The Marijuana Justice Act of 2017, introduced by New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker, is exactly the criminal justice and health legislation this country so needs. Much like Bernie Sander’s bill in the last Congress, this act would not reschedule, but actually deschedule cannabis out of the Controlled Substance Act […]

The American opioid crisis continues to worsen. After 45 years of drug war failure, drug addiction and death are at all-time, devastating highs. This new opioid epidemic, clearly a function of Big Pharma’s pill milling and marketing, now kills over 100 Americans each day. In response, Chris Christie’s opioid panel […]

Two Oregon congressional democrats, a senator and a representative, show ground-breaking leadership with their “Path to Marijuana Reform.”  Three pieces of excellent legislation showcase the effort by Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Earl Blumenauer. This proposal has excellent cannabis policy goals. It would: Deschedule Marijuana Completely. No Schedule II, maybe […]

If there are two things president-elect Donald Trump loves more than anything else, it’s fame and money. Trump’s international recognition a flashy billionaire is undisputed. Despite the obvious thrill he gets from antagonizing opponents, the truth is the Donald wants to be popular. And there is no more popular political […]

Hillary Clinton and the democrats are searching for reasons for their devastating loss. Was it FBI Director James Comey they ask? Was it the steady drip of WikiLeaks they wonder? It just may be that Hillary’s non-committal and suspicious views and statements about marijuana doomed her. Had she come out […]

The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) has been at the forefront of cannabis law reform since its inception in 2010. NCIA works for sensible cannabis laws for for cannabis businesses while also supporting efforts to improve criminal law as well. With more than 1,000 members, NCIA has forged a powerful coalition […]

At the twilight of his presidency, Barack Obama leaves unmet the huge need to change federal cannabis law. President Barack Obama will soon leave office. Although he will re-enter private life as one of America’s better presidents, he has failed to address the calamitous war on drugs, especially the eight-decade […]

Cannabis legalization is crossing political barriers in 2016 as Libertarian Presidential candidate Gary Johnson announced his support for California Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act , joining the democratic socialist Bernie Sanders, and a whole host of political figures across the political spectrum, including Republican Dana Rohrabacher and Democratic Lt. […]

The Drug Enforcement Administration issued a new policy this morning that many advocates have considered a mixed bag. The DEA announced that they would allow more universities to produce medical cannabis for research purposes, but that marijuana would ridiculously remain a Schedule I controlled substance (the same classification as heroin, […]

“Are you experienced?” Jimi Hendrix For the first time in decades, the next US President will have no personal experience with marijuana. Neither Hillary nor The Donald have known the relaxing, yet stimulating, sensation of a cannabis “high.” Or so they say. If so, they are poorer for the lack […]

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania – The Democrats have become the first major political party in the United States to endorse “a reasoned pathway for future [marijuana] legalization” in their party platform at their convention in Philadelphia. The platform plank, fought for by supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders, calls for the removal of […]

Devisive Debbie Wasserman Schultz has finally resigned as Democratic National Committee chief. Followers of MarijuanaPolitics.com may have read this writer’s several posts criticizing Schultz as unfit for DNC chief or as a Democratic Representative to Congress. Her resignation will go a long ways in helping to unify the Democratic Party for the […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bi-partisan amendment to allow Veterans Administration doctors to recommend medical marijuana to their patients in states that allow it has disappeared from the appropriations process. The VA funding bill had included the Blumenauer Amendment, which passed the House 233-189 in its first vote and 296-129 once […]

I had such high hopes for California when we were drafting Measure 91 in Oregon. I hoped that criminal penalties would give way to fines, and that California could improve on what we created in many significant ways. I understand that each state is different and that California is the […]

In upcoming elections, Florida contests for US senator, US Representative, and a medical marijuana initiative will help decide the legal future of cannabis both statewide and nationwide. Senate Race He’s baaaack! “Little” Mario Rubio will be running for senate reelection after all. This prohibitionist Republican used his first Senate term […]

Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson adds a clear and sensible alternative to the 2016 election. Should he qualify for the the Presidential Debates, he will bring cannabis reform to the national stage. Governor Johnson will argue for winding down the drug war, ending marijuana prohibition, achieving smaller government, and pursuing a […]

With the California Primaries just four days away, many participants and enthusiasts in the cannabis space are looking to the five remaining presidential candidates (or three, depending on your perspective) to see what are their Marijuana positions and who would be their greatest ally. It’s a difficult question to answer, […]

