Tagged With: marijuana
California: Sonoma County District Attorney To Vacate Thousands Of Past Marijuana Convictions
The District Attorney’s Office for Sonoma County, California (population 502,000) is directing staff to review and vacate thousands of past marijuana convictions. County officials estimate that an estimated 3,000 cases are eligible for either a sentencing reduction or expungement. The Sonoma County D.A.’s actions follow those of district attorneys for Alameda County, San Diego County, … Continue reading
Racial Disparities Persist Among NYC Marijuana Possession Arrestees
New York City police are continuing to disproportionately arrest African Americans and Latinos for minor marijuana possession violations, despite ongoing pledges from Mayor Bill de Blasio to halt the practice. In 2017, city police made an estimated 17,500 arrests for marijuana possession in the 5th degree — a class B misdemeanor. Consistent with past years, … Continue reading
Maine: Lawmakers Push To Rewrite 2016 Voter-Approved Marijuana Law
Gov LePage (R-Maine) State lawmakers are moving forward with a legislative proposal to significantly amend various provisions of the state’s 2016 voter-approved cannabis law: The Marijuana Legalization Act. Members of the Marijuana Legalization Implementation Committee have voted 16 to 1 in favor of overhauling the law, which has yet to be fully implemented. Lawmakers had … Continue reading
Missouri: Medical Marijuana Initiative Effort Reaches Signature Milestone
Proponents of a Missouri voter initiative effort to legalize and regulate the therapeutic use and distribution of cannabis statewide have surpassed over 200,000 signatures. Advocates must collect a total of 160,000 qualified signatures in six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts by May 6, 2018 in order to qualify the measure for the 2018 electoral ballot. … Continue reading
California: Alameda County District Attorney To Vacate Thousands Of Past Marijuana Convictions
The District Attorney for Alameda County has announced her intent to automatically vacate thousands of past marijuana convictions. Alameda County, which includes Oakland, is the 7th-most populous county in California. According to the DA’s office, there are an estimated 6,000 marijuana convictions eligible for either a sentence reduction or a dismissal. “California is offering a … Continue reading
It Was A Big Week For Marijuana In America
Valentines Day week 2018 saw a tremendous amount of activity when it came to addressing our nations failed policy of marijuana prohibition. From new federal legislation being introduced to two federal lawsuits having hearings, plus a number of members of Congress, old allies and new stepping up to demand the Trump Administration continue to allow the … Continue reading
Philadelphia: District Attorney To Cease Prosecuting Marijuana Possession Offenders
Philadelphia officials announced today that they will no longer prosecute marijuana possession offenses. In October 2014, Philadelphia enacted a municipal ordinance reclassifying cases involving the possession of up to 30 grams of cannabis to a non-summary civil offense, punishable by a $ 25 fine – no arrest and no criminal record. Since that time, annual … Continue reading
Travel Writer and Television Host Rick Steves Briefed Congress On Marijuana Policy
Steves House Briefing Yesterday on Capitol Hill, bestselling guidebook author and travel host Rick Steves held two briefings to address marijuana prohibition to a gathering of members of Congress and their staff. Inspired by Europe’s pragmatic approach to drug policy, with success measured by harm reduction rather than incarceration, Steves said that he is motivated to … Continue reading
New Federal Legislation To Protect Legal Marijuana States And Businesses
Representative Lou Correa (D-CA) has introduced the Sensible Enforcement Of Cannabis Act which would essentially codify the protections that were outlined in the now-rescinded Cole Memo. Upon the introduction, Rep. Correa said, “To date, eight states have legalized recreational cannabis, and twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia, representing more than half of the American population, … Continue reading
Virginia NORML Considered Instrumental in Passage of Medical Marijuana Expansion Legislation
Virginia NORML has been focused on securing access and protection from prosecution for all patients since 2016. This session, our efforts paid off with unanimous passage of our Let Doctors Decide legislation, supported by the Joint Commission on Healthcare, in both the House and Senate. Patients like Nikki Narduzzi, who is now our coalition director … Continue reading
