NORML Chapters across the country are starting to shift their focus from state-level lobbying efforts to Congressional Town Hall meetings for the August recess. In addition to engaging their representatives, activists will be encouraging participants to join the marijuana law reform conversation.
After successfully working with local governments to pass marijuana decriminalization measures in Philadelphia, State College, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, marijuana advocates in Pennsylvania have set their sights on the City of York and several other municipalities.
A common cliché for overcoming a difficult obstacle asks, “how do you eat an elephant?” The answer is, “one bite at a time.” In Virginia politics, the tough question facing cannabis policy reform advocates is, “how do you change the minds of political Elephants?” The answer is, “one law at a time.” Although progress in cannabis reform has been slow in Virginia, two recent bills signed by Governor Terry McAuliffe are significant signs that change is coming, and quicker than ever before.
Federal courts have recently rejected the actions of university and college administrators who sought to inflict suspicionless drug tests on students at a public college and to restrict the First Amendment rights of marijuana law reformers at a public university. Both decisions have important national implications.
Dozens of activists from all around the state took buses, drove cars and rode trains to Albany to join the campaign in launching and lobbying for the substantially amended bill. After the excellent citizen lobby day training provided by the Drug Policy Alliance, the group split up to divide and conquer before the press conference hitting as many offices as they could as well as attending scheduled meetings.
Members of Las Vegas NORML focus on home cultivation, social consumption and protections for medical marijuana patients. Pending legislation would re-establishing patient cultivation rights, permit medical marijuana research facilities, and add PTSD as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana.
For more than a year, members of Denver NORML have advocated for the social consumption of marijuana in Colorado. In Denver, city officials were able to publish draft rules for I-300, but SB-184, a statewide effort to regulate social consumption died in committee.
Marijuana activists across Michigan are gearing up for a renewed effort to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and up. Last week the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol took the first steps to qualify their new proposal for the 2018 ballot by formally submitting language to the State of Michigan for review. If approved, Michigan will become the ninth state to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and up.