President Obama has a rare opportunity to make history by rescheduling marijuana. As it so happens, the DEA is currently deciding on a five-year-old petition to reschedule marijuana, supposedly in the first half of 2016. This decision coincides with some of the final months of the Obama administration. This coincidence […]

In this historical election cycle where the impossible becomes possible, Donald J Trump and Bernie Sanders look like they might be debating each other in California before the June 7 primaries there. Sanders had already accepted Fox’s proposal to debate Hillary Clinton, but after Clinton declined the invitation, Trump said […]

Bernie Sanders has endorsed Tim Canova over Debbie Wasserman Schultz for US Representative in the August 30 Florida Democratic primary vote. The primary election offers the chance to replace anti-cannabis prohibitionist Schultz with drug law reformer Tim Canova.  Debbie, of course, is also the Chair of the Democratic National Committee, […]

Despite the political establishment and mainstream pundits calling for Bernie Sanders to drop out of his race against Hillary Clinton, Bernie, and millions of supporters, are still fighting for the political revolution. Propelled by an upset victory in Indiana, Bernie Sanders, now sensing momentum behind his insurgent campaign, proclaimed, “I think […]

I’ve been a huge supporter for Bernie Sanders’ political revolution as his call to end federal cannabis prohibition, reform the Drug War and tackle civil rights abuses have been far and away the best of any mainstream candidate, especially after Republican Rand Paul dropped out of the race. Hillary Clinton, evolving […]

Cannabis icon Tommy Chong will be capping off the Oregon Marijuana Business Conference (OMBC) in Eugene on April 24th with a celebrity interview by Steve Bloom, Editor-in-Chief of Freedom Leaf Magazine and publisher of Celeb Stoner. Chong and Bloom brought the house down at the International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) in […]

Bernie Sanders has had a tough road to the Democratic nomination all along, but he has been keeping hope alive by winning 8 out of the last 9 contests. Sanders’s insurgent campaign enters a tough stretch that includes #PrimaryDay today in New York and five other northeastern states in one […]

The United Nations General Assembly is running a Special Session, UNGASS 2016 in April. The purpose is to examine (hopefully) the institution’s drug policies. Sir Richard Branson, Warren Buffet, Bernie Sanders, and 1,000 other leaders have pleaded for needed change in a powerful letter to the U.N. The UN’s positions on drugs for the last half […]

It is clear that the states have led the way on cannabis law reform and that the federal government is playing catch-up. However, there are new and upcoming developments at the federal level that impact the cannabis industry. In many ways, Oregon, with representation from Earl Blumenauer, Jeff Merkley, Ron […]

Jeff Merkley, the first United States Senator to back a marijuana legalization measure announced his endorsement for Bernie Sanders, the only Democratic candidate advocating to end the federal war on the cannabis community. Senator Merkley, one of the most progressive United States senators, has plenty of reasons for backing Senator […]

The Bernie Sanders political revolution rolled through Wyoming, marking 8 victories out of the last 9 contests for Sanders over Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. Senator Sanders earned 56% of the vote in the closed Wyoming caucu while Clinton won 44%. The all-important New York primary is next, with both candidates […]

The political debate around Bill Clinton’s 1994 Crime Bill is rather complicated complicated as Hillary Clinton championed the bill but Bernie Sanders voted for the legislation, so he can’t get a free pass. Sanders does note that he criticized parts of the bill and ultimately voted for the bill because […]

It was apparent that the Bernie Sanders political revolution was surging in Wisconsin as the anti-establishment challenger was clearly climbing in the polls. However, no poll had Senator Sanders winning by more than 10 points, but he cruised to a clear double digit victory against Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner. […]

UPDATE: Defying the polls, Bernie Sanders won Wisconsin by double digits over Hillary Clinton. The latest Emerson College poll now has Bernie Sanders defeating Hillary Clinton by 8 points in Wisconsin after its previous poll, released just two weeks ago, had Clinton leading by 6 points. This remarkable 14 point […]

Hillary Clinton’s ongoing private email server scandal is not an engineered right-wing smear. Even though Bernie Sanders hasn’t made Clinton’s server and corresponding ethical questions an issue during his anti-establishment campaign, that doesn’t mean that Clinton’s server and lack of transparency isn’t a legitimate issue to the American people. We […]

UPDATE: Defying the polls, Bernie Sanders won Wisconsin by double digits over Hillary Clinton. Even though political pundits and mainstream media talking heads buried Bernie Sanders campaign long ago, never really giving him any chance at all, the Vermont Senator is surging in Wisconsin after winning 6 out of the […]

