Clearly, it has become a detriment to support enforcing marijuana prohibition at the federal level, especially when that enforcement means that armed federal agents will be overriding the will of state voters that have passed marijuana measures. Marijuana Majority commissioned polls, conducted by Public Policy Polling, already found that a […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

Update: The “controversial” ad made some headlines.  Even after marijuana is legalized in a state, the fight for true equality continues. The fight can be personal, such as the unjust firing of a TV news anchor, or it can be on behalf of a business, or industry as a whole, […]

“Didja see that that cheater – Tom Shady – got out of his four game suspension for Deflategate?” asked the guy in the New York Jets jersey sitting alongside me at the bar. “Tom Brady, yes,” I replied, “looks like he gets to play on opening night. That’s gotta make […]