Author Archives: ushempmuseum
A Victory Over Some Illegal “Drug Courier Profile” Traffic Stops in Illinois
The Supreme Court of Illinois recently handed down a decision which found that some of the drug courier profile traffic stops in their state were illegal, and agreed with the lower courts that the drugs confiscated in five cases that had been combined for the court’s consideration, should be suppressed. The case was People v. … Continue reading
The Marijuana Justice Act Introduced In Senate
Senator Cory Booker Senator Corey Booker (D-NJ) has introduced comprehensive marijuana reform legislation, the Marijuana Justice Act of 2017. The bill would (1) remove marijuana from the US Controlled Substances Act, thereby ending the federal criminalization of cannabis; (2) incentivize states to mitigate existing and ongoing racial disparities in state-level marijuana arrests; (3) expunge federal convictions specific … Continue reading
Missouri: Marijuana Medicalization Effort Reaches Signature Milestone
Proponents of a Missouri voter initiative effort to legalize and regulate the therapeutic use and distribution of cannabis statewide have gathered over 50,000 signatures over the past several weeks. Advocates must collect a total of 160,000 signatures by May 6, 2018 in six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts in order to qualify the measure for … Continue reading
House Committee Blocks Veterans Equal Access Amendments
Two weeks ago, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted 24-7 to include the Veterans Equal Access amendment, introduced by Senator Daines (R-MT) as part of the 2018 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which would expand much needed medical marijuana access to our nation’s veterans. Yet House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX) … Continue reading
Special Session: Marijuana Decriminalization
Legislation has been introduced, albeit late, for the 2017 Texas special session to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. HB 334, introduced by Representative James Moody, was not referred by the deadline BUT that does not mean it is totally dead. A hearing is still expected to be held by Moody on the … Continue reading
Vote Expected Tomorrow On Medical Marijuana
Tomorrow, the Senate Appropriations Committee will have to decide: Will they protect our nation’s 2 million lawful medical marijuana patients or subject them to the wrath of Attorney General Jeff Sessions? The amendment they will be debating, known as Rohrabacher-Blumenauer, simply prevents the United States Department of Justice from spending any of our tax dollars … Continue reading
NORML Chapters Hope to Bring Marijuana Discussion To Congressional Town Hall Meetings
NORML Chapters around the country are currently organizing efforts to engage their representatives on the issue of marijuana law reform during the upcoming congressional recess where members of the House and Senate will host town hall meetings in their districts. In addition to providing unique opportunities for face-to-face interactions with congressional representatives, town hall meetings … Continue reading
Harris Introduces Bipartisan Bill Facilitating Medical Marijuana Research
On July 25, Representatives Andy Harris, M.D. (R-MD-01), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03), H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09), and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19) introduced H.R. 3391 (the Medical Marijuana Research Act of 2017). The Medical Marijuana Research Act of 2017 amends the Controlled Substances Act to make marijuana accessible for use by qualified marijuana researchers for medical purposes, and … Continue reading
Pennsylavania Cities Continue to Embrace Decriminalization of Marijuana
With the recent passage of a marijuana decriminalization ordinance, the City of York joins Philadelphia, State College, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg in no longer criminalizing the simple possession of small amounts of marijuana. Following several meetings to discuss the proposal, members of city council heard from Chris Goldstein, executive director of Philadelphia NORML and Les Stark, … Continue reading
Senate Committee Passes Amendment To Protect Medical Marijuana
Senator Patrick Leahy Today, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) successfully offered and passed the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment in the Senate Appropriations Committee to protect lawful medical marijuana programs from the Department of Justice. Initially enacted by Congress in 2014, the amendment maintains that federal funds cannot be used to prevent states from “implementing their own state laws that … Continue reading
