Tagged With: Reform
Marijuana Law Reform Efforts Advance in States Despite a Hostile Attorney General
As tensions between AG Sessions and federal lawmakers continues to grow, proponents of marijuana legalization are finding new allies in state legislatures around the country. Despite the recent move by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to rescind the Cole Memo, a 2013 DOJ memorandum that allowed state sanctioned marijuana business to thrive despite the quagmire between … Continue reading
Poll: Americans’ Support For Marijuana Law Reform At All Time High
A record percentage of American voters support reforming the nation’s marijuana laws, according to polling data released by Quinnipiac University. Sixty-one percent of voters believe that “the use of marijuana should be made legal in the United States” — the highest percentage ever reported by the poll. Support for legalization is strongest among those between … Continue reading
Washington: Support For Marijuana Policy Reform Surges Post-Legalization
Public support for marijuana legalization has surged in Washington state in the years following the enactment of legislation permitting the commercial production and retail sale of the plant, according to survey data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Fifty-five percent of voters approved the voter-initiated measure in 2012. Investigators with the Public Health … Continue reading
Polling: Voters Support Marijuana Law Reform By Record Numbers
Record numbers of voters support regulating the marijuana market and oppose federal efforts to interfere or undermine state laws permitting the plant’s use or sale, according to nationwide polling data released today by Quinnipiac University. Ninety-three percent of voters — including 96 percent of Democrats and 85 percent of Republicans — support “allowing adults to … Continue reading
Kansas: Support Comprehensive Medical Marijuana Reform
Legislation is pending before lawmakers, The Kansas Safe Access Act, to establish regulations governing a comprehensive medical marijuana program. The measure would permit qualified patients to grow their own medical marijuana or to obtain it from a licensed dispensary, while also educating physicians who seek to recommend cannabis therapy. Kansas is one of fewer than … Continue reading
Where Is The Future For Marijuana Banking Reform?
The election of Donald Trump coincided with a whirlwind of activity surrounding marijuana policy, as voters in eight states decided in favor of initiatives regulating the distribution of cannabis for either medical or non-medical purposes. Yet despite this statewide progress, the specter of marijuana prohibitionists such as Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions being appointed to federal … Continue reading
Wisconsin: GOP Lawmakers Consider Support for Marijuana Law Reform Legislation
GOP lawmakers in Wisconsin have a track record of opposing efforts to reform marijuana laws in the Badger State, but a recent comment from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has some marijuana advocates hopeful for progress during the 2017 legislative session. “If you get a prescription to use an opiate or you get a prescription to … Continue reading
Texas House Adjourns Without Floor Votes on Marijuana Reform Measures
House lawmakers adjourned on Thursday without taking floor votes on several pending bills to amend state marijuana laws. Both HB 507 (decriminalization) and HB 557 (relating to industrial hemp) were placed on the House calendar, but were never called for a vote. House Bill 557 had previously passed unanimously out of the Agriculture and Livestock … Continue reading
Vermont: House Members Turn Back Marijuana Reform Efforts
Members of the Vermont House spent over six hours on Tuesday, May 3, debating various amendments to reform marijuana policy, but ultimately decided against enacting any significant changes in law. House lawmakers voted 121 to 28 to reject Senate-approved language that sought to regulate the adult use, commercial production, and retail sale of marijuana. Although … Continue reading
Kansas: Governor Signs Marijuana Sentencing Reform Measure
Governor Brownback signed House Bill 2462 into law on Friday, May 13th 2016 to amend marijuana possession penalties. The law reduces criminal penalties for first-time marijuana possession offenses from a Class A misdemeanor (punishable by up to one year incarceration and a $ 2,500 fine) to a Class B misdemeanor (punishable by no more than … Continue reading