Ask Gov. Edwards to sign the bill when it lands on his desk.

Exciting news! On Wednesday, the Louisiana Senate followed the House’s lead and overwhelmingly approved legislation (HB 819) to allow medical cannabis for any debilitating medical condition. HB 819 would significantly expand Louisiana’s medical cannabis program: Patients currently only qualify if they have one of the specifically listed medical conditions.

Ask Gov. John Bel Edwards to sign HB 819 into law when it lands on his desk.

Before HB 819 makes it to the governor’s desk, the House must consider a Senate amendment that requires cannabis sales to be entered into the prescription drug monitoring database.

Disappointingly, a bill to allow whole-plant, raw cannabis — HB 385 — did not advance before a deadline. Meanwhile, the House-passed bill to allow home delivery — HB 792 — was removed from consideration because the sponsor believes pharmacies already have the ability to deliver medical cannabis. (The Board of Pharmacy has granted them temporary permission to do so due to the coronavirus.)

Thanks for your support and compassion!

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Great news! Utah’s medical cannabis program will allow medical access by drive-through and home delivery. These options will allow patients to access medical cannabis without having to risk in-person transactions.

Drive-through access will be available as soon as medical cannabis pharmacies are equipped to offer it. At least two medical cannabis pharmacies — Dragonfly Wellness in Salt Lake City and a Perfect Earth location — plan to offer the service in July.

Home delivery will take longer to roll out. The Department of Health will begin accepting applications for couriers in July, with delivery anticipated beginning in the fall. This option is particularly important for patients who are homebound or otherwise deal with mobility challenges.

Utah joins 20 other medical cannabis states in allowing home delivery, and it is the third state to add the option during the pandemic.

Many thanks to each of the 10,000 MPP supporters who signed our petition to improve medical cannabis access during the coronavirus and to those of you who wrote Gov. Herbert to urge adoption of home delivery!

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Tell your state lawmakers you support allowing the sale of adult-use cannabis.

We hope you and your loved ones are well during these challenging times.

A recent poll commissioned by the Pennsylvania Cannabis Coalition shows Pennsylvania voters support allowing adult-use cannabis sales, particularly to meet anticipated budget challenges due to COVID-19. Voters polled in each region of the state preferred to see the state control, regulate, and tax the sale of adult-use cannabis instead of raising taxes. The poll also showed should cannabis be legalized, residents prefer licensed dispensaries over state-controlled stores.

Let your lawmakers know you want them to listen to voters and end Pennsylvania’s senseless war on marijuana.

Although many legislatures have adjourned due to concerns related to the coronavirus, Pennsylvania has adopted rules to allow remote voting. Early this year, Rep. Jake Wheatley introduced House Bill 2050, which improves on prior proposals to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in the state. Although the bill is not expected to pass this year, Rep. Wheatley’s bill adds to a rapidly developing conversation in support of legalization.

As the momentum continues to build for legalized, regulated sales of cannabis to adults in Pennsylvania, please take a few minutes to email your state lawmakers to add your voice to the growing number of Keystone residents who support marijuana legalization. With primary elections coming up, stay tuned for voter guides and other opportunities to get engaged as the election approaches.

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Call your Senator and urge them to include cannabis banking reform in the next relief package.

Yesterday, House leadership released a coronavirus relief bill that includes provisions to protect banks that service cannabis businesses from being penalized by federal regulators.

MPP has advocated for cannabis reform to be incorporated into COVID-19 legislation, including by sending a letter to House leadership and signing onto a letter with allies urging Congressional lawmakers to add the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act — or similar language — into the next pandemic relief package.

Due to current federal laws and financial regulations, most banks are unwilling to take the risk of prosecution or sanction to work with state-legal cannabis businesses. At a time when public health and safety are at the forefront of national consciousness, many businesses in the cannabis space are still forced to operate entirely in cash, thereby increasing the risk of virus transmission. Allowing state-legal cannabis businesses access to banking would improve both the safety and transparency of the industry, in addition to eliminating barriers to entry that prevent Americans from communities hit hardest by the war on cannabis from starting businesses.

The banking section of the new relief package, the HEROES Act, would “allow cannabis-related legitimate businesses, that in many states have remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic as essential services, along with their service providers, to access banking services and products, as well as insurance.”

While we expect this legislation will pass the House, which could have a floor vote on the relief package as early as this Friday, the fate of the bill in the Senate remains much more uncertain. Please call your Senator now and urge them to support inclusion of cannabis banking provisions in the HEROES Act.

We hope you and yours are staying safe and in good health during this time.

