Last week was a big one for marijuana reform across the world. The United Nations narcotics commission voted to remove cannabis from its list of most restricted drugs, with backing from the United States and the World Health Organization. The Mexican legislature advanced a full marijuana legalization bill, which is expected to earn final passage this month. And for […]
marijuana decriminalization
NJ marijuana legalization: Phil Murphy, legislators reach deal on legal weed industry bill
Gov. Phil Murphy and legislative leaders have reached a deal on bills that would establish a framework for a legal weed industry, setting up a key vote in the coming weeks. In a statement, Gov. Phil Murphy, Senate President Stephen Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and bill sponsors Sen. Nick Scutari and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano […]
Bill to decriminalize marijuana in N.J. passes in committee — and is amended to include hallucinogenic mushrooms
A key committee in the New Jersey Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a bill to remove criminal penalties for possession of up to six ounces of marijuana. In a surprise move, an unidentified senator added an amendment to the bill to downgrade penalties for possessing up to an ounce of psilocybin, better known as hallucinogenic […]
New Yorkers Can Now Apply To Have Their Marijuana Conviction Records Destroyed
New Yorkers who had their low-level marijuana convictions expunged from their record, per the passage of the Marijuana and Decriminalization and Expungements Bill in July of 2019, can now go a step further by requesting that the physical documentation of these arrests be destroyed. Although the history of these charges have now been sealed from […]
House vote on marijuana legalization bill postponed after backlash from moderate lawmakers
Democrats in the House of Representatives postponed a planned vote next week on marijuana legalization following a backlash from moderate Democrats. The legislation, the MORE Act, would legalize marijuana at the federal level and expunge some marijuana-related criminal records, though it left the decision on the sale of marijuana up to the states. According to a […]
Democrats lose control of marijuana messaging
Removing federal penalties for marijuana looked like an easy win for Democrats two weeks ago, but the momentum has stalled. Democrats have been scared off by Republicans’ use of the marijuana bill to bludgeon Democrats on the lack of a coronavirus deal, and moderates in tight races worry it will be linked to hits they’re already taking […]
Moderate Democrats push leadership to pull marijuana legislation
Centrist Democrats are pushing House Democratic leadership to pull legislation expected to reach the House floor next week that would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. The Democrats are expressing frustrations the bill is slated to come up for a vote before other pressing matters. Specifically, a number of front-line members have raised concerns about […]
Kamala Harris Pledged a Joe Biden Administration Would Decriminalize Marijuana
Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris said, if elected, she and presidential nominee Joe Biden would plan to decriminalize the use of marijuana. Harris outlined the proposal’s broad strokes during a virtual roundtable she hosted with ABC through Facebook Live on September 14. “Under a Biden-Harris administration, we will decriminalize the use of marijuana and automatically expunge […]
Vermont House Votes to Approve Marijuana Expungements by Wide Margin
The Vermont House on Friday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would automatically expunge thousands of low-level marijuana convictions and allow people to possess and grow twice as much of the drug without being charged with a crime. The two cannabis-related measures were included in a miscellaneous judiciary bill that passed the chamber by […]
Stop stalling on N.J. decriminalize marijuana bill or replace lawmaker blocking it, Senator demands
Outraged by the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25 and energized by the wave of rallies in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement, Democratic state Sens. Ronald Rice and Teresa Ruiz introduced legislation that would no longer treat the possession and distribution of up to a pound of marijuana as […]
