State & Local Legislatures

The California Senate has approved an industrial hemp bill. Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed the last one in 2011, but this one is written to address the concerns he raised last time around.

Texas Democrats managed to kill a welfare drug testing bill, but were unable to stop an unemployment benefits drug testing bill. It now awaits the signature of Gov. Rick Perry (R).

Medical marijuana has passed the Illinois legislature. Will the governor sign the bill into law? Stay tuned.

The Washington, DC, city council could take up a decriminalization bill this summer. If the council doesn't act, reformers are considering an initiative, maybe even a legalization initiative.

The feds stay on the attack in California, and fallout from last week's state Supreme Court decision allowing local dispensary bans mounts. There's news from other states as well.

Colorado has taken another step down the path of drug sentencing reform with the passage of Senate Bill 250. The governor is expected to sign it into law.

Vermont is about to become the 17th state to either decriminalize or legalize marijuana.

Marijuana rescheduling is headed for the US Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court upheld local dispensary bans, the feds strike again in Berkeley and Washington state, and there is action in state legislatures, too.

It went down to the wire, but on the last day of the session, the Colorado legislature passed bills to regulate the state's looming legal marijuana market.

The California Supreme Court has ruled that cities and counties can indeed ban medical marijuana dispensaries. That means your access to medical marijuana depends on where you live in the state. A fix could be coming from the legislature, but it's not here yet.