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Ask your legislators to support easing access to medical cannabis.

While many state legislatures have adjourned due to the coronavirus, the Louisiana State Legislature is back in action — with social distancing precautions — and is considering a series of bills to expand the state’s medical cannabis program.

On Wednesday, the House Health and Welfare Committee unanimously advanced bills sponsored by Rep. Larry Bagley (R) that would allow physicians to recommend medical cannabis for any debilitating condition (HB 819) and allow regulated home delivery permanently (HB 792). Next Wednesday, the committee is scheduled to consider several other reforms, including removing the prohibition on raw cannabis (Rep. Ted James’ HB 385).

Louisiana is one of only two medical cannabis states that continue to ban cannabis in its natural, plant form. Because extracts are far more expensive to produce, this drives up costs and results in a program that is out of reach to most of the state’s residents.

Let your lawmakers know these bills will improve the lives of suffering Louisianans.

Never doubt the impact constituent feedback can have on medical cannabis policy. The two bills that advanced out of committee are sponsored by a lawmaker who evolved from an opponent to a champion after hearing from constituents.

Rep. Bagley told Marijuana Moment he’d voted against previous medical cannabis bills. “But now, constituents in my area, they come to me and they ask me for help because they’re having pain, they can’t find things to cure the pain. …Now their personal physician can write them a script for [cannabis] and they can get it. Who knows you better than your personal physician? I thought it made perfect sense,” said Bagley.

After you write your lawmakers, please spread the word to other compassionate Louisianans, so that they, too, can raise their voices.

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Ask your legislators to stand up for medical cannabis patients.

On Tuesday, the North Carolina General Assembly convened in Raleigh for its 2020 legislative session. But — due to the coronavirus — it will operate very differently from prior years. Only about 20% of lawmakers were present. Committee meetings will be held online, and floor votes will be staggered to allow social distancing.

While the legislature’s operations have changed to protect public health, there’s no reason it can’t do the people’s business. One of the bills awaiting action is Rep. Kelly Alexander’s medical cannabis bill — H 401.

Let your lawmakers know you want North Carolina to join the 33 other states with compassionate medical cannabis laws.

It’s simply wrong to force patients to choose between their health and abiding by state law. Medical cannabis has been shown to relieve pain, seizures, nausea, and other serious symptoms. It’s allowed thousands of patients to reduce or eliminate their use of dangerous opiate medications.

Urge the legislators who represent you to listen to the 80% of voters who support allowing this safe, effective treatment.

After you take action, please spread the word by email or social media. The more North Carolinians that raise their voices for compassion, the more elected officials will heed the call.

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By Steve Hawkins, executive director, Marijuana Policy Project

The coronavirus crisis has abruptly forced all Americans to reexamine our priorities. Entire sectors of the economy have been shuttered as we reduce contact between people to flatten the curve and reduce the death toll. Elected officials and regulators, in particular, must reevaluate a wide range of government policies to ensure a swift, coordinated, and appropriate response to the pandemic.

One public policy that offers no benefit whatsoever during this time of crisis is our nation’s failed prohibition of cannabis. As governments work to minimize the negative impacts of COVID-19, it’s clear that punitive cannabis laws and unnecessarily strict regulations serve as far more of a hindrance than a help.

Some police departments and prosecutors have already determined that prosecuting low-level offenses such as cannabis possession is counterproductive and puts police, prosecutors, and the public at risk. For example, Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby ordered her staff to dismiss pending criminal charges against anyone arrested for drug possession and several other nonviolent offenses.

Meanwhile, news reports from other jurisdictions indicate that arrests for cannabis possession have continued, increasing the risk of exposure to coronavirus both for cannabis consumers and enforcement personnel and undermining health experts’ advice regarding the need for social distancing.

It would be a disaster if the coronavirus becomes prevalent in America’s overcrowded jails and prisons. Criminal justice reform organizations have called for the release of low-risk inmates such as those convicted of cannabis offenses. This step should be taken as swiftly as possible to protect all staff and inmates at correctional facilities.

In the 11 states where cannabis is already legal for adults, interaction among law enforcement and consumers has already dropped considerably, so fewer steps are likely to be needed. The other 39 states should immediately suspend enforcement and prosecution of cannabis laws for the duration of the national emergency. Not only does it protect public health, it also avoids wasting limited law enforcement and court resources during a crisis.

We must also consider the challenge faced by roughly three million medical cannabis patients across the U.S. Many have vulnerable immune systems due to age or a serious medical condition, putting them in the high-risk category with regard to COVID-19.

