It’s been an incredible couple of weeks for cannabis policy reform, Kate!

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham just signed two bills that will end cannabis prohibition in the state! The first, HB 2, legalizes cannabis for adults, while companion legislation, SB 2, allows for automatic expungement of past cannabis convictions and pardons for those currently incarcerated for low-level marijuana offenses.

The state legislature passed the two measures during a special session called by the governor, who has been a vocal champion of cannabis policy reform. With Gov. Grisham’s signature, New Mexico is now the 18th state to legalize adult-use cannabis and the fifth to do so through the legislative process rather than by voter initiative.

The Cannabis Regulation Act (HB 2) legalizes, regulates, and taxes cannabis for adults 21 and older, allowing for personal possession of at least two ounces and home cultivation of six plants. You can read a summary of the new law here.

Congratulations to all of the lawmakers and advocates who made this victory possible!

New Mexico’s success comes on the heels of a win in Virginia, where just last Wednesday, the legislature gave final approval to Gov. Ralph Northam's requested amendments — to speed up legal possession and home cultivation to July 2021 (versus 2024) — to a legislatively passed legalization bill. On March 31, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo also signed cannabis legalization into law. And, MPP’s work continues on legalization efforts that are still alive and well in the Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island state legislatures.

We’re up to 18 legalization states — and a record high of 68% of Americans support legal cannabis — so momentum is undeniably on our side. But there’s still work ahead, and each victory is hard-won. Make sure you sign up for our state-specific alerts and follow us on Facebook and Twitter so we can keep you informed about how you can help.

Onward!

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New York just legalized adult-use cannabis! 

Last night, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) received final approval from state legislators, and earlier today, Gov. Andrew Cuomo officially signed the legislation into law, making New York the 16th state to end cannabis prohibition and the third to adopt a legalization policy via its state legislature.

Under the legislation, adults over 21 may possess up to three ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of concentrate, plus adults can grow a maximum of three mature plants and three immature plants once regulations are adopted. Legal possession of up to three ounces is effective immediately. Additionally, the law includes provisions for automatic expungement, community reinvestment, and measures to ensure the industry includes communities that have been disproportionately targeted by cannabis enforcement. Our summary of the MRTA is available here.

We expect this to be a record-breaking year for legalization in state legislatures. Until today, only two state legislatures had ever passed cannabis legalization — Illinois and Vermont, both efforts led by MPP. Now, we may see two legislatures pass legalization this WEEK alone.

• New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called a special session, which started yesterday, to finish the job on legalization. During the regular session, the House passed an equitable legalization bill, but the clock ran out before the Senate could. Already, committees have advanced legalization during the special session.
   
• Today, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam formally recommended the legislature move up legalization of possession and home cultivation to July 2021. (The legislatively passed bill did not legalize possession and home cultivation until 2024.) The legislature will consider his changes — which the speaker supports — on April 7.
   
• In addition, Delaware, Connecticut, and Rhode Island — all of which MPP is heavily involved in — have a real chance of passing legalization legislatively this year.

Adding New York to the list, 38% of Americans now live in a legalization state. But, that means 62% do not, despite more than two-thirds of Americans supporting legalization. We need your help to change that, so please support our work to pass more bills through state legislatures by making a donation today. 

Congratulations to the Empire State on this huge victory, and kudos to all the advocates who worked to make it possible!

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Ask your state legislators to support cannabis legalization!

Good news! This weekend, Gov. Cuomo and legislative leaders reached consensus on the details of legalizing cannabis in the Empire State.

You might recall earlier in the legislative session Gov. Cuomo released his plan to legalize cannabis in New York – the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act. Legislative leaders also reintroduced the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, which has been introduced several times since 2013. Gov. Cuomo later revised his bill to address concerns around equity and penalties for possession and usage.

This past weekend, the two sides reached a deal. You can check out a summary of the proposed legislation here.

Please email your state lawmakers and ask them to support legalization.

Under the proposal:

• adults over the age of 21 would be allowed to possess up to three ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of concentrate, plus a maximum of 12 plants per household once regulations are adopted;
• a hybrid tax would be imposed, with a potency-based tax levied on distributors (0.5 cents/mg of THC for flower, 0.8 cents/mg for concentrates, and 3 cents/mg for edibles) and a point of sale retail tax of 9% state tax and a 4% local tax (with 75% of the local earnings going to municipalities and 25% to counties); and
• after regulatory and administrative costs, 40% of cannabis revenue would go to community grants reinvestment, 20% to schools, and 40% to drug treatment facilities and public education, including for a youth-focused public health education and prevention campaign, a statewide public health campaign on the health effects of cannabis, and for substance use disorder treatment.

​​​​​​​The bill is expected to receive a floor vote later this week! Please write your legislators now and spread the word. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as the bill progresses through the legislature.

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The House and Senate will need to work together to get this done — please contact your representatives and senators today!

Last week, Gov. Ned Lamont held a press conference with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and the two governors announced that they would work together with other governors in the region to end marijuana prohibition. Gov. Lamont said he would ask the Connecticut Legislature to pass a bill legalizing and regulating cannabis when it convenes in January.

