Cannabis policy reform is on the move in Louisiana! Last week, seven bills to improve Louisiana’s medical cannabis program passed through committees without any objections. Those bills are scheduled for floor votes this week. Committee hearings this week will focus on criminal justice reforms.

Tomorrow, the Hawai’i Legislature kicks off its 2022 session. You might recall that last year saw several legalization bills proposed in both chambers — with one passing the full Senate. All of those bills are still alive.

This morning, New Hampshire’s GOP-controlled House of Representatives voted to legalize possession and home cultivation of cannabis ­— advancing HB 629 in a lopsided 241-113 vote. Unfortunately, it rejected a more comprehensive legalization bill that included sales — HB 237 — in a 163-170 vote last night.

New Hampshire’s legislature convened its 2022 legislative session today, starting another year where the “Live Free or Die” State is an island of prohibition, surrounded by states and a country where cannabis is legal.

Good news! Yesterday evening, the Louisiana House of Representatives voted to reduce the penalty for possession of 14 grams of cannabis to a fine of up to $100 with no jail time. This bill would save Louisianans the trauma, humiliation, and disruption caused by being locked in a jail cell for possessing a substance that is safer than alcohol.

The Virginia House and Senate deserve a round of applause for completing work on the adult-use legalization bills and advancing them to Gov. Ralph Northam’s desk. Although we are disappointed by the fact that cannabis will not become legal until January 2024, we are pleased that the final bill does not criminalize sharing of cannabis between adults or increase penalties for public consumption and underage possession. Unfortunately, both bills still include one very bad provision that would criminalize…

Overall, we are happy with the cannabis legalization bills that have passed the Virginia House and Senate. This week, lawmakers from both chambers are engaged in a “conference committee” that is working to resolve differences between the two bills. Unfortunately, both bills still include one very bad provision that would criminalize bringing small amounts of cannabis into the Commonwealth from another jurisdiction.

First, the good news: HB 350, the medical cannabis home cultivation bill, passed the House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee in an overwhelming 20-1 vote. Thanks to all who testified or signed in at the public hearing!

Despite overwhelming testimony from New Hampshire residents in favor of cannabis legalization at Wednesday’s hearing, the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted 14-7 to “retain” both legalization bills. As a result, the House will avoid voting on cannabis legalization until 2022, and adults who consume cannabis will continue being fined and arrested for at least another year.

Two legalization bills have been introduced in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, and both have been scheduled for hearings in the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on Wednesday, January 27, beginning at 11 a.m. The hearings will be conducted via Zoom, which means it will be easier than ever for Granite Staters to support ending cannabis prohibition.