Last week, Gov. Chris Sununu signed HB 89, a bill adding autism spectrum disorder as a qualifying condition for the therapeutic cannabis program and adding moderate to severe insomnia as a qualifying symptom. This is welcome news, but most New Hampshire residents believe the state should go much further and legalize cannabis for adults’ use. A new poll published by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center indicates that three out of four Granite Staters support legalizing cannabis. This includes…

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…

This week, MPP sent a letter on behalf of the organization and its supporters to all members of the U.S. House of Representatives, calling on them to sign on as cosponsors of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2019 (H.R. 3884). The measure would federally decriminalize and deschedule cannabis, thus allowing states to set their own policies. It also contains strong social equity provisions with an emphasis on restorative justice for communities most impacted by cannabis…

Last Wednesday, Dale Quigley, deputy coordinator for the National Marijuana Initiative, a project of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, spoke virtually with North Dakota lawmakers, who began a study of adult-use cannabis 10 months ago. As policy makers in North Dakota continue to examine how legal cannabis is working in other states, Quigley presented findings from Colorado, one of the first two states to legalize adult-use cannabis in 2012. During his presentation, Quigley…

Ask your legislators to support easing access to medical cannabis. While many state legislatures have adjourned due to the coronavirus, the Louisiana State Legislature is back in action — with social distancing precautions — and is considering a series of bills to expand the state’s medical cannabis program. On Wednesday, the House Health and Welfare Committee unanimously advanced bills sponsored by Rep. Larry Bagley (R) that would allow physicians to recommend medical cannabis for any debilitating…

I’ve got some exciting news to share! Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, which has been leading a signature drive for a constitutional ballot initiative for the past year with MPP’s help, is now partnering with a new group to significantly expand their efforts. ADOPT, led by former Republican state senator Tommy Garret who has long fought for medical marijuana, views the measure as complementary to another goal: property tax reform. The organization will soon hire a paid petition firm to assist…

Early this week, former Republican House Speaker John Boehner announced his support for descheduling marijuana at the federal level. At the same time, he revealed his plans to become advisor to a multi-state marijuana industry firm with dozens of locations. This is a stark departure from his previous stance on marijuana. While in Congress, Boehner voted in favor of legislation that prevented the District of Columbia from implementing its voter-approved medical marijuana program for more than a decade,…

On Tuesday, Virginia was faced with a  choice between three candidates for governor, all of whom supported some kind of sensible marijuana policy reform. At the end of the day, they decided to back Ralph Northam, who was clearly the best candidate on this issue. Marijuana Moment reports: Northam, a Democrat, made marijuana decriminalization a centerpiece of his gubernatorial campaign, often describing the issue in racial justice terms. He also spoke about the medical benefits of cannabis. Here’s…

New Jersey will elect its next governor on November 7, 2017. Our friends at Marijuana Moment put together this useful guide on where the major party candidates for governor, Phil Murphy (D) and Kim Guadagno (R), stand on marijuana policy reform issues — please check it out! In brief, Mr. Murphy supports legalizing marijuana, and Ms. Guadagno opposes legalization but supports decriminalization. Additionally, this article outlines the views of the five declared candidates from other parties if you’d…