Follow this link to contact your lawmaker right now and ask for a YES vote.Lawmakers today in the House of Representatives debated the MORE Act, which is now expected to get a vote by the entire House of Representatives tomorrow. For the first time, Congress will vote on a measure to end the federal war on cannabis.It’s a big deal. And it is a chance for you to have a direct say in the law-making process. If you haven’t already, now is the time to send a message to your lawmaker to ask for support…

Ask your state legislators to embrace reform in 2021.The North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice has recognized that cannabis policy reform is essential to racial justice. It is recommending reducing the penalty for possessing up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis to a civil fine and expunging past convictions. It also called for a study of legalization.Let your state lawmakers know you want them to heed this call when they reconvene next year.The task force includes Attorney General…

Ask your state lawmakers to support legalization, not just decriminalization, immediately, and to improve the regulatory bills! Exciting news! Yesterday, key legislative committees advanced two decriminalization measures and two bills to implement legalization and regulation of cannabis.These come less than a week after New Jersey voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot question to legalize and regulate cannabis for adults 21 and older. The referendum does not take effect until January 1, 2021,…

Legislators are also nearing final agreement on the bill to legalize and regulate sales — ask your legislators to support S. 54, then call Gov. Phil Scott and ask that he sign both bills into law! The Vermont House of Representatives took a huge step forward today when it voted to approve S. 234, a bill that will automatically expunge all criminal records for past cannabis possession offenses. The bill also decriminalizes possession of cannabis in amounts that modestly exceed the legal limit, which…

Contact your lawmakers and ask them to support legalizing cannabis! The Virginia Legislature convenes for a special session tomorrow to focus on budgeting, criminal justice, and police reform. There is increasing momentum from elected officials to consider cannabis legalization during the special session! Both the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and Attorney General Mark Herring have included cannabis legalization in their list of priorities for the special session, and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney…

Contact your lawmakers and urge them to end cannabis prohibition. In May, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed a decriminalization bill — SB 2/ HB 972 — into law, making Virginia the 27th state to decriminalize simple cannabis possession. Today, the new law officially goes into effect! Starting today, possession of one ounce of cannabis or less is punishable by up to a $25 fine — the lowest fine of any decriminalization state. You can read a full summary of the new law here. While this reform is long…

Exciting news! Yesterday, Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration took another important step to preserve safe access to medical cannabis during COVID by issuing a waiver that would allow home delivery of medical cannabis to patients and designated caregivers. The waiver implements one of the key provisions contained in Jake Honig’s Law that was signed into law in 2019. At the onset of the COVID public health emergency, Gov. Murphy’s administration issued waivers providing for curbside pick-up, remote…

Urge your state senator to call for a hearing and vote on S. 2535. On Thursday, the New Jersey Assembly voted in favor (63-10, with five abstentions) of a decriminalization bill (A.1897) that would decriminalize possession, manufacture, and distribution of up to two ounces of cannabis, reducing the penalty to a $50 civil fine. The bill would also create a virtual expungement process and prohibit discrimination in lending, housing, and public accommodations for prior offenses. You can check out a…

Urge your state lawmakers to support reduced penalties for cannabis. Good news! On Monday, the Assembly Community and Development Affairs Committee advanced a decriminalization bill in a 4-0 vote, with two abstentions. You can check out a summary of the substituted bill that advanced here. While the bill is a step in the right direction, it has some critical shortcomings that need to be fixed. It does not decriminalize or legalize possession of marijuana-related paraphernalia, being under the influence…

Good news! Last week, Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a bill (HB 819) that will allow doctors to recommend medical cannabis for any medical condition the physician “considers debilitating to an individual patient” that the physician is qualified to treat. Currently, patients can only receive a recommendation for cannabis if they have a medical condition that is specifically listed. HB 819 also adds several qualifying conditions, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, traumatic brain injury, and chronic…