Tell the DC City Council: Patients Deserve Better!
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State & Local Legislatures
ACTION ALERT: Help Protect Patient Access in Colorado
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Your input needed: D.C. Council expected to vote on medical marijuana today
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Marijuana Policy Project Alert | April 20, 2010 | |||||
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Your input needed: D.C. Council expected to vote on medical marijuana today Draft amendments to legislation answer some patient concerns, leave others unresolved. Dear friends: The D.C. Council may vote today on legislation to amend Initiative 59. The proposal would get a second vote in May. Please share your thoughts on implementation of medical marijuana with your councilmembers now. Those of you in attendance at Februaryâs hearing before the committees on Public Safety and the Judiciary as well as Health will be happy to know that this latest incarnation addresses many of the concerns you helped bring to the councilâs attention. For instance, the bill no longer requires patients to seek recommendations from "primary care physicians," ensuring access for those too poor to see the same doctor regularly or, like many veterans, whose doctors are federal employees. The amended bill also reduces the minimum distance from which dispensaries must be located from schools â down to 300 feet from 1,000 feet â easing zoning and location concerns. Still, several aspects of the bill now being considered raise concerns over the ability of patients to have safe, reliable access to medicine. For instance, the list of conditions for which medical marijuana could be utilized is needlessly restrictive. This would be only the second law in the country to completely exclude severe or chronic pain as a symptom or condition for which medical marijuana could be used as treatment. The bill would also mandate that patients use only marijuana or paraphernalia obtained from a District dispensary, and that they do so only in their own homes. A simple ban on smoking in public would be a much better and easier way to address legitimate concerns. Additionally, the bill limits the amount of marijuana that cultivation centers could grow to 95 plants, which would drive up costs and raise serious concerns about the ability of program supply to meet patient demand. Other concerns include:
If you havenât already, please do take just a minute or two to use our automated system to send your councilmembers a quick e-mail. When youâre done, go ahead and forward this on to a friend. Thanks for all your help in shaping this legislation. Weâll be sure to keep you posted as the process moves forward. Sincerely,
Dan Riffle |
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Press Release: Hearing on Bill to Tax and Regulate Marijuana RESCHEDULED for Wednesday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
APRIL 13, 2010
Hearing on Bill to Tax and Regulate Marijuana Rescheduled for Wednesday
H 7838 Would Create Regulated Marijuana Market Similar to Alcohol, Allow Adults to Purchase Marijuana From Licensed Retailers
CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 202-905-2030 or [email protected]
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND â Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 14, the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee will receive testimony on H 7838, a bill that would tax and regulate marijuana similar to alcohol, allowing adults 21 and older to purchase up to an ounce of marijuana from registered retailers. The hearing was originally scheduled for today but has been postponed until tomorrow.
        Sponsored by Rep. Edith Ajello (D-Providence) and Rep. Rod Driver (D-Charlestown, Exeter, Richmond), H 7838 would prohibit advertising marijuana or using it in public places. It would also create a $50 an ounce excise tax on all marijuana sold by wholesalers. Revenue produced from the tax would go toward maintaining regulations, into the state General Fund, and also be used to fund drug and alcohol abuse treatment and prevention programs.
        WHAT: Hearing for H 7838, a bill to tax and regulate marijuana in Rhode Island
        WHO: Rep. Edith Ajello, the billâs sponsor, and others will testify
        WHERE: Room 313, State House
        WHEN: WEDNESDAY, April 14, Rise of the House
           With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.
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Press Release: Bill to Decriminalize Marijuana Gets Hearing in Rhode Island Tomorrow
MEDIA ADVISORYÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
APRIL 13, 2010
Bill to Decriminalize Marijuana Gets Hearing in Rhode Island Tomorrow
Bipartisan H 7317 Would Remove Criminal Penalties for Possession of Less Than One Ounce of Marijuana, Replace With $150 Fine
CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 202-905-2030 or [email protected]
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND â Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 14, the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on H 7317, a bill that would remove criminal penalties for adults found possessing less than one ounce of marijuana and replace them with a $150 civil violation. Under current law, those found possessing small amounts of marijuana face up to a year in prison and a $500 fine.
        Introduced by Rep. John Edwards (D-Portsmouth, Tiverton), H 7317 is co-sponsored by 48 percent of the House of Representatives. In 2008, 65 percent of voters in neighboring Massachusetts voted to decriminalize marijuana. Last month, a bipartisan state Senate commission tasked with studying the effects of marijuana prohibition in Rhode Island voted 11-2 to recommend removing criminal penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana. In February, the editorial board of the Providence Journal endorsed decriminalizing marijuana as a way to relieve strain on the judicial system.
        WHAT: House Judiciary Committee hearing on H 7317, a bill to decriminalize marijuana in Rhode Island  Â
        WHO: Experts will testify in favor
        WHERE: House Lounge
        WHEN: Rise of the House
        With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.
