“In many prohibition states, a significant portion of law enforcement and prosecutorial resources are still being directed toward arresting tens of thousands of cannabis consumers for activities that are now perfectly legal in nearly half of this country.”
“Today, the threat of arrest for cannabis possession largely comes down to geography.”
The overwhelming majority of those arrested were charged with low-level marijuana possession — not cultivation, trafficking, or sales.
“Time and time again, local lawmakers in marijuana prohibition states are advancing these common sense decriminalization measures when state legislators refuse to take action. Minor marijuana possession offenders, many of them young people, should not be saddled with an arrest, a criminal record, and with the lifelong penalties and stigma associated with it.”
“Legalizing and regulating adult-use cannabis access is not only good policy, but it’s also good politics. State and federal politicians who continue to ignore their constituents’ sentiments on these issues do so at their own political peril.”
This week’s update highlights important legislative advancements in Illinois, Utah, South Dakota, and Kentucky, focuses on upcoming hearings, and provides updates on several other important bills moving forward across the country.
Here is NORML’s weekly update on state legislative activity in Wisconsin, Washington, Tennessee, South Dakota, South Carolina, New York, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Iowa, Illinois, Hawaii, and Colorado.
Here is NORML’s weekly update on state legislative activity in Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Mississippi, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ohio.