Email your representatives and encourage them to support creating a more equitable cannabis regulation policy!

On March 25, the Vermont Senate passed S. 25, a bill that would strengthen the social equity provisions in Vermont’s cannabis legalization law. The bill would require 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.”

It would also create a Cannabis Business Development Fund to assist these applicants.

Additionally, the bill would incentivize municipalities to vote on whether to approve retail sales by March 2023; if they fail to hold a vote, they will be considered to have opted into allowing retail sales.

Write your representatives today and urge them to support improving Vermont’s cannabis regulation policies!

In other news, Gov. Phil Scott finally appointed three members to the Cannabis Control Board, more than two and a half months after his deadline to do so. If they are confirmed by the Senate, they will begin working to establish regulations for Vermont’s adult-use cannabis market. Retail sales are expected to begin in the fall of 2022.

After you write your representatives, please share this message with your family and friends.

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After Prop 1's victory last November, we celebrated the end of marijuana prohibition in Michigan. But the effort to move marijuana policy reform forward isn't over. The frontlines have now shifted to cities and towns, where many municipalities are imposing bans on marijuana businesses in their jurisdictions.

It's not only about holding the line. Local activism opens up the possibility of more progress, too. Organizers in Ann Arbor, for example, are working to put a social use initiative on the ballot in 2020.

We encourage supporters of sensible marijuana policies in Michigan to get involved in political spaces at the local level in two main ways:

• Get to know your city council members and attend local meetings. Express your views on how you think legal marijuana could benefit your community — just remember to always be respectful.
  
  
• Help organize a local petition effort to repeal bans on marijuana businesses. Prop 1 allows residents to place certain marijuana policy questions on the ballot, provided they collect enough signatures, equal to 5% of the number of votes cast for governor. Click here to see a map of cities and towns where bans have already been enacted or are pending.

In some communities, bans on marijuana businesses are being imposed despite the fact that a majority of residents voted for Prop 1. We cannot sit on the sidelines while the will of the voters is ignored by city officials.

Let's bring our movement for sensible marijuana policies to the local level in 2019!

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