Organizations to support The African American Policy Forum: A think tank of activists, academics, and policy makers working to address systemic inequalities. The AAPF also co-created the campaign #Sayhername as well as a groundbreaking report of the same name addressing the silence around Black women and girls and police brutality. Black Visions Collective: A Black-led, Queer and Trans-centered, Minnesota-based collective dedicated to transformative justice principles and a world where all Black…

We're pleased to announce that Steve Hawkins has been named the new executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project. Steve brings three decades of experience fighting for criminal justice reform, having previously served in leadership roles at the NAACP, Amnesty International USA, and the Coalition for Public Safety. The entire MPP staff is thrilled to welcome Steve to our organization. Steve began his career as an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund challenging racial disparities in the…

On Tuesday, Regulate Rhode Island and allies made a strong case to the House Judiciary Committee to vote on H 5555, the legislation to regulate marijuana similarly to alcohol. Click below to watch testimony from: Rep. Scott Slater, primary sponsor of H 5555 Jim Vincent, president of the NAACP Providence branch and co-chair of Regulate Rhode Island Dr. David Nathan, founder and board president of Doctors for Cannabis Regulation Rev. Jamie Washam, pastor of First Baptist Church of America Matthew…

The campaign in support of the Adult Use of Marijuana Act announced today that it has collected more than enough signatures to place the initiative on the November ballot. If you want to see California end marijuana prohibition this year, please sign up for the campaign to follow its progress and show your support for the initiative. The Los Angeles Times reports: A measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use in California appears headed for the Nov. 8 ballot. A coalition that includes…

The California State Conference of the NAACP formally endorsed the initiative to end marijuana prohibition in California known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA). It is part of a growing coalition in support of the proposal, which would regulate marijuana similarly to alcohol in the state if approved by voters this November. Alice Huffman, longtime president of the California NAACP, provided the following statement in a press release: “Creating a legal, responsible and regulated framework for…

Portland, Maine may become the first city to defy both state and national marijuana laws. Following a vote by City Council on Monday, July 15, voters residing within city limits will have the opportunity to decide whether to remove all penalties for possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for adults 21 and older. Portland’s City Council voted 5-1 to send the citizen-initiated marijuana legalization ordinance to voters on a November ballot, rather than immediately adopting it. The ordinance received…

The NAACP of Pennsylvania endorsed a bill to regulate and tax marijuana last week. Sen. Daylin Leach (D) introduced  SB 528, or the Regulate Marijuana Act, in early April. The bill would allow adults 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and to grow up to 12 plants. The bill includes safeguards to protect against driving under the influence and requires that the state develop a regulatory framework for overseeing marijuana sales. If enacted, Pennsylvania would become the third state…

A new study released today shows conclusively that in California’s largest cities African-Americans are arrested for marijuana possession at much higher rates that whites. In the 25 cities profiled, African-Americans were arrested at four to 12 times the rate of whites, despite much higher use rates among whites. This horrifying disparity is one reason Proposition 19 has earned the support of civil rights groups, including the California NAACP and the League of United Latin American Citizens of California.…

On the same day that the California NAACP endorsed that state’s ballot initiative to end marijuana prohibition (now officially named Proposition 19), our allies at the Drug Policy Alliance released a new study that shines a light on the systemic racial bias behind marijuana arrests taking place all across California. Among the report’s findings: “In every one of the 25 largest counties in California, blacks are arrested for marijuana possession at higher rates than whites, typically at…

In another example of marijuana policy reform’s growing approval by the mainstream political establishment, this week two major state-level political organizations gave their backing to local initiatives to end marijuana prohibition. Citing inherent racism in the government’s war on marijuana, the California state chapter of the NAACP announced its support for the Tax Cannabis initiative, which will appear on the California ballot this November. Meanwhile, the Washington state Democratic Party voted…