Hemp History
Pennsylvania Governor to AG Sessions: Back Off!
In a recent letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf wrote a pointed letter regarding the Department of Justice and it’s posturing to implement a crackdown of lawful state medical marijuana programs. The full letter: Dear Attorney General Sessions: Last year, the Pennsylvania passed bipartisan legislation to legalize Medical Marijuana that I was … Continue reading
Empire State NORML in Albany with the Start SMART Campaign
Lobby Day The Drug Policy Alliance, along with other campaign pillar groups Empire State NORML, VOCAL-NY, Cannabis Cultural Association, LatinoJustice and the Immigrant Defense Project, held a press conference and lobby day to announce the Start Sensible Marijuana Access through Regulated Trade (Start SMART) campaign to advocate for the substantially amended version of the Marijuana … Continue reading
Study: No Increase In Problematic Cannabis Use Following Passage Of Medical Marijuana Laws
The enactment of medical marijuana laws is not associated with increased rates of problematic cannabis use, according to data published online in the journal Addiction. Columbia University investigators assessed cannabis use trends in states in the years following the passage of medicalization. They reported “no significant change in the prevalence of past-month marijuana use among … Continue reading
Deputy AG: Marijuana is federally illegal and has no medical use
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was questioned about federal marijuana policy during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today and his responses were disconcerting to say the least. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) asked Rosenstein about the current tension between state and federal marijuana laws. “We do have a conflict between federal law and the law in … Continue reading
Weekly Legislative Update 6/10/17
Welcome to this week’s edition of the NORML legislative roundup! First off, apologies to weekly readers for skipping last week’s update. We held a NORML Legal Committee seminar in Colorado about tactics to continue the fight against prohibition and protect those facing jail and other adverse ramifications of prohibition. You can watch NORML’s Executive Director … Continue reading
Safe Streets Alliance et al. v. John Hickenlooper, et al. – Good News, Bad News
A ruling issued on June 7th by the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, in response to a series of legal challenges to Colorado’s adult cannabis use regulations, includes both good news and bad news. The Good News Most importantly for the legalization movement nationwide, the appeals court rejected the argument raised by … Continue reading
Take Action This Memorial Day
Veterans have served our nation honorably. So this Memorial Day, why is the federal government denying those veterans suffering from debilitating ailments like chronic pain and PTSD access to the therapeutic effects of marijuana? Presently, V.A. doctors residing in states where medical cannabis is legal remain forbidden from providing the paperwork necessary to complete a … Continue reading
Weekly Legislative Update 5/27/17
Welcome to this week’s edition of the NORML legislative roundup! Republican Gov. Phil Scott rejected legislation earlier this week, Senate Bill 22, which sought to eliminate criminal and civil penalties for the adult use and possession of marijuana. The Governor said that he did not support the legislation as written, but remains open to working with lawmakers … Continue reading
Study: Inhaled Cannabis Controls Tics In Patients With Tourette’s Syndrome
Inhaled cannabis is effective and well-tolerated in patients with Tourette’s Syndrome, according to clinical data published online ahead of print in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience. A team of researchers at the University of Toronto retrospectively assessed the safety and efficacy of inhaled cannabis in 19 TS patients. Researchers reported, “All study participants … Continue reading