On Monday, Governor Phil Scott signed S. 25, a bill that will strengthen the social equity provisions in Vermont’s cannabis legalization law. S. 25 requires the Cannabis Control Board to reduce or eliminate licensing fees for social equity applicants, which are defined as “individuals from communities that historically have been disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition or individuals directly and personally impacted by cannabis prohibition,” and it creates a Cannabis Business Development…

Emil Ekvardt from Great.com interviews Senior Legislative Analyst Matt Simon of MPP as part of their 'Great.com Talks With...' podcast. This series is an antidote to negative news stories that aims to shed light on organizations and experts whose work is making a positive impact on the world.

The Marijuana Policy Project — the nation’s largest cannabis policy reform organization — has announced the election of Sal Pace to serve as the new chair of its Board of Directors. Pace replaces Arcview co-founder Troy Dayton, who has served as MPP Board Chair for the last seven years.

When MPP was founded in 1995, just one in four Americans supported legalizing and regulating cannabis for adults in the United States. The stigma created by decades of cannabis prohibition and misinformation had a stronghold on the public conscience, even as millions of victims were continuing to see their lives shattered by harmful and discriminatory drug war policies. One out of every six inmates in the federal prison system was incarcerated for a marijuana offense, and only a handful of states…

Prior to the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee hearing on HB 1648, bill sponsors Rep. Carol McGuire and Rep. Renny Cushing will join leaders of ACLU-NH, Americans for Prosperity New Hampshire, and the Marijuana Policy Project to discuss the proposal CONCORD, N.H. — The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee will hold a hearing Thursday on HB 1648, legislation that would legalize possession and limited cultivation of cannabis for adults 21 and older in New Hampshire.  Sponsors…

Panel discussion at the Jupiter Room will feature advocates and legislative leaders — encourage your Manchester area friends to join the MCRC and attend this important event! If you live in or near Manchester, please join us on Thursday, November 21 as we launch the Manchester Cannabis Reform Coalition with an expert panel and Q&A session. Here are the details: WHAT: Manchester Cannabis Reform Coalition Kickoff, Featuring Panel and Q&A WHEN: 6:30-8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 21 WHERE: Jupiter Hall,…

A new survey confirms that an overwhelming majority of Rhode Island voters support legalizing marijuana for adults. The poll, commissioned by WPRI 12 and Roger Williams University and conducted by Fleming & Associates, found that 56% of respondents favor ending marijuana prohibition, while only 37% were against the idea. Another 7% were undecided. Leaders in the General Assembly have consistently refused to allow legislators to vote on marijuana legalization in recent years. This new poll provides…

Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Jared Polis (D-CO), and Don Young (R-AK) have formed the Congressional Cannabis Caucus to develop and promote sensible cannabis policy reform and work to ease the tension between federal and state cannabis laws. They represent constituents in four of the eight states that have enacted laws regulating cannabis for medical and adult use. Twenty additional states have enacted comprehensive medical cannabis laws, and 16 additional states have enacted…

Executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, Rob Kampia, discusses what’s next for the push to make marijuana legal in the United States: The state that will most likely be next to legalize is Rhode Island, which would be the first to do so via state legislature. Also this spring, the District of Columbia is expected to enact a similar law through its city council. There's also a real opportunity to legalize marijuana through five more state legislatures between now and 2017 – Delaware, Hawaii,…

A petition aimed at allowing the adult use of marijuana in Nevada has met its signature requirements and will be submitted to the 2015 state legislature. According to The Washington Post: Supporters of the measure to make marijuana legal in Nevada turned in 138,453 valid signatures, according to the Secretary of State Ross Miller’s (D) office, far above the approximately 100,000 valid signatures necessary to qualify an initiative. The Las Vegas Review-Journal provided a good rundown on where it…