With cannabis policy initiatives on the ballot in multiple states, and candidates across the country staking out their positions on legalization, every vote cast on November 3 will be pivotal in determining the direction of reform for years to come.
Pennsylvania missed an opportunity to legalize adult-use cannabis in 2026, with House Bill 1200 passing in the House only to later die in a Senate committee. Before the legislature convenes in 2027, voters have an opportunity to elect new lawmakers.
Alabama is one of only 19 states that still jails people for possession of small amounts of cannabis. It is undecided as to what will happen to the state’s limited consumable hemp market when federal regulations change in December 2026.
Possession of even a single joint (and up to one ounce) remains a Class A misdemeanor offense, punishable with up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $6000, and a mandatory six-month suspension of your driver’s license — even though more than half of Americans…
Voters are eager for reform: North Carolina remains one of eight states that do not have a medical program, and arrests folks for possessing even small amounts of cannabis.
I should be fired.For the past four years, I have tried to convince my party and my president to embrace marijuana policy reform. It should have been easy. After all, it is consistent with our core beliefs of freedom, individual liberty, personal responsibility, and federalism. But I failed. I know from personal experience as a former legislator who was the original lead sponsor of my state’s first medical marijuana law that drug policy advocacy by a Republican is not the third rail everyone reflexively…