Changes

*https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/frequently-asked-questions-and-facts-about-marijuana#opposed

*https://www.mpp.org/federal/marijuana-policy-reform-in-the-114th-congress/

https://www.mpp.org/states/alabama/

While progress has been slow, last year’s passage of Carly’s Law — a CBD-focused bill — and this year’s passage of SB 67 are good indicators of changing attitudes in the Yellowhammer State. Please take a moment to encourage your legislators to support a comprehensive medical marijuana bill next year. A 2004 poll by the Mobile Register and the University of South Alabama found that 75 percent of respondents supported legalizing marijuana for medical use under a doctor’s supervision.

== Alaska ==

https://www.mpp.org/states/alaska/

Rule making process wraps up soon

Please be sure to provide your own comments to the board before November 11 if you have not already done so. (In fact, you should submit written comments as soon as possible so board members have time to review and consider them before the next meeting on November 20.) Instructions for how to submit comments are available here. Beginning in 2016, marijuana will be cultivated, tested, and sold by licensed, taxpaying businesses that require proof of age instead of criminal enterprises in the underground market. For more information about Measure 2, check out this FAQ from the Alaska Department of Commerce. And you read a summary of the law here.

https://www.mpp.org/states/arizona/

Fortunately, a terrible DUI bill that would have made criminals out of drivers who are not impaired also died. Rep. Sonny Borrelli’s bill, HB 2273, would have allowed courts to consider the presence of a metabolized form of THC, which was excluded from consideration in DUI cases by the Arizona Supreme Court. His misguided bill would have added consideration of the metabolized form of THC back into the DUI laws — ensuring that people who are not impaired would be found guilty of DUI. Fortunately, the bill did not pass. Both the Arizona Supreme Court and researchers for the federal government say metabolized THC has nothing to do with impairment.

https://www.mpp.org/states/arkansas/

In addition to wasting law enforcement time on victimless marijuana offenses, marijuana enforcement has been extremely unequal in Arkansas. African Americans in Arkansas are over three times more likely to be arrested for possession of marijuana compared with whites, although both black and white populations consume marijuana at similar rates. To learn more about how the war on marijuana can be used to discriminate against African Americans in the U.S. and in Arkansas, check out the ACLU’s recent report.

In November 2012, 48.56% of Arkansas voters voted for a medical marijuana measure. While this fell just shy of the votes needed to finally protect seriously ill patients from arrest, it did show substantial support for protecting patients. In all likelihood, support has grown as awareness has risen about marijuana’s medical benefits, including after Dr. Sanjay Gupta from CNN became supportive and profiled several patients. One patient was a young girl whose catastrophic seizures were effectively treated by a strain of marijuana that she did not smoke and that had very low THC.

Please write to your legislators and voice your support for a compassionate law that will help seriously ill patients in the state. People should not have to make the terrible choice between being considered a criminal and being denied a medicine that is safer than many pharmaceutical medications.

https://www.mpp.org/states/california/

It is true that California’s marijuana laws are not as draconian as some other states, but the state is still wasting precious resources on citing, arresting, and prosecuting marijuana offenders, while ensuring the profits of marijuana sales go to criminals instead of responsible businesses and supporting the state budget. And despite its reputation as being easy-going with respect to marijuana possession and use, California arrested or cited over 21,000 people in 2012 for marijuana-related offenses. Let your legislators know it’s time they stand up for taking a more humane and fiscally sound approach to marijuana policy.

More revenue and more jobs bring more support for marijuana legalization

If you have not already done so, please sign-up for our free and state-specific email alerts so you don’t miss your opportunity to advocate for sensible marijuana policy in the Centennial State.

In the summer of 2013, CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta released a documentary about medical marijuana called Weed, featuring a CBD-rich cannabis oil that could save lives. The oil successfully treated seizures caused by intractable epilepsy, which sometimes occur hundreds of times per day. Soon, more than a hundred families flocked to Colorado, most with a child suffering from similar seizures. They called themselves “medical refugees,” and Colorado’s medical cannabis was their last hope.

Initiative backers are engaging in conversations with city officials and remain hopeful that they will result in a sensible social use law that the city is willing and able to implement. If not, they will have the option of putting one on the ballot during the 2016 presidential election, when increased voter turnout will create a more favorable electorate compared to this year.

https://www.mpp.org/states/connecticut/

Last update: October 4, 2015

On June 1, 2012, Connecticut enacted a medical marijuana program that protects patients from arrest and prosecution if they have a valid registration card. The state Department of Consumer Protection oversees the program. A patient may obtain up to 2.5 ounces every month from a licensed dispensary, but home cultivation is prohibited. Unfortunately, the program does not currently allow for minors to access medical marijuana. Connecticut is one of the only states that prohibits seriously ill minors from having legal access to the state medical marijuana program. To learn more about the specifics of the Connecticut medical marijuana program, visit our state-by-state report.