This is a promising development, but we know that Gov. Lamont can't make it happen by himself — the House and Senate will have to cooperate to make legalization a reality. Please email your elected officials right now and urge them to support ending marijuana prohibition in 2020!

In other positive news, the Medical Marijuana Program Board of Physicians recommended that chronic pain and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome be added as qualifying conditions for patients 18 and older. Unfortunately, it could take up to a year before the additions are enacted, and the recommended requirements for a chronic pain diagnosis are far more restrictive than in most other states: doctors would have to document a chronic pain period of six months or more, an underlying condition causing the pain, and that other treatments have failed.

If the legislature does its job next year, adult-use legalization could be a reality by the time these conditions are added. After you write your legislators, please "like" our coalition on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and share this message with your family and friends!

Effective advocacy costs money, so please also consider supporting our efforts with a donation.

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Ask your lawmakers to support legalizing, taxing, and regulating marijuana for adult use.

Today, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed A08420 into law, which will fix the state's decriminalization law and provide for automatic expungement for those with certain misdemeanor cannabis convictions. The law will take effect in 30 days.

This reform will save thousands of New Yorkers from arrest and allow those with previous cannabis convictions to move on with their lives. It also reduces the penalty for possessing about an ounce of cannabis from a $100 fine to a $50 fine. For more details, read our full summary of the bill here.

While this improved decriminalization law is an important step forward, there is still work to be done to improve New York's marijuana laws. Unfortunately, the legislature failed to pass a legalization measure before the session adjourned.

The majority of New Yorkers support legalization. Let your lawmakers know you want them to pass legislation to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana for adult use in 2020.

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Ask your lawmakers and Gov. Cuomo to pass legislation to legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis for adults 21 and older.

Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes and Senate Finance Chair Liz Krueger have introduced a bill to legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis for adults 21 and older. But, there are just days left to get it passed this legislative session, which ends June 19.

Urge your legislators to legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis for adult-use this session!

The bill was introduced after months of debate between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature on how the state will approach legalization. Gov. Cuomo has said that he would sign the bill, but it does not yet have the 32 votes needed to pass the Senate.

The bill provides that an Office of Cannabis Management will be created and charged with regulating both adult-use and medical cannabis — which was adopted from Gov. Cuomo's earlier proposal. It would also expunge records of those previously convicted of possessing small amounts of cannabis, and 50 percent of the tax revenue would go toward establishing grants to fund programs serving communities that were disparately impacted by cannabis prohibition.

New Yorkers deserve a just, equitable cannabis policy. Contact your lawmakers and Gov. Cuomo today to get legalization across the finish line this session! Then, share the action link with other thoughtful New Yorkers, so that they, too, can raise their voices.

P.S. It saddens us to inform you that Doug Greene, a lifelong cannabis activist who worked tirelessly to reform cannabis policy in New York, passed away last week. His funeral service will be held on Thursday, June 13, 2019 at 1:15 p.m. at Knollwood Park Cemetery — 57-80 Cooper Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385.

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Last week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the state will hold a series of “listening sessions” to gather input on marijuana legalization from community members and stakeholders. Input will assist in drafting legislation to tax and regulate marijuana for adults’ use.

If you’re a New York resident, don’t miss this opportunity to make your voice heard. Sign up to attend a listening session here.

Fifteen listening sessions will be carried out throughout the state in the following locations: Albany, Glens Falls, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Long Island, Newburgh, Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Watertown. The first listening session is scheduled for Wednesday, September 5 in Albany. Find the full list of listening sessions here.

You can find resources on marijuana regulation and legalization on our legalization issues page, including reasons to legalize marijuana, background on how legalization is working in Washington and Colorado, and data showing teen marijuana use hasn’t increased after legalization.

It’s vital that lawmakers and the governor hear that their constituents want to replace marijuana prohibition with thoughtful regulation. Please spread the word, and voice your support!

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According to WSHU.org, New York’s health department is asking permission from the federal government to import out-of-state medical marijuana until its own program is able complete the regulatory process.

The program requires the health department to establish rules and license marijuana production companies. The health department, however, says that it will take until 2016 to get the program started.

[caption id="attachment_8141" align="alignright" width="300"] Gov. Andrew Cuomo[/caption]

Until then, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration has requested the Department of Justice to permit importation of medical marijuana from states with existing functional programs.

Although the federal government could potentially grant such a waiver, or simply exercise prosecutorial discretion, patients in the Empire State should not hold their breath.

MPP’s Rachelle Yeung says the federal government has been slow to recognize the medical benefits of marijuana, and that Gov. Cuomo has been equally slow to implement medical marijuana.

“I don’t want to speculate as to his motivations, but as governor of the state of New York, there are ways to expedite the process without asking for special permission from the federal government.”

Furthermore, Yeung relays that it typically takes years for the federal government to allow researchers access to medical marijuana. To avoid this delay, she and other marijuana advocacy groups are urging Cuomo’s administration to accelerate the regulatory and production processes within the state.

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