Tuesday, November 3 is Election Day. This year’s elections will be critical in determining whether Pennsylvania will finally legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older. We’ve put together a voter guide on where the candidates stand on legalizing, regulating, and taxing cannabis for adults 21 and older. It includes responses to our candidate questionnaire, along with past public stances on legalization. Despite the pandemic, the issue of legalization has been front and center in Pennsylvania throughout…

The legislature is planning to resume its work soon — email your elected officials now and urge them to make passage of S. 54 a top priority! Vermont’s economy has been crippled in recent months by COVID-19. It is unfortunate that adult-use cannabis businesses were not already operating before the pandemic arrived, because they could have provided an important source of jobs and tax revenue during the crisis. Fortunately, the legislature will have an opportunity to finish its work and pass a final…

Because COVID-19 caused major delays in the signature-gathering drive, New Approach Montana — the campaign working to pass two complementary ballot initiatives to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana for adults 21 and older in Montana — is in a race against time to qualify the constitutional initiative for the November ballot! The constitutional measure (CI 118), which would allow the minimum legal age for marijuana to be set at 21, needs just over 50,000 valid signatures to qualify. The statutory…

Great news! Utah’s medical cannabis program will allow medical access by drive-through and home delivery. These options will allow patients to access medical cannabis without having to risk in-person transactions. Drive-through access will be available as soon as medical cannabis pharmacies are equipped to offer it. At least two medical cannabis pharmacies — Dragonfly Wellness in Salt Lake City and a Perfect Earth location — plan to offer the service in July. Home delivery will take longer to roll…

Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, advocates were working with lawmakers to push significant reforms to improve Rhode Island’s medical marijuana program and lower costs for patients. Now, with a serious economic downturn in the state, many patients are struggling with even greater financial hardships. Due to public health concerns, the General Assembly has suspended its session, and it is unclear if or when legislators will reconvene. Under normal circumstances, the legislature would be holding…

Take action and send a message to the governor now. Thankfully, Gov. Mike DeWine and state regulators have taken responsible steps to protect access to medical cannabis during the COVID-19 pandemic, including deeming medical cannabis businesses “essential” and allowing telemedicine consultations between doctors and patients. Several medical cannabis states are allowing home delivery for patients to minimize the health risks for an already vulnerable population. Gov. DeWine recently said he is considering…

Send a message and urge your lawmaker to support HB 3227. Many Oklahomans depend on medical cannabis to alleviate seizures, severe nausea, debilitating pain, and other serious health conditions. That’s why public health officials with the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority have deemed medical cannabis businesses “essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Just a few weeks ago, the Oklahoma House of Representatives approved HB 3227, which would authorize dispensaries to contract with licensed transporters…

Ask Gov. Herbert to allow home delivery. As coronavirus has dramatically changed life across the country, MPP and our allies have been working to ensure medical cannabis patients can safely access their medicine. Unfortunately, Utah is one of the few states that hasn’t stepped up to ensure safe access to medical cannabis. Because Gov. Herbert hasn’t issued a stay-at-home order, Utah has not issued a list of “essential businesses.” If it does so, we’ll want to ensure medical cannabis businesses…

Just a few weeks ago, before life changed dramatically, the Compassion Act (SB 165) was primed for action in the House. The Senate had already passed the bill in a 22-11 vote, and the House appeared to be poised to take up the issue. Then, unfortunately, the legislature was forced to leave important work unfinished in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic. This setback is a tremendous disappointment for patients, who have been working for many years to convince the legislature to pass medical…

Just a few weeks ago, before life changed dramatically, Kentucky’s medical cannabis bill (HB 136) was primed for action in the Senate. The House had already passed the bill in a 65-30 vote, and senators appeared to be taking the issue seriously, but unfortunately, the legislature was forced to leave important work unfinished in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jason Nemes (R-Louisville), expressed disappointment in the outcome but pledged to continue the fight in 2021. "We…