NORML

Update: The House Second Reading for Sb 184 is being laid over daily.
Update: SB 184 passed the House Finance Committee on March 20 by a vote of 8 to 3.
Update: SB 184 passed the full Senate on Thursday, March 9, by a vote of 25-10 and will now be sent to the House. Gov. Hickenlooper has threatened a veto, saying he opposes any expansion of indoor smoking. 
Colorado State Senator Bob Gardner and Representative Dan Pabon have introduced legislation, SB 184, The Marijuana Membership Clubs and Public Use Bill, will provide Colorado municipalities with the regulatory framework needed to allow responsible adults the option to socially consume marijuana in a membership club away from the general public.
Last November, voters In California and Maine approved public marijuana consumption through Proposition 64 and Question 1, but haven’t settled on rules. This means Colorado could be first out of the gate with statewide regulations for pot clubs. 

Please enter your information below to contact your elected officials to urge them to support this measure. For more information about this bill and other pending legislation, please contact Denver NORML.

Update: HB 2096 failed to emerge out of committee prior to this year’s legislative deadline. No further action will be taken this year.
Legislation is pending, House Bill 2096, that seeks to repeal “all laws legalizing the use, possession, sale, or production of marijuana and marijuana-related products.”

While we do not anticipate this measure gaining traction, please let your lawmakers — and the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Brad Klippert — know that you oppose this effort.

You can e-mail the sponsor here. You can submit public comment on the measure here. You can send a letter to your elected officials by entering your zip code below.

Legislation is pending, Senate Bill 974, that prohibits individuals from operating a motor vehicle if they have any “detectable level” of THC or its inert metabolite THC-COOH present in their blood. Members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee heard testimony on this bill on March 2nd at 1pm.
NORML opposes this proposal.

The presence of low levels of THC or its inert metabolite THC-COOH in blood is an inappropriate and inconsistent indicator of psychomotor impairment. No less than the United States Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) agrees, stating, “It is difficult to establish a relationship between a person’s THC blood or plasma concentration and performance impairing effects. … It is inadvisable to try and predict effects based on blood THC concentrations alone, and currently impossible to predict specific effects based on THC-COOH concentrations.” 

It should not be presumed that the detection of THC or its THC-COOH metabolite is predictive of psychomotor impairment and such a presumption should not be codified in Maryland’s traffic safety statutes. The imposition and enforcement of this measure risks inappropriately convicting unimpaired subjects of traffic safety violations.

Enter your information below to let your elected officials know that they should oppose this unscientific proposal.

Update: The 2017 legislative session came to a close with lawmakers taking no further action on A. 2142 and S. 3809.
Update: NORML is joining multiple organizations, including Empire State NORML and the Drug Policy Alliance in calling for Governor Andrew Cuomo to include the language from A. 2142 and S. 3809 in his budget.
Update: A. 2142 has passed the state Assembly by a vote of 95 to 38. The Senate has yet to take action on its companion bill, S. 3809.
Legislation (A. 2142 and S. 3809) is before the Assembly and Senate to seal the records of those who have previously been convicted of the possession of marijuana in public view.
New York has historically had the highest marijuana-related arrest rate in the nation largely because of questionable arrests made under the ‘public view’ exception. These arrests primarily target African Americans and Hispanics, and have been roundly criticized by leading politicians and civil rights advocates. (Legislation to close this loophole is pending, and you may contact your lawmakers and urge them to make this change here)
Passage of A. 2142 and S. 3809 will make it so these hundreds of thousands of minor offenders are no longer stigmatized by their arrest record.
“I introduced the marijuana sealing bill because drug laws have created a permanent underclass of people unable to find jobs after a conviction,” said Assemblymember Crystal Peoples-Stokes. “One of the most damaging issues derived from the war on drugs is that the policies are inherently racist. Communities of color have been devastated by bad drug policies and hyper-criminalization for the last 40 years. It is an approach that has never worked and has caused significantly more harm than good to our communities and to our families. If today’s moment of increased attention to heroin encourages us to center public health in our drug policy, then we need to ensure that we are making amends to communities of color by alleviating the burden bad policies have had on their lives. Sealing low-level marijuana possession convictions is the first step to reintegrating thousands of New Yorkers who are inhibited daily from accessing employment, housing and an education all due to a conviction on their record for simple possession of marijuana.”
Enter your information below to contact your New York state elected officials and Governor Cuomo, urging them to support this common sense measure.

Update: Committee members in the Senate will hear testimony on March 2nd at 1pm. Committee members in the House will hear testimony on March 7th at 1pm. 
Update: A new Goucher poll cites that 58% of Marylanders support marijuana legalization and only 36% oppose it. 
HB 1185 and SB 928 are pending in the Maryland House and Senate. These measures seek to legalize and regulate the possession and use of limited amounts of marijuana for adults over the age of 21.Under these proposals, adults would be permitted to possess and grow limited quantities of cannabis. The measures would also regulate and license a commercial and retail marijuana market.
The ongoing enforcement of cannabis prohibition financially burdens taxpayers, encroaches upon civil liberties, engenders disrespect for the law. According to a recent poll by the Washington Post, 63% of Maryland registered voters support the legalization of marijuana for personal use. 
Please enter your information below and urge your lawmakers to support this important legislative effort.

UPDATE: SB 796 has passed the Senate but was tabled on February 15 on a voice vote by the House Courts of Justice, Subcommittee on Criminal Law. The measure will not be considered further this session.
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Sen. Ryan McDougle has introduced SB 796, which creates a expungement by petition process for individuals under 21 who are convicted of marijuana possession, underage alcohol possession, or use of a false ID.

McDougle’s bill would protect Virginia citizens from lifelong ramifications that can come from the punishments for juvenile possession or other minor crimes. Saddling teens with a criminal record can make getting a job near-impossible and is an unfair burden to place on an individual.

Juvenile expungement is not a perfect solution by any means, but it does provide some layer of protection for those under 21.

For more information, contact Virginia NORML http://www.vanorml.org/ to see how you can help in your area.

Enter your information below and urge your lawmakers to support juvenile expungement.