The Delaware House Health and Human Development Committee has scheduled a hearing for HB 150, legislation to legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis for adults 21 and older. The virtual hearing will take place on Wednesday, March 24 at 11 a.m.

President-elect Biden will soon announce his pick for the next Attorney General, and rumors are already swirling over possible candidates. For cannabis consumers and patients, as well as reformers, regulators, and members of the industry, few roles in the federal government will be more important than that of the United States Attorney General. 

Please reach out to your representative to ask them to support the bill to reduce police-civilian contact over the supposed smell of cannabis. The Virginia General Assembly has begun meeting — in unprecedented circumstances — for a special session. Lawmakers have already filed over 200 bills aimed at budgeting, criminal justice, and police reform. Several cannabis reform bills have been proposed, and the Senate has already approved two modest but important reforms: SB 5029, which would prevent…

Gov. Chris Sununu said “every idea should be put on the table” — submit written testimony urging the commission to recommend cannabis legalization as part of police reform! Last week, a new state commission began meeting to consider issues related to criminal justice policy reform in New Hampshire. Created by executive order by Gov. Chris Sununu, the Commission on Law Enforcement Accountability, Community, and Transparency has been tasked with considering several issues including “the current state…

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…

I just spent the last two nights immersed in work that is sadly too familiar. I found myself once again providing assistance to lawyers representing an African American family who had lost a loved one at the hands of the police. So often, I am drawn back to where my career began over three decades ago as a young civil rights lawyer taking on cases involving police brutality and the death penalty. For me, there was little distinction between Black and Brown people losing their lives on the street…

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…

Heading to Burning Man? Here’s what you need to know about Black Rock City’s and Nevada’s marijuana laws. If you are heading to Burning Man this year, you may be thinking about bringing cannabis to the playa, since Nevada has legalized marijuana. Not so fast! Before you head out, there are some important things you need to know: • Burning man is held on FEDERAL land, and the Bureau of Land Management will enforce federal law, which unfortunately considers all marijuana possession a criminal offense —…

MPP is proud to announce the launch of the Coalition for a Safer Illinois, a group of organizations and community leaders committed to replacing marijuana prohibition with sensible regulations. We know prohibition has failed in Illinois, and we think it’s time for a better approach. Check out the coalition’s new website, including our awesome members, like it on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter. If you are part of an organization that might be interested in endorsing marijuana regulation, or if…

In a survey released this week, Pew Research Center showed that 69% of police officers polled support allowing marijuana for medical or adult use, despite frequent opposition to sensible reforms from law enforcement organizations. Washington Post reports: The nationally representative survey of law enforcement, one of the largest of its kind, found that 32 percent of police officers said marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use, while 37 percent said it should be legal for medical…