Tell your state lawmakers you support SB 1206. Good news! Last month, Sen. Camera Bartolotta sponsored legislation (SB 1206) that would reform Pennsylvania’s DUI laws to stop criminalizing medicinal marijuana patients for driving long after any impairing effects of cannabis have worn off.Urge your state lawmakers to sign on as a cosponsor for SB 1206.Pennsylvania legalized the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes in 2016. However, state law continues to criminalize drivers for having any amount…

Contact your lawmakers and urge them to end cannabis prohibition. In May, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed a decriminalization bill — SB 2/ HB 972 — into law, making Virginia the 27th state to decriminalize simple cannabis possession. Today, the new law officially goes into effect! Starting today, possession of one ounce of cannabis or less is punishable by up to a $25 fine — the lowest fine of any decriminalization state. You can read a full summary of the new law here. While this reform is long…

Good news! On Tuesday, the Connecticut Legislative Regulations Review Committee approved allowing medical cannabis to treat chronic pain — although it narrowly defined the term. The Board of Physicians recommended adding chronic pain as a qualifying condition on September 27, 2019. Previously, Connecticut was the only state medical marijuana program that did not permit patients to treat chronic pain with medical marijuana. The revision permits medical marijuana to be recommended for adults with…

On account of the COVID-19 pandemic, many campaigns have had to throw in the towel on qualifying state initiatives for the ballot this election cycle — but not New Approach Montana. Instead, the campaign, which MPP is helping to lead, has come up with innovative approaches for collecting signatures as it races against a deadline to qualify for the 2020 ballot.This includes a new opportunity for Montana voters: signing the petitions from home. Use the link below to download and print using your printer…

Tell your state lawmakers you support allowing the sale of adult-use cannabis. We hope you and your loved ones are well during these challenging times. A recent poll commissioned by the Pennsylvania Cannabis Coalition shows Pennsylvania voters support allowing adult-use cannabis sales, particularly to meet anticipated budget challenges due to COVID-19. Voters polled in each region of the state preferred to see the state control, regulate, and tax the sale of adult-use cannabis instead of raising…

New Approach Montana, the political campaign working to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in the state, announced the launch of a statewide signature drive starting this Saturday in support of two complementary marijuana legalization ballot initiatives. “The ballot initiative process is an integral component of democracy for half of all the states,” said Matthew Schweich, director of state campaigns for the Marijuana Policy Project, which is supporting the campaign. “Campaigns across the country…

Urge your Minnesota legislators to support cannabis legalization. On Tuesday, Minnesota House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (D) introduced his long-awaited legislation to legalize and regulate cannabis in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The comprehensive bill — which Winkler deemed “the best legalization bill in the country” — reflects stakeholder input, including from his "Be Heard on Cannabis" tour over the fall and winter, and from organizations including MPP. It currently has 33 cosponsors. Coming…

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of our lives, including our democratic institutions and processes. Traditional methods of gathering voter signatures for ballot petitions are unsafe, and as a result, ballot initiative campaigns have been forced to search for alternative ways to meet petition gathering requirements without jeopardizing public health. New Approach Montana, which is working to put two marijuana legalization initiatives on the November ballot, recently filed a lawsuit seeking…

We hope you and your family are safe and well. Public health guidelines and safety concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic have made traditional methods of gathering voter petitions impossible. As a result, signature drives for ballot initiatives all across the country have been severely impacted. Though the chances of success were slim, leaders with Missourians for a New Approach explored a number of legal avenues that would allow the campaign to resume, including the possibility of electronic signatures.…

Let your legislators know Connecticut cannot wait another year. Just a few weeks ago, before life changed dramatically, S.B. 16 – An Act Concerning Adult Use of Cannabis – was primed for action. In February, Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney (D) and House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz (D) introduced the Governor’s Bill, which would allow adults 21 and older to possess and purchase up to one-and-a-half ounces of cannabis from licensed retailers. A summary of the bill can be found here. On March…