Law & Politics
Time To Stop Complaining and Get Involved
We receive a lot of inquiries (and some complaints) at NORML from those who favor legalization and wonder why we continue to focus on a state-based strategy instead of focusing on Congress. The belief is that Congress could legalize marijuana in one fell swoop if they wanted to do so. It’s a reasonable question, but […]
Republican Senator Wants Gun Rights for Marijuana Consumers
Lisa Murkowski opposed legalizing marijuana in Alaska. But voters there passed a ballot measure to end cannabis prohibition in 2014 and now the Republican who serves the state as its senior U.S. senator wants their wishes to be respected by the federal government. In particular, Murkowski is concerned about a federal law that seems to […]
California City Votes In Favor Of Converting Former Prison Into Marijuana Oil Factory
An abandoned correctional facility in the city of Coalinga, CA is on the verge of undergoing quite the role reversal. The City Council voted 4-1 in favor of leasing the vacant Claremont Custody Center to a privately held company, who would subsequently transform the prison into a large-scale commercial manufacturing plant for marijuana extraction. Coalinga […]
Obama’s Not Keeping Us Safe From Legal Marijuana, Senators Say
A key Congressional panel has scheduled a hearing for next week that seems intended to embarrass the Obama administration over its response to the legalization of marijuana in a growing number of states. The Tuesday hearing before the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control is titled, “Is the Department of Justice Adequately Protecting the Public from […]
Hawaii Weighs Study on Decriminalizing All Drugs
A group of Hawaii lawmakers wants their state to consider becoming the first in the U.S. to decriminalize all drugs. A resolution being heard Thursday by the state’s House Judiciary Committee says that “despite a longstanding policy that enforces illicit drug prohibition and imposes some of the world’s harshest penalties for drug possession and sales, […]
Supreme Court Dismisses Colorado Marijuana Case
The United States Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a case against Colorado that could have dealt a devastating blow to legal marijuana laws in a growing number of states. The lawsuit, which Nebraska and Oklahoma filed in late 2014, compared marijuana coming over their borders from Colorado to pollution. They said that as a result, their law enforcement agencies, […]
Across US, City Councils Weigh Marijuana Ordinances
While much attention is being paid to marijuana policy reforms working their way through state legislatures or being circulated for statewide ballots, city councils across the country are increasingly considering changes to cannabis policies at the local level. And these municipal efforts often create momentum that helps propel broader statewide changes. For example, the Tampa, Florida City […]
Obama Should Push End of Drug War at UN, Lawmakers Say
An upcoming high-level review of global drug policies is a chance for the U.S. to encourage countries to move toward health-focused approaches to substance misuse and away from failed criminalization strategies. That’s the message a group of 14 U.S. House Democrats sent in a letter to President Obama on Thursday. Next month, heads of state and other leaders from around the […]
Medical Marijuana Gains Momentum in US Senate
Pressure is mounting on U.S. Senate leadership to address the growing gap between state medical marijuana policies and federal law. Last week, former Republican presidential candidate Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC) co-sponsored the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States (CARERS) Act, a comprehensive bill aimed at easing the implementation of state medical marijuana programs. And on Monday, […]
Ohio Attorney General Rejects Medical Marijuana Ballot Language
Efforts to put a medical marijuana measure on Ohio’s November ballot hit a snag Friday when Attorney General Mike DeWine ruled that a summary of the initiative provided by advocates is not fair and truthful. “There are a number of discrepancies between the summary and the proposed amendment,” DeWine wrote in a letter to Rob […]