Ask your councilmembers to support Councilmember Moreno’s cannabis “full decriminalization” ordinances.

“It is the policy of the Council of the City of New Orleans, that the arrest, prosecution, and punishment of individuals solely charged with simple possession of marijuana presents greater harm to the health, safety, and welfare of the City than the act of possession itself.”
— Proposed ordinance 33,328

In 2016, the New Orleans City Council passed an ordinance to “decriminalize” cannabis possession, replacing possible jail time with a modest fine. Advocates hoped the tickets issued would not count as a conviction for purposes of collateral consequences — such as related to student loans and job applications. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.

City Council President Helena Moreno has proposed an ordinance to remove the scarlet letters that have derailed the dreams of more than 15,000 individuals for being caught possessing a plant that is safer than alcohol. It would also pardon all future offenses, after they occur.

New Orleans can’t completely legalize cannabis locally, but this would come close.

Please take a moment to write your City Councilmembers in support and to spread the word to others. Our advocacy software makes it quick and easy.

The City Council’s Criminal Justice Committee will hear Council President Moreno’s proposals tomorrow — Tuesday, June 29 — at 2 p.m. You can also submit public comment here.

Many thanks to Council President Moreno and Kevin Caldwell and CommonSenseNOLA for spearheading this effort. And to each of you for your support for humane cannabis policies!

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Maine’s Office of Marijuana Policy has released a second draft of their proposed rules regarding the state’s adult-use marijuana regulatory framework. The updated draft can be found here.

On Thursday, May 23, a public hearing will be held in Portland on these rules. This is your opportunity to have your voice heard. Here are the details:

What: Public hearing on adult-use marijuana rules
Where: Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring Street, Portland, Maine 04101
When: Thursday, May 23 at 8:00 a.m.

If you cannot make it to Portland, public comment will still be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 2. You can submit your online public comment here.

I hope to see you next week and look forward to getting our adult-use program finally up and running.

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Yesterday, the Department of Financial Services released the first draft of the rules governing Maine’s adult-use marijuana program. These rules come from the work the Marijuana Legalization Implementation Committee did over the last two years.

As required by the Maine Administrative Procedures Act, a final draft will be provided at least 20 days prior to the date of a scheduled public hearing. Following the public hearing, an additional 10-day public comment period will occur. The rules cover cultivation tier sizes, license fees, packaging rules, and much more. You can read the preliminary rules here.

After you have read the rules, the state has set up an online form to collect public feedback. You can find the form here.

We are hopeful that the rules will be approved by the legislature this session, allowing for stores to open as early as late 2019. It’s been a long and winding road, but we are almost there.

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