Two bills will be heard in the House Committee Administration of Criminal Justice on Wednesday, April 6. Both bills are very important to making our medical program just and functional.

Louisiana’s 2022 legislative session has convened and it will be an exciting one for cannabis policy reform. More than 20 cannabis-related bills have been introduced, including bills to legalize cannabis, expunge records, free some cannabis prisoners, prevent the smell of cannabis from being used for a warrantless search, and to expand the number of therapeutic cannabis pharmacies and cultivators.

The penalty for just under a half-ounce of cannabis is reduced to a fine. Louisiana’s new cannabis “decriminalization” law — HB 652 — took effect yesterday!On August 1, 2021, the penalty for possessing up to 14 grams of cannabis (0.49 oz.) was reduced to a fine of up to $100. For those unable to pay, the court shall use its discretion for alternatives, such as community service or installment payments. Thanks to the new law, possession of up to 14 grams is now enforced by a summons (like a traffic…

On Monday, the Louisiana Senate voted to pass HB 652 — which would reduce the penalty for possessing up to 14 grams of cannabis to a fine of up to $100. The House already passed the bill, so it now heads to Gov. Jon Bel Edwards’ desk.

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…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Marijuana Policy Project is continuing to fight for safe access to cannabis and policies to roll back the devastating war on marijuana.Today, MPP — along with the Last Prisoner Project, Law Enforcement Action Partnership, Clergy for a New Drug Policy, Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, National Cannabis Industry Association, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) — sent a letter urging law enforcement officials…

The 2016 Tennessee legislative session, which ended on April 23, saw an incremental improvement in the state’s marijuana policies. Last week, Gov. Bill Haslam signed HB 1478 into law, which will eliminate the provision that makes a third conviction for possession of marijuana a felony. The law will take effect on July 1, 2016. This change will reduce the penalty for third-time possession from between one and six years of incarceration to less than one year in jail. In addition, having a misdemeanor…

From the Huffington Post: In watching the evolving hubbub around President Obama's statement about drug legalization on Youtube on January 27, when he said, "I think this is an entirely legitimate topic for debate, [but] I am not in favor of legalization," I'm reminded of December 7, 1993. Sitting at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., someone at my table asked U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders if she would support legalizing drugs as a way of curbing drug-related violence. Her now-famous…

President Obama held another public forum yesterday on Youtube, and once again the questions were dominated by concerns about our nation's drug policies. Many in the reform movement were worried that we would be ignored or laughed off again. Well, the President did respond: We at MPP are pleased that President Obama is at least taking the issue of drug policy reform seriously. But his response is not much better than what President Bush might have said. Yes, we need to improve access to drug treatment…