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Press Release: Rhode Island To Hold Hearing on Bill to Tax and Regulate Marijuana
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
APRIL 12, 2010
Rhode Island To Hold Hearing on Bill to Tax and Regulate Marijuana
H 7838 Would Create Regulated Marijuana Market Similar to Alcohol, Allow Adults to Purchase Marijuana From Licensed Retailers
CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 202-905-2030 or [email protected]
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND â Tomorrow, Tuesday April 13, the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee will receive testimony on H7838, a bill that would tax and regulate marijuana similar to alcohol, allowing adults 21 and older to purchase up to an ounce of marijuana from registered retailers.
        Sponsored by Rep. Edith Ajello (D-Providence) and Rep. Rod Driver (D-Charlestown, Exeter, Richmond), H 7838 would prohibit advertising marijuana or using it in public places. It would also create a $50 an ounce excise tax on all marijuana sold by wholesalers. Revenue produced from the tax would go toward maintaining regulations, into the state General Fund, and also be used to fund drug and alcohol abuse treatment and prevention programs.
        WHAT: Hearing for H 7838, a bill to tax and regulate marijuana in Rhode Island
        WHO: Rep. Edith Ajello, the billâs sponsor, and others will testify
        WHERE: House Lounge
        WHEN: Tuesday, April 13, Rise of the House
           With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.
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Press Release: Maryland Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
APRIL 10, 2010
Maryland Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill
Measure to Provide Patients With Safe Access Now Moves to House
CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 202-905-2030 or [email protected]
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND â Today, with no discussion or objections, the Maryland Senate voted 35-12 to pass SB 627, a bill that would allow qualified patients to be recommended medical marijuana by their doctor and receive safe access to their medicine through state-licensed distribution centers. The bill now moves to the House. The General Assemblyâs session ends Monday night.
        âIâm very proud of my Senate colleagues today for voting to provide some of our most vulnerable residents with the compassion and care that they deserve,â said Sen. David Brinkley (R-Frederick), the billâs sponsor and a two-time cancer survivor. âAnyone who has watched a loved one suffer from a debilitating illness would agree that we should not stand between doctors and patients, or deprive seriously ill people safe access to a legitimate medicine if it can help them cope with their illness.â
        âWe think this bill offers the most carefully crafted medical marijuana law in the country,â said Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Silver Spring), one of the billâs co-sponsors. âIt offers legal protection and safe medical access to patients who are desperately in need and takes every possible measure to prevent abuse. Iâm hopeful that our colleagues in the House will give this proposal serious consideration, and make Marylandâs medical marijuana law a national model for how to promote medical privacy, social compassion, and security in administration.â
        Fourteen other states, including New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Maine, have effective medical marijuana laws. This year, more than a dozen other states, including New York, Illinois, Delaware, South Dakota, Arizona, and Kansas, are considering medical marijuana laws. The District Council of Washington, D.C. is working on a medical marijuana law expected to be implemented by the end of this year.Â
        Under current Maryland law, medical marijuana patients are provided with a limited affirmative defense in court, no protection from arrest, and no safe means of access to their medicine. Patients can still be given a $100 fine that results in a criminal conviction.
        With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.
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Press Release: Maryland Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
APRIL 10, 2010
Maryland Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill
Measure to Provide Patients With Safe Access Now Moves to House
CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 202-905-2030 or [email protected]
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND â Today, with no discussion or objections, the Maryland Senate voted 35-12 to pass SB 627, a bill that would allow qualified patients to be recommended medical marijuana by their doctor and receive safe access to their medicine through state-licensed distribution centers. The bill now moves to the House. The General Assemblyâs session ends Monday night.
        âIâm very proud of my Senate colleagues today for voting to provide some of our most vulnerable residents with the compassion and care that they deserve,â said Sen. David Brinkley (R-Frederick), the billâs sponsor and a two-time cancer survivor. âAnyone who has watched a loved one suffer from a debilitating illness would agree that we should not stand between doctors and patients, or deprive seriously ill people safe access to a legitimate medicine if it can help them cope with their illness.â
        âWe think this bill offers the most carefully crafted medical marijuana law in the country,â said Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Silver Spring), one of the billâs co-sponsors. âIt offers legal protection and safe medical access to patients who are desperately in need and takes every possible measure to prevent abuse. Iâm hopeful that our colleagues in the House will give this proposal serious consideration, and make Marylandâs medical marijuana law a national model for how to promote medical privacy, social compassion, and security in administration.â
        Fourteen other states, including New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Maine, have effective medical marijuana laws. This year, more than a dozen other states, including New York, Illinois, Delaware, South Dakota, Arizona, and Kansas, are considering medical marijuana laws. The District Council of Washington, D.C. is working on a medical marijuana law expected to be implemented by the end of this year.Â
        Under current Maryland law, medical marijuana patients are provided with a limited affirmative defense in court, no protection from arrest, and no safe means of access to their medicine. Patients can still be given a $100 fine that results in a criminal conviction.
