Well before most of us in the industry got our footing, Brian Vicente, a lawyer, who had clerked under/for outspoken social critic, Senior U.S. District Judge John L. Kane, founded Sensible Colorado (with grant money from the Marijuana Policy Project) with his friend and future partner at Vicente Sederberg (VS), Josh Kappel in the organization’s […]
Marijuana Policy Project
Fifty Years: How Marijuana Became Re-Legalized In America
Part of a year-long series, longtime cannabis law reform advocate and historian Allen St. Pierre examines monthly for Cannabis Business Executive the last fifty years of cannabis prohibition and the public advocacy efforts in America to bring about the ongoing and inescapable socio-political changes underway first at the state, and soon, federal level regarding cannabis policy. […]
Two Massachusetts marijuana stores are open: What’s next?
Massachusetts’ first two stores to legally sell recreational marijuana opened amid fanfare on Tuesday. It is only the beginning of what is expected to be a new billion dollar-plus industry, which could take years to ramp up. “Realistically, to be a really full-fledged industry, they’ll need 200 to 300 stores in the next few years, […]
Michigan becomes 10th state to allow recreational marijuana
Marijuana advocates scored a number of substantial ballot victories in the middle of the country on Election Day, chief among them the legalization of recreational marijuana in Michigan, which becomes the 10th state in the nation to approve recreational use of the drug. “Michigan will be the first state in the Midwest to end marijuana prohibition […]
Fifty Years: How Marijuana Became Re-Legalized In America
By Allen St.Pierre Part 10 of a year-long series, longtime cannabis law reform advocate and historian Allen St. Pierre examines monthly for Cannabis Business Executive the last fifty years of cannabis prohibition and the public advocacy efforts in America to bring about the ongoing and inescapable socio-political changes underway first at the state, and soon, federal […]
The Marijuana Policy Project Hires Steve Hawkins as Executive Director
PRESS RELEASE Hawkins, who previously served in leadership roles at the NAACP, Amnesty International USA, and the national Coalition for Public Safety, has been at the forefront of the criminal justice reform movement for three decades WASHINGTON — The nation’s largest organization dedicated exclusively to marijuana policy, the Marijuana Policy Project, announced Tuesday it has hired […]
Steve Fox, Leading Advocate for the Legalization and Regulation of Cannabis, Assumes Expanded Role in Cannabis Industry’s Federal Lobbying Efforts
PRESS RELEASE Long-time federal lobbyist, NCIA co-founder, and manager of Colorado’s successful 2012 legalization initiative to provide strategic guidance and direct lobbying services. NCIA further expands DC presence with the addition of marijuana policy veteran Morgan Fox as media relations director WASHINGTON, DC – The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) is pleased to announce that it […]
Why did Khalatbari Really Resign from the NCIA board?
By Rob Meagher Just before the holidays, Marijuana Business Daily (MBD) published a brief article about the resignation of Kayvan Khalatbari from the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) board of directors that could have a major impact on the future of the organization. It came on the heels of the Aaron Smith’s (NCIA’s Executive Director) […]
Why did Khalatbari Really Resign from the NCIA board?
By Rob Meagher Just before the holidays, Marijuana Business Daily (MBD) published a brief article about the resignation of Kayvan Khalatbari from the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) board of directors that could have a major impact on the future of the organization. It came on the heels of the Aaron Smith’s (NCIA’s Executive Director) […]
Marijuana Policy Project Co-Founder Kampia Re-Assigned – MPP Now Searching for New Executive Director
PRESS RELEASE Marijuana Policy Project Announces Leadership Changes, Begins National Search for New Executive Director WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Marijuana Policy Project, the nation’s leading marijuana policy reform organization, has announced changes to its leadership structure. Rob Kampia, who co-founded the organization in 1995, will transition to the new position of director of strategic development. Kampia […]
Red States v. Blue States v. State Of Legalization
There has been a clear state-by-state divide in marijuana legalization efforts that some research indicates has occurred because of a red states v. blue states bias. According to research collected online and analyzed by Consumer Research Around Cannabis, Portland, Oregon and Birmingham, Alabama are two examples of the blue vs. red divide in U.S. politics […]
PNC Bank Cancels Another Marijuana Advocacy Group’s Bank Account
Marijuana legalization advocate Cher Neufer queued up at a Cincinnati post office in mid-June expecting to mail a t-shirt to a donor. Instead, she was met with the message every shopper dreads: card denied. A few phone calls later, Neufer discovered that PNC had closed the account for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana’s Ohio branch […]
California Seen as a Force for Solving Banking Business Dilemma
One of the most pressing issues of the cannabis industry continues to be banking. Just Tuesday, June 20, the Marijuana Policy Project, a cannabis advocacy and lobbying organization, announced that they were going to be shut down by PNC bank. This was an organization with a 22 year line of business with PNC, and some […]
PNC Bank Shuts Down Marijuana Policy Project Accounts Amid Federal Uncertainty
One of the nation’s leading marijuana legalization groups says PNC Bank has notified it that it will close the organization’s 22-year-old accounts, a sign of growing concerns in the financial industry that the Trump administration will crack down on the marijuana industry in states that have legalized it. The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) lobbies to […]
Maryland medical marijuana program: A muted victory, then more uncertainty
The medical marijuana program in Maryland, legalized over four years ago, overcame a major snag in its development last Friday, only to face another hurdle the following Monday, with the no hard answers yet in sight and more frustration building for Maryland dispensary owners and growers. In a case of incredibly fast movement by the […]
Florida’s medical marijuana program: What’s next?
Florida’s medical marijuana bill is in limbo. It failed to pass on the state’s last legislative session, May 5. Since it failed to pass, new rules are slated to be issued by Friday, May 13 by the Florida Department of Health. Florida senate president, Senator Joe Negron, has also indicated that he would not be […]
Statement From the Marijuana Policy Project Regarding Attorney General Nominee Jeff Sessions
Sessions did NOT commit to vigorously enforcing federal prohibition laws in states that have adopted conflicting laws Earlier in the day, Trump spokesman Sean Spicer signaled that Sessions would follow Trump’s lead on marijuana policy; Trump has said states should be able to establish their own marijuana laws WASHINGTON — The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) […]
Lack of Funding May Hold Marijuana Legalization Back This Year
This was supposed to be the year of Pot-Palooza, when five states are set to hold ballot initiatives that would make marijuana legal for recreational users. If all passed, it would bring the number of states offering pot for sale to nine, following similar measures that passed in Colorado and Washington in 2012 and in […]