Following through with a protest that has split the cannabis law reform movement, activists marched in Washington, D.C., and, in an act of civil disobedience, smoked marijuana in front of the White House. The smoke-out was supposed to start at 4:20pm Eastern Time, but according to Twitter, protesters may have […]

President Obama added to his criminal justice reform legacy by commuting the sentences of 61 federal drug offenders, bringing his total number of commutations to 248, more than the previous 6 presidents combines. Criminal justice policy reformers had high hopes upon President Obama, with many backing him over Hillary Clinton in […]

Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz could be dumped in the August 30 primary! Schultz’s failings as a Democratic congressperson are huge. Supposedly a progressive, she instead opposes medical marijuana and joins corporate Republicans to support the predatory payday loan industry. Her neo-con, prohibitionist, and money grubbing politics belie her “progressive” […]

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, fresh off of three crucial, landslide victories in Washington, Alaska and Hawaii, returned to calling for a debate with front-runner Hillary Clinton in New York, ahead of the state’s April 19th primary. Former Secretary of State Clinton is the favorite in the state she represented as […]

A Little Birdie Told Me The Bernie Sanders Path to the Nomination With another set of wins in the western states of Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii, Senator Bernie Sanders has chipped away at Secretary Hillary Clinton’s delegate lead for the Democratic Presidential Nomination. However, the math in the remaining states makes […]

Update: After adding a 70% to 30% Hawaii victory, Bernie Sanders pulled off a clean sweep on Saturday. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders needed huge winning margins in Washington and Alaska over Democratic establishment front-runner Hillary Clinton and he got those much-needed wins thanks to record turnout. Many supporters of Bernie […]

It is safe to say that Portland, Oregon, voters #FeelTheBern as Bernie Sanders packed more than 20,000 of people into the Moda Center once again today. Sanders started his day in Portland, which is the major media market for Vancouver, Washington State’s fourth most populous city, before heading north for other […]

The racist Drug War, especially the war waged upon the cannabis community, is clearly losing support from the American people. The success of the cannabis law reform movement is evident at the ballot box, public polls and the 2016 presidential election, especially on the Democratic side. On the Republican, side […]

Democrats abroad voted in record numbers with a turnout more than 50% above 2008, giving Bernie Sanders a much-needed victory over Hillary Clinton heading into Tuesday’s elections in Utah, Idaho and Arizona. Democratic front-runner Clinton has pushed her lead to more than 300 pledged delegates and the anti-establishment Sanders needs to […]

The deep-red state of Utah hasn’t voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in over 50 years, but that would likely change if a presidential election were held today between Democrat Bernie Sanders and GOP front-runner Donald Trump. A Deseret News/KSL poll found that 48% of Utah voters would cast their ballot for […]

Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s conduct in Maricopa County, Arizona, is a national disgrace that should be declared unconstitutional and should be stopped. Jane and Bernie Sanders should be commended for shining a light on Arpaio’s abuses, from racial profiling to neglectful, inhumane treatment of people in his custody. These abuses are […]

During the latest Super Tuesday, black Chicago activists flew banners across the city skyline criticizing Mayor Rahm Emanuel and State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez for their shameful response to the police killing of 17 year-old Laquan McDonald. The banners read: “Chicago Stands with Laquan, Hillary Stands with Rahm— #ByeAnita #ByeRahm” as the […]

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a Hillary Clinton supporter, has become so toxic that he has had to stay away from the Democratic front-runner while Bernie Sanders has run anti-Emanuel ads tying Clinton and the embattled mayor together. Mayor Emanuel has come under fire particularly for the police shooting of Laquan McDonald […]

“I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death,” Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote in a 1994 dissent where he declared, “the death penalty experiment has failed.” More than 150 death row inmates have been exonerated by evidence of innocence since 1973. A recent study has examined exonerations […]

Democrats for both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton met Saturday, March 12th for the Calhoun County Convention. The result of the convention was two delegates for each presidential candidate to advance onto the state convention. The Calhoun County Democratic Convention also did a fun activity called platforming. It is where Democrats throw […]

The most recent polls continue to show momentum for Bernie Sanders as Super Tuesday 2 approaches. Following the huge (YUGE) upset in the Michigan Primary, where Sanders was trailing Hillary Clinton by more than 20 points in most polls, Bernie appears within striking distance in Missouri, Ohio and Illinois, with a […]

The fact that Bernie Sanders is just 7% down from Hillary Clinton in Missouri’s Democratic primary this Tuesday has been widely reported. The Docking Institute of Public Affairs Poll conducted for Missouri newspapers has the Democratic establishment candidate Clinton with 47% of the vote with the anti-establishment Sanders at 40%, within […]