        With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.
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Press Release: Third Colorado City Legalizes Marijuana
For Immediate Release
April 7, 2010
Contact
Mason Tvert, SAFER executive director, 720-255-4340
Nederland Becomes Third City in Colorado to Remove All Penalties for Adult Marijuana Possession
Mayor who opposed measure ousted -- Boulder District Attorney says he's "paying attention to public sentiment"
Statement below from SAFER Executive Director Mason Tvert
NEDERLAND -- On Tuesday, April 6, a majority of voters in Nederland approved a ballot measure that removed all local penalties for private adult marijuana possession, making the mountain town the third Colorado locality to "legalize" marijuana in the past five years. Denver voters adopted a citizen-initiative to do so in November 2005, and voters in Breckenridge approved a similar measure in November 2009.
More than 54 percent of Nederland voters supported the measure in what Town Clerk Christi Icenogle said was a high turn-out election. Voters also ousted incumbent Mayor Martin Cheshes, who had vocally opposed the measure and referred to it as "foolish," replacing him with Trustee Sumaya Abu-Haidar.
Prior to the announcement of the vote, the Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett told The Daily Camera: "I'll pay attention if it passes. Marijuana enforcement is a sensitive issue, and it's important to gauge public sentiment.â
"It's time for Colorado's elected officials to recognize that many -- and in some cases most -- of their constituents support an end to Marijuana Prohibition," said SAFER Executive Mason Tvert. "Those who fail to do so are the 'foolish' ones, and in some areas it could result in them losing votes.
"Nederland is not the first Colorado locality to express its opinion that marijuana should be legal for adults, and it certainly won't be the last," Tvert said. "More and more Coloradans are beginning to recognize the fact that marijuana is far safer than alcohol for the user and for society, and it's only a matter of time before they decide to stand up against irrational laws that drive people to drink by prohibiting them from making the safer choice."
Durango, which voted largely in support of the statewide initiative to legalize marijuana in 2006, will likely to vote on a similar local marijuana legalization initiative this November. A recent poll of likely Colorado voters found that 50 percent now support making marijuana legal for adults and regulating it like alcohol. In Denver, ground zero of the statewide movement to reform marijuana laws, polls find
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Press Release: Speakers Make Case for Decriminalizing Marijuana to New Hampshire Senate Committee
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
APRIL 6, 2010
Speakers Make Case for Decriminalizing Marijuana to New Hampshire Senate Committee
HB 1653 Would Remove Criminal Penalties for Possession of Quarter-Ounce of Marijuana, Replace with a Fine of Up to $200
CONTACT: Matt Simon, NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policyâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦(603) 391-7450
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE â Today, a panel of witnesses told the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee how a proposed bill to decriminalize marijuana in the state would save law enforcement costs, allow police to focus on more serious crimes, and stop wasting resources arresting otherwise law-abiding citizens who choose to use a substance that is safer than alcohol.Â
           Sponsored by Rep. Steve Lindsey (D-Keene), HB 1653 would remove criminal penalties for possession of up to a quarter-ounce of marijuana and replace them with a fine of up to $200. Last month, the bill passed the House of Representatives by a bipartisan 214-137 vote.
           âEven though most offenders in New Hampshire donât actually get sentenced to jail for possessing one or two marijuana cigarettes, our state still goes through the expensive process of arresting these people, prosecuting them, and branding them with criminal recordsâall for using a substance that by any objective standard is safer than alcohol,â said Matt Simon, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy. âThe conclusion reached by every study Iâve ever read on this subject is that the harshness of penalties has little or nothing to do with an individualâs choice to use or not use marijuana.â
           âI believe passage of this bill would simply mean weâve gotten smarter,â said Rep. Joel Winters (D-Manchester). âThat police would be able to waste less time dealing with marijuana users and have more time and resources freed up for dealing with serious crimes.âÂ
           In 2008, 65 percent of voters in neighboring Massachusetts voted to remove criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana and replace them with a $100 fine. Twelve states across the country, including Ohio, Mississippi, and North Carolina, have passed marijuana decriminalization laws.Â
Under current New Hampshire law, possession of any amount of marijuana is a misdemeanor offense, carrying a potential penalty of up to one year in jail, a $2,000 fine, and a criminal conviction that could damage someoneâs ability to find employment, secure government benefits, or qualify for student financial aid.
The bill would also require parents of offenders younger than 18 to be informed of the offense, and underage offenders would have to complete a drug awareness program within one year of the violation, or face a $1,000 fine.
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