Tonight, I completed my appearance at the Idaho Marijuana Town Hall (where the anti-legalization side chickened out at the last moment). I sent out notice on social media about our more than 8,000 listeners on the live stream, and re-shared my article from earlier today in which I called Idaho’s […]

Sadly, exactly zero colleagues have cosponsored Senator Bernie Sanders’ smart proposal to de-schedule marijuana. The Vermont Senator’s bill, S. 2237: Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2015, was introduced in early November. Going beyond the timid rescheduling out of draconian Schedule I, a common sense move somehow refused by President […]

Of all the Republican presidential candidates, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie seems to be the most concerned about drugs and addiction. With drug policy now a focus of national attention, voicing his positions on these issues could be a good way for him to stand out from a crowded field […]

Political victories are easy to see, but there are often underlying cultural events that shape our progress.  Spannabis, one of the world’s leading cannabis festivals, is an example in Spain. Most of the cannabis community is likely unaware that tens of thousands of revelers attend the event every year, making […]

President Obama has appointed Joe Biden, who recently lost his son Beau to brain cancer, to head a “moonshot” to cure cancer. It turns out that cannabis may well be a key to fighting cancer; it is  likely that the VP’s drug war blinders will cause him to ignore marijuana’s anti-tumor powers. Many […]

As the Democratic candidates square off in a debate tonight in South Carolina, polls have shown that the race has been tightening in Iowa and New Hampshire, and potentially even nationally. Frontrunner Hillary Clinton has been expected to win the Iowa caucus, but recent polls show that she is in a […]

Advocates seeking to legalize marijuana have to suffer through insults and negative stereotypes that are hurled against us by prohibitionists and even those that are simply on the fence on the issue. Fortunately, the tide is turning for the better as marijuana has moved more into the mainstream and cannabis law […]

Many Oregon medical cannabis patients can’t afford dispensary prices. Over 40% of all patients qualify for a low-income discount on their state application. I know that roughly half of the 230 patients I have helped connect with a grower qualify for one of the low-income discounts. A large fraction of […]

Personally, I have been so happy to see great polling news for Bernie Sanders that has been flooding my social media streams these days, along with crucial endorsements of the Vermont Senator from progressives at Democracy for America, MoveOn.org and The Nation magazine. Sanders surging in Iowa, New Hampshire and nationally has brought out attacks […]

IOWANS HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE TO TACKLE CANNABIS LAW REFORM THIS YEAR Greetings from the greater Fort Dodge area. Welcome to 2016. Are we ready to stand and make a difference? Do we have the courage to speak up? Law makers are in session once again as of the 11th of […]

Congressman Blumenauer has been undoubtedly one of our nation’s greatest leaders on cannabis law reform. Not only has Blumenauer been an outspoken champion for sensible marijuana laws, but also an effective policy maker. The progressive Oregon Democrat has reached across the aisle to work with the libertarian-leaning Republican Dana Rohrabacher […]

When news broke today of the death Sunday of The Thin White Duke himself, David Bowie, my first thought was of that amazing cover of “Space Oddity” that Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded on the International Space Station. It’s a fitting tribute to David Bowie that his lyrics are sung […]

Progressive supporters of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders got great news this past week when a Fox News poll showed the anti-establishment Democratic candidate with a commanding 13 point lead over frontrunner Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire. The good polling news continued with the release of the NBC/The Wall Street Journal/Marist also […]

The California cannabis industry was abuzz following the last-minute passage of the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA) that was passed by the California Assembly at the very end of the legislative session. Marijuana entrepreneurs were scrambling to read the MMRSA and have been digesting the implications since. Governor […]

Debbie Does Malice, Again: DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz just reaffirmed her support for continued cannabis criminalization. As chair of the Democratic National Committee, the Florida congresswoman has shown herself to be inept, biased, and unfair. She is especially ignorant regarding cannabis prohibition. Schultz has been a divisive disaster for Democrats and must be replaced […]