Happy April 20th! The unofficial marijuana holiday is being celebrated with rallies and smoke-outs all over the world, with the largest events being held in Canada, The United Kingdom, and The United States. Over the weekend, an estimated 125,000 people attended a 4/20 two-day celebration in Denver’s Civic Center Park […]

New York federal prosecutor Loretta Lynch, President Obama’s candidate to replace Attorney General Eric Holder, is a disappointing choice.  She will set back desperately needed criminal justice reform. If, at this point in American history, the criminal justice system needed an aggressive prosecutor at the helm, Loretta Lynch would be […]

Last week the President visited Jamaica, the first time a sitting President of the United States has been there since Ronald Reagan visited the island nation in 1982. While in the country, the president held a townhall Q&A session in which a man named Miguel ‘Steppa’ Williams asked Obama the […]

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is a Reefer Madness radical out of the mainstream. He has demonstrated a lack of respect for the citizens of New Jersey, especially those suffering from debilitating medical conditions, in how he has mishandled the state’s medical marijuana program. Now, with his sights possibly set […]

This time last month growers, activists, and leaders in the cannabis industry gathered together in Eugene for the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC). A coming out of the closet for some, it was a monumental moment for all. And speaking of monumental, it opened up a space for cannabis […]

Throughout the battle for marijuana decriminalization, medicalization, and legalization, we have always faced one enduring roadblock: marijuana is a federally prohibited Schedule 1 drug. No matter what any city, county, district, or state does to reduce marijuana penalties or legalize its possession and cultivation, possession of any amount of marijuana […]

“How did I anticipate this question?” President Barack Obama jokes when asked about US marijuana policy while in Jamaica. The person posing the question mentioned that cannabis and hemp provided economic opportunities for Jamaica. After his initial joking, President Obama mentioned that two states had already implemented marijuana legalization and […]

There are many reasons to support marijuana legalization. Some are interested in social justice, others in the economics and additional tax revenue that can be generated. New jobs can be exciting jobs to many people, especially during tough economic times. Why do I support marijuana legalization? For me it’s personal. […]

I previously blogged that marijuana law reformers should support Rand Paul as much as possible during the Republican presidential primary. Paul’s success may move both the Republican and Democratic candidates towards a sensible policy. While Hillary Clinton’s nomination on the Democratic side has had an aura of invincibility, that may […]

Legal in four states and the nation’s capital, positioned to be made legal in several states in 2016, and now seemingly as American as apple pie and baseball. It’s plain to see there has been a sea change in public opinion about cannabis use. Cannabis, ganja, marijuana, — it’s everywhere we go — […]

After two days driving across Idaho and Wyoming, where it is illegal to merely be high, my Portland NORML colleague Kaliko and I arrive at Infinite Wellness Center in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the first legal pot shop you can get to on that route south from Laramie, Wyoming. […]

(Photo credit: Sonya Yruel/Drug Policy Alliance) From afar, it seems that Michigan has certainly had an interesting marijuana law reform experience. Ann Arbor has long had a sensible cannabis policy and the college town was an inspiration for my very first attempt at helping author a marijuana law reform measure in Columbia, […]

In a big blow against Oregon cannabis businesses, Gresham-based MBank, one of the few banks openly doing business with the marijuana industry, announced that they will be closing all marijuana-related business accounts within the next few months. MBank made waves in Oregon and across the country when they announced that […]

(Photo credit: Jeff Mapes of The Oregonian) Progressive Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer has been a longtime marijuana law reformer, working to improve our laws since the early 1970s. It is no surprise when he speaks out on marijuana issues, even when he reaches across the political divide to recruit conservatives […]

Wichita sent shockwaves (I couldn’t resist, Go Shockers!) across Kansas, decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana on Tuesday. Despite threats from Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt who called the proposal unconstitutional and threatened to sue the city if the law passed.  In a conservative state like Kansas, change at the city level […]