additionally, a bill that would begin setting up a regulatory framework for legal cannabis has also been introduced. While Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) has not been supportive of adult-use legalization, he did recently say that he’s on board with having lawmakers pass legislation to get the state ready for legal marijuana if federal prohibition is lifted. Meanwhile, the Indiana Democratic party is pushing for broader reform, calling on state lawmakers to end prohibition and legalize cannabis for adults. 

Polling has shown that the majority of Indiana voters support legalizing cannabis both for adult-use and medicinal purposes. Still, the legislature must act in order to bring this long overdue policy change to the Hoosier State.

Make sure your lawmakers know this issue matters to voters; ask them to support cannabis policy reform:

Medical: Ask your state legislators to support a compassionate, comprehensive medical cannabis program.

Decriminalization: Let your lawmakers know it’s time to stop arresting marijuana consumers. Ask them to support changing the penalty for possession from possible jail time to a civil fine.

Legalization: Urge your lawmakers to end cannabis prohibition in Indiana and legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis for adults. 

After you reach out to your lawmakers, be sure to share this message with your friends and family in Indiana and encourage them to do the same!

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Email your state legislators today and urge them to support bringing Virginia’s cannabis laws into the 21st century!

Virginia’s legislative session began last week, and several important cannabis policy reform bills have already been introduced. The following pieces of legislation all appear to have a realistic chance of passing in 2021:

• SB 1406 would legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis with a strong emphasis on social equity.
• HB 2218 and SB 1333 would allow registered patients to use whole-plant, flower cannabis rather than limiting them to only the use of extracts.
• HB 2113 and SB 1283 would require automatic expungement of criminal records for past cannabis-related offenses.

It’s encouraging to see that the governor and many legislators want Virginia to move forward with cannabis policy reforms in 2021, but some elected officials still aren’t sure it is a good idea. If you live in Virginia, please write your state legislators today and urge them to support reforming Virginia’s cannabis laws by passing these important bills!

If you are a patient who would benefit from access to whole-plant cannabis, please also take a moment to email the members of the Health, Welfare and Institutions (HWI) Committee’s Subcommittee on Health Professions. They are scheduled to consider HB 2218 on Thursday, and it’s important that the delegates on this committee hear from you. If you have a personal story to share that illustrates why access to whole-plant cannabis is important to you, it would be great if you could include that in your message to legislators.

After you take action, please share this message with your friends and family!

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