Although medical cannabis is legal in 33 states, many states have restrictive policies that frustrate patients who are seeking to avoid exposure to the coronavirus. For example, some states forbid deliveries of medical cannabis and others maintain criminal penalties against home cultivation.

Fortunately, several states have already adopted emergency measures to ensure that patients are protected. New York, Iowa, and other states have designated medical cannabis dispensaries as 'essential services' to ensure their continued operation during the crisis. Louisiana took swift action to allow deliveries, and Michigan is allowing curbside pickup at dispensaries so patients do not have to enter the building. A few states have begun allowing patients to renew their certifications via telemedicine rather than continuing to require a visit to a doctor. These are all worthy reforms that should be enacted in all states that have legalized medical cannabis.

Finally, as we dare to look beyond the crisis, it seems clear that states with legal cannabis markets will have a significant advantage over other states as the economy recovers from this pandemic. More than 200,000 Americans already work in the state-legal cannabis industry, demonstrating that cannabis can be an important job creator and driver of economic development in addition to being sensible public policy and a source of substantial tax revenue.

As we all take time to reevaluate our nation’s public policy priorities, cannabis and criminal justice should be important parts of the conversation. Policymakers, including state legislators, governors, and members of Congress, should take advantage of this opportunity to acknowledge that cannabis prohibition does not protect public health and safety, and they should support enacting reasonable policy alternatives on both a temporary and permanent basis.

There will be many policy lessons that emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. One should be that we can achieve better health, safety, and economic outcomes if we replace cannabis prohibition with a thoughtfully regulated system of sales to adults and take other steps to reduce the number of low-risk offenders who become entrapped in our criminal justice system.

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Medical cannabis delivery and curbside pickup will be available to registered D.C. patients!

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, these measures went into effect today and will expire either August 12 or 45 days after D.C.’s public health emergency order is lifted.

Under the emergency rulemaking announced by Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Department of Health, D.C.’s seven licensed dispensaries, under a series of regulations, are permitted to:

• Deliver medical cannabis to registered qualifying patients and caregivers at a D.C. residential address between the hours of 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
• Dispense medical cannabis through curbside pickup or at-the-door pickup to a registered patient or caregiver.

You can find a list of licensed dispensaries in D.C. here.

These actions are critically important to ensure patients can access their medicine while promoting social distancing. A number of states with medical cannabis programs have already implemented these measures in response to coronavirus.

Thank you to everyone who took action to encourage Mayor Bowser to implement these measures. Be sure to share this exciting news with your family and friends in the District!

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Ask Gov. Herbert to allow home delivery.

As coronavirus has dramatically changed life across the country, MPP and our allies have been working to ensure medical cannabis patients can safely access their medicine. Unfortunately, Utah is one of the few states that hasn’t stepped up to ensure safe access to medical cannabis.

Because Gov. Herbert hasn’t issued a stay-at-home order, Utah has not issued a list of “essential businesses.” If it does so, we’ll want to ensure medical cannabis businesses are included and allowed to remain open. Meanwhile, other states have gone further: Some have begun allowing home delivery and telemedicine recommendations to avoid unnecessary interpersonal contact. Others have extended certifications’ expiration dates and eased the process for staffing up as more workers have to stay home — due to children or their health.

Please take a few minutes to let Gov. Herbert know you want him to follow suit. Urge him to deem medical cannabis businesses “essential,” to allow home delivery during the crisis, and to otherwise make temporary modifications to the medical cannabis program to ensure patients have the medicines they depend on. You can go the extra mile by spreading the word to others, calling his office at 801-538-1000, or making an appeal on Twitter.

We also have some good news to share: In March, the legislature passed, and the governor signed, HB 425. This new law allows patients to access medical cannabis with a simple letter from their physicians, rather than having to get an ID card. Recommendations will expire at the year’s end, at which time ID cards are required.

Thank you for your compassion! We wish you and your loved ones well during these difficult times.

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Just a few weeks ago, before life changed dramatically, the Compassion Act (SB 165) was primed for action in the House. The Senate had already passed the bill in a 22-11 vote, and the House appeared to be poised to take up the issue. Then, unfortunately, the legislature was forced to leave important work unfinished in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

This setback is a tremendous disappointment for patients, who have been working for many years to convince the legislature to pass medical cannabis legislation.

Let your legislators know you want them to make this issue a top priority when they’re back in session — whether it’s a special session or 2021. Alabama patients who could benefit from medical cannabis have needlessly suffered for far too long.

Stay tuned for updates and opportunities to move the issue forward, including information relating to Alabama’s 2020 elections.

We wish you and your loved ones well during these difficult times.

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