In the last session, two bills were introduced that could help provide important access to medical marijuana for minors. HB 5892, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Ryan, would allow access to qualified minors who have permission and supervision by a parent or guardian. Another bill, HB 6862, would simply study how access by minors could affect them.

The Department of Consumer Protections also decided to add up to three additional dispensaries. The new dispensaries will likely be located in New Haven and Fairfield counties, where roughly 50% of the state’s patients live. The state received 19 applications for dispensary licenses. The department said it expects to make selections in early 2016, and the dispensaries could be open by June.

Since 2011, possession of a half-ounce or less of marijuana has been a civil violation in Connecticut, punishable by a fine of up to $150, meaning it is not a jailable offense. Subsequent offenses are subject to increased fines ranging from $200-$500. Upon a third violation, offenders are referred to a drug awareness program. Most importantly, those accused of being in possession are not saddled with criminal records, which can mark a person for life. In addition to the fine, anyone under 21 who is found in possession of less than a half-ounce of marijuana faces a 60-day suspension of his or her driver’s license.

Although Connecticut has improved its marijuana laws in recent years, penalties still exist for adults in possession of a substance that is less harmful than alcohol. Data reported to the FBI by state law enforcement shows that in 2012, 85% of all marijuana-related arrests or citations were for possession. During the same period, over 76% of all reported rapes and 85% of all burglaries, including home invasions, went unsolved. Law enforcement should focus its resources and time on serious crime instead of pursuing people in possession of small amounts of cannabis.

Several positive bills were introduced in 2015. Rep. Edwin Vargas’s HB 6473 and Rep. Juan Candelaria’s HB 6703 would each replace Connecticut’s prohibition of marijuana with sensible regulations for adults’ use.

A recent poll conducted by Quinnipiac University found that a majority of voters in Connecticut support legalizing cannabis for adults. Fifty-two percent of all voters, and 80% of voters under 30 years old, support legalizing the possession of personal use amounts of marijuana for adults.

https://www.mpp.org/states/delaware/

The Department of Health continues to accept applications for medical marijuana ID cards, which will be required for patients seeking to obtain their medicine from a compassion center. If you are interested in obtaining your medical marijuana ID card, please visit the medical marijuana program’s website or call them at (302) 744-4749 to receive application forms. If you have further questions about the medical marijuana program, please see our summary of the law.

https://www.mpp.org/states/district-of-columbia/

It is important to note that, like Initiative 71, this is only a change in District law, not federal law. Marijuana possession on federal lands, including the National Mall, is still a criminal offense and violators may be arrested and prosecuted.

https://www.mpp.org/states/florida/

Despite the fact that a medical necessity defense has been established by Florida case law, patients remain at risk of being arrested and jailed because legislators have yet to enact a medical marijuana law.

https://www.mpp.org/states/georgia/

A 2013 study by the American Civil Liberties Union found that although blacks and whites use marijuana at nearly identical rates, blacks in Georgia are 3.7 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession.

https://www.mpp.org/states/hawaii/

Multiple bills have been filed that will end Hawaii’s marijuana prohibition this session, giving legislators the opportunity to take a fiscally sound approach to marijuana policy when they reconvene in 2016.

https://www.mpp.org/states/idaho/

Under current Idaho law, an individual charged with possession of up to an ounce of marijuana faces a year in jail and/or up to a $1,000 fine. Unfortunately, this draconian law hits minority communities the hardest. According to the ACLU, black Idahoans are over two and half times more likely to be arrested for possession than their white neighbors. Ask your lawmakers to end marijuana prohibition today. To learn more about Idaho’s marijuana laws, arrests, and use, please see http://www.drugscience.org/States/ID/ID.pdf

https://www.mpp.org/states/illinois/

Unsurprisingly, the number of patients who have registered for the program has initially been low, but it is expected to increase now that the program is operational.

https://www.mpp.org/states/indiana/

Please consider asking your legislators to support legalizing and regulating marijuana like alcohol. This fiscally sound approach would increase freedom, end the possibility of disparities in enforcement of possession, re-direct law enforcement resources to real crime, and allow the state to control and generate revenue from this lucrative product.