More than half of all states have taken some action to legalize or decriminalize marijuana, but using the drug is still a crime under federal law. Senators, including 2020 contenders Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), have proposed legislation to tackle this disconnect, and on Tuesday, Kamala Harris (D-CA) joined the fray. Harris’s plan, one […]
marijuana bill
235,000 Michiganders could have marijuana record cleared under new bill
Misdemeanors involving low-level marijuana use and possession would be automatically cleared from Michiganders’ records under a bill that will be introduced this week by Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor. The bill would allow roughly 235,000 people to have their misdemeanor records for marijuana use and possession automatically expunged without having to go through the courts. “We would […]
Delaware lawmakers reintroduce bill to legalize marijuana
Democratic lawmakers are again proposing to legalize marijuana in Delaware after a failed effort last year. The bill introduced Thursday is aimed at eliminating the black market for pot by establishing a state-licensed industry that would create jobs while padding state coffers with licensing fees and taxes. “We want to create a legal industry that’s […]
D. C. Mayor Muriel Bowser unveils bill to legalize recreational marijuana sales
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) announced legislation Thursday to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana dispensaries in the nation’s capital, setting up a potential showdown with the federal government. The District’s marijuana laws are in limbo. Residents can legally grow and possess small amounts of the drug under a 2014 voter-approved law. But they cannot […]
Medical marijuana dispensaries bill passes Georgia House
The Georgia House approved a bill Tuesday that would allow medical marijuana oil to be sold to registered patients, giving them a legal way to obtain a drug that they’re already allowed to use. The legislation, which passed on a 123-40 vote, would permit medical marijuana growing, manufacturing, testing and distribution. Sixty dispensaries would serve the state’s […]
Illinois state legislators lay out plans for recreational marijuana proposal
Marijuana “bars” would be prohibited, and teenagers caught driving under the influence of marijuana would lose their licenses, a Springfield audience was told Monday night by lawmakers crafting a bill to allow recreational use of cannabis in Illinois. Hearing those details pleased state Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, whose town hall-style meeting on the issue […]
Latest bill to legalize marijuana gains momentum in New Mexico Legislature
Recreational marijuana would become legal for people 21 or older in New Mexico and the state could tax marijuana sold in licensed stores under a bill introduced Thursday by state Rep. Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque. House Bill 356 would establish a licensing system that supporters say favors small businesses and institute a 9 percent tax on […]
Philippine President Duterte will sign any bill legalizing medical marijuana — Palace
President Rodrigo Duterte will sign any bill that will legalize the use of medical marijuana in the Philippines, his spokesperson said Tuesday. In a media briefing, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo reiterated that Duterte favors the use of medical marijuana and will support any legislative measure consistent with his stand. “He (The President) is in favor […]
Hearings Set for Marijuana Bill in New Jersey
Local municipalities will have the option of levying a 2 percent tax on weed sales for their own coffers, in addition to a 12 percent state tax on cannabis sales, under a long-awaited bill to make the drug legal for recreational use in the Garden State. That and other components of the proposed bill—sponsored by […]
New Jersey Lawmakers hash out marijuana bill, but can it pass?
Democratic New Jersey lawmakers spent part of Tuesday going over the fine points of a bill that their leaders say is the almost-final, soon-to-pass vehicle for allowing anyone 21 and older to buy and consume marijuana. After missing earlier, informal deadlines for mustering enough votes to pass a bill that Gov. Phil Murphy would sign, Senate President […]
Pennsylvania Rep. Introduces Recreational Marijuana Bill
Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Hill District, has introduced a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania for people over age 21. Wheatley’s bill would build on the state’s medical marijuana program and allow people to have up to six cannabis plants, with up to three flowering at a time, according to a news release. It would […]
Marijuana Home Delivery Could Be Part Of Legalization In New Jersey
While legislators are still crafting a bill to legalize marijuana in New Jersey, some of the proposed changes could bring legal weed to your doorstep — literally. Legislators are yet to unveil the final version but are “98 percent” done, according to legal weed advocates. But according to a series of proposed amendments from the Senate Judiciary Committee dated […]
Marijuana Bill Approved By Congressional Committee, Despite Drug Conviction Restriction Dispute
A powerful U.S. House panel that oversees federal drug enforcement efforts approved a bill on Thursday to require the Department of Justice and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to begin issuing more licenses to grow marijuana for research. Prior to the vote, a bitter dispute broke out over a provision of the legislation that prevents anyone with a “conviction […]
New Poll Shows Strong Support For Legalizing Recreational Marijuana In Michigan
Michigan is poised to approve recreational marijuana on the November ballot, according to a new poll commissioned by local media outlets. Michigan voters will decide whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use and use the taxes from sales to fund things like road initiatives and education funding. By a margin of 56.2 percent-38.0 percent, Michigan voters […]
Salt Lake City Radio Station Pulls Anti-Marijuana Ads After Complaints
At least one Salt Lake City-area radio station has stopped airing an advertisement opposing Utah’s Proposition 2 after complaints that the spot included false and misleading statements about medical marijuana. Kayvon Motiee, president of Broadway Media, said the ad by the Drug Safe Utah coalition is no longer airing on 101.5 The Eagle (KEGA), the […]
Marijuana possession expungement bill becomes law in Delaware
Simple possession of marijuana was decriminalized in Delaware nearly three years ago. Gov. Carney signed a bill Wednesday allowing those charged with marijuana possession as a criminal offense prior to 2015 to have their criminal records expunged— or cleared. State Sen. Greg Lavelle sponsored the legislation along with State Rep. Valerie Longhurst. Lavelle says expungement […]
Bill To Legalize Marijuana In Delaware Fails In House
Delaware will not become the 10th state to fully legalize marijuana — at least not this year. The House on Wednesday defeated a bill that would have created a taxable industry dedicated to the production and sale of legal cannabis. The measure fell four votes shy of the 25 needed to move the bill to the state Senate. The final […]
Veterans Left Off Medical Marijuana Protections Bill
When Sens. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) introduced legislation this month to restrain the federal government from interfering with state-legal cannabis consumption and commerce, they galvanized an all-too-rare level of bipartisan, bicameral support. Notably missing from the voices of support for their bill are America’s veterans. While the States Act would provide vital protection from federal criminal […]
