Ask Senate leadership to put patients first.

Exciting news! The Minnesota House included a provision to allow raw, whole plant medical cannabis in its version of the Health Policy Omnibus bill.

But the only way for this provision to make it past the finish line is if the Senate concurs. With only one day left to pass bills, we need you to contact Senator Michelle Benson (R) and Senator Paul Gazelka (R) NOW to concur with the House and put #patientsfirst.

You use our free advocacy software to send a quick email to both senators here. Then, consider following up with a call to Sen. Benson at 651-296-3219 and to Sen. Gazelka at 651-296-4875. To make a public plea, Sen. Gazelka’s Twitter handle is @paulgazelka and Sen. Benson’s is @SenatorBenson.

Be sure to be polite and respectful. We want to persuade, not alienate, Senate leaders. And consider sharing your personal experience if this bill would help you or a loved one.

Minnesota is one of only two medical cannabis states that forbid cannabis in its natural, flower form. This drives up costs, threatens the financial viability of cannabis businesses, and deprives patients of access to the form of medicine that works best for many.

The medical cannabis provision was offered by Rep. Pat Garofalo (R) and adopted with bipartisan support. The Senate can either concur (agree and pass the bill as amended, with the provision adding raw cannabis) or go to conference committee to remove the provision.

If you want to see this provision become law, call Sen. Benson and Sen. Gazelka as soon as possible and ask them to put #patientsfirst and concur with the House! Then, spread the word to other compassionate Minnesotans.

Many thanks to our friends at Sensible Minnesota for leading the charge on this effort!

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Ask your legislators to support easing access to medical cannabis.

While many state legislatures have adjourned due to the coronavirus, the Louisiana State Legislature is back in action — with social distancing precautions — and is considering a series of bills to expand the state’s medical cannabis program.

On Wednesday, the House Health and Welfare Committee unanimously advanced bills sponsored by Rep. Larry Bagley (R) that would allow physicians to recommend medical cannabis for any debilitating condition (HB 819) and allow regulated home delivery permanently (HB 792). Next Wednesday, the committee is scheduled to consider several other reforms, including removing the prohibition on raw cannabis (Rep. Ted James’ HB 385).

Louisiana is one of only two medical cannabis states that continue to ban cannabis in its natural, plant form. Because extracts are far more expensive to produce, this drives up costs and results in a program that is out of reach to most of the state’s residents.

Let your lawmakers know these bills will improve the lives of suffering Louisianans.

Never doubt the impact constituent feedback can have on medical cannabis policy. The two bills that advanced out of committee are sponsored by a lawmaker who evolved from an opponent to a champion after hearing from constituents.

Rep. Bagley told Marijuana Moment he’d voted against previous medical cannabis bills. “But now, constituents in my area, they come to me and they ask me for help because they’re having pain, they can’t find things to cure the pain. …Now their personal physician can write them a script for [cannabis] and they can get it. Who knows you better than your personal physician? I thought it made perfect sense,” said Bagley.

After you write your lawmakers, please spread the word to other compassionate Louisianans, so that they, too, can raise their voices.

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Tell your elected officials to support reforming West Virginia’s outdated cannabis policies!

West Virginia’s 2020 legislative session is underway, and several cannabis-related bills have been introduced, including bills to improve the medical cannabis law, to decriminalize possession, and to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis for adults’ use.

It is unlikely that a legalization bill will be seriously considered in 2020, but there appears to be a much better chance that legislators will support improving the medical cannabis program. West Virginians have been waiting far too long for safe, legal access to medical cannabis, so it’s encouraging to see that bipartisan leaders in the Senate — Majority Leader Tom Takubo (R-Charleston) and Senator Ron Stollings (D-Madison) — have introduced SB 752, a bill that would allow patients to grow their own cannabis until an adequate supply can be established through the dispensaries.

Please contact your elected officials and urge them to support SB 752!

SB 752 would allow patients and caregivers to apply for “compassion certificates,” which would temporarily authorize them to possess up to 12 mature plants and 12 seedlings per patient. The bill would also make other beneficial changes, such as eliminating the restriction on selling cannabis flower at dispensaries and permitting regulators to enter reciprocity agreements with other states.

After you write your legislators and follow up with a phone call, please forward this message to your family and friends!

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If you live in Minnesota, ask Senators Michelle Benson and Jim Abeler to improve Minnesota’s medical cannabis law.

A conference committee is winding down its work on possible revisions to Minnesota’s medical cannabis law, and we need your help to convince lawmakers to side with compassion.

Please call Senator Michelle Benson at 651-296-3219 Senator and Jim Abeler at 651-296-3733 TODAY to politely ask them to stand up for patients by including flower (whole plant cannabis) in the Health and Human Services Omnibus Bill.

Currently, only costly extracts are allowed, and many patients cannot continue to access their medicine because they cannot afford it. Allowing non-smoked flower will provide relief to more patients.

The conference committee is made up of five members from the House and five members from the Senate. Our allies have secured the House-side votes, but we need help getting two more senators to vote in favor of the compassionate provisions.

That's where you come in! Please call Senators Benson and Abeler and then share this message with members of your community, so that they, too, can speak out for compassion.

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