The Ban the Box, or Fair Chance, movement is sweeping the nation as civil rights advocates fight for the right of people that have paid their debt to society, but have a difficult time supporting themselves because their conviction. Unfortunately, people of color and poor people from all walks of life, […]

It is understandable that ticket sales for the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC) have been brisk as the state is about to start recreational sales to adults on October 1st through existing medical cannabis dispensaries and the latest draft rules to the state Rules Advisory Committee for the 2016 […]

A month before our 2014 election to legalize marijuana in Oregon, Kevin Sabet was brought in by county sheriffs, district attorneys, and rehab programs to tour the state. The alleged purpose of the tour was merely to provide citizens with scientific information about cannabis. But given that their headline speaker […]

In a rather shocking development, even for those that have long been supporters and of Bernie Sanders, the latest Qunnipiac poll has the Vermont Senator edging out Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton 41% to 40%. While this poll is clearly within the statistical margin of error, the most amazing development is the huge […]

Jeff Mizanskey’s story is simply amazing. It is a story of tragedy, despair, hope, triumph and a new hope for cannabis law reformers. The tragedy of a man spending more than two decades locked in a cage for selling cannabis hurts the soul of everyone with a soul. The despair […]

As Marijuana Politics blogger Romain Bonilla recently posted, Hillary Clinton has strong financial ties to the private prison industry. These ties with the prison-industrial complex, mainly through common lobbyists, have been reported by a few blogs and rightfully make Drug War reformers suspicious of Clinton’s commitment to ending the use of […]

There now exists here in Oregon an affiliate of Kevin Sabet’s Project SAM, the ironically-named Smart Approaches to Marijuana, where the “smart approach” is to maintain adult marijuana prohibition but soften the penalties a little bit. I like to call it the “Kinder Gentler Drug War” approach. The head of […]

San Francisco politics is not for the faint of heart. Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi’s tenure has been no exception. Sheriff Mirkarimi has fought off scandal after scandal after scandal. Yet, he has held to his long time progressive values, and persevered to serve his constituents. With the San Francisco elections on November 3, […]

Israel has been a world leader in medical marijuana, from the discovery of THC in 1964 by Israeli researcher Dr. Raphael Mechoulem to the over 22,000 medical marijuana patients in Israel today with a cannabis permit from the Health Ministry. But now pain clinics in Israel are under fire for […]

Congressman Earl Blumenauer has been leading efforts to sensibly reform our marijuana laws for decades. As a young state legislator, he helped Oregon become the first state to decriminalize marijuana and he hasn’t slowed down one bit. Now in Washington, D.C., the Portland representative works across the political divide to convince […]

I spoke to a reporter from Rolling Stone who is doing a story on the division within the drug reform community over Ohio’s 2015 marijuana legalization amendment. Indeed, the proposal to create both medical marijuana and a taxed-and-regulated adult marijuana market has alienated many supporters of legalization with its assignment […]

As most Americans have come to realize, the War on Drugs has been a phenomenal disaster. Triggering the arrest of millions of otherwise law-abiding Americans, it has contributed to an unprecedented pattern of mass incarceration, one which unfairly targets the poor and people of color. Despite its success in locking […]

Bernie Sanders has increased his lead on Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire according to the latest NBC/Marist poll. The progressive insurgent candidate that many cannabis law reform advocates have rallied around, has been the target of criticism from Clinton surrogates in recent day. Sanders responded that Clinton’s campaign must be […]

When crafting a marijuana legalization measure, it is necessary to balance several objectives, including: personal freedom and public safety; tax revenue and responsible use; free speech and advertising restrictions designed to keep marijuana out of the hands of minors; and out-of-state competition vs. protecting in-state mom and pops. When drafting Measure 91, […]

Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference Just One Week Away!The timing of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC), just two weeks ahead of recreational sales starting in Oregon, could not really be better. The Oregon Health Authority has released the rules that will allow existing medical cannabis dispensaries to sell […]