Samantha Manning
Tue, November 15, 2022
Recreational marijuana is legal in nearly half of U.S. states, but it remains illegal at the federal level.
Members of a House subcommittee on Tuesday debated if marijuana should be decriminalized nationwide and if some marijuana convictions should be expunged if marijuana becomes legal at the federal level.
Reforming marijuana laws had overwhelming bipartisan support on the subcommittee, including from the Chairman and Ranking Member.
“The war against marijuana has ruined so many lives,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
“The only place it’s controversial is here in the halls of the Capitol,” said Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee.
Currently, 21 states plus Washington D.C. have legalized recreational marijuana and 37 states allow marijuana for medical reasons.
“Congress has failed to implement sensible cannabis reform,” said Amber Littlejohn, Senior Policy Advisor for the Global Alliance for Cannabis Commerce.
According to lawmakers on the subcommittee, marijuana arrests account for 43 percent of all drug arrests, with most being simple possession charges.
While white and Black people use marijuana at roughly the same rate, Black people are nearly four times more likely to be arrested for violating marijuana possession charges.
“I urge this committee and Congress to go beyond decriminalization and repair the damages that have been done,” said Keeda Haynes, a Senior Legal Advisor for Free Hearts.
While support for descheduling marijuana had bipartisan support, one Republican Congressman pointed to concerns about potential harm.
“Marijuana and drugs are crippling,” said Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX). “They cause addiction. They cause crime.”
In response, supporters of marijuana reform pointed to the data.
“How many deaths have there been from marijuana overdoses?” Rep. Mace asked.
“So, I don’t believe the CDC, DEA, NIDA or any other federal agency has ever directly associated a fatal overdose with cannabis,” said Eric Goepel, Founder and CEO of Veterans Cannabis Coalition.
“So, that means zero,” reiterated Mace.
Our Washington News Bureau asked Paul Armentano, Deputy Director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), if he believes Congress will be successful in passing bipartisan legislation to decriminalize marijuana federally.
“It’s hard to say,” said Armentano. “If facts, cultural opinion, public opinion, science was driving this train, we would already have a very different cannabis policy than the one we have now in this country.”
The House passed a bill decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level.
A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate, but its chances of passing remain unclear.
After election, marijuana advocates look to next states
Jeremy Baldwin tags young cannabis plants at a marijuana farm operated by Greenlight, Oct. 31, 2022, in Grandview, Mo. Marijuana advocates are looking toward their next states to target after experiencing some mixed results in the recent elections. Cannabis legalization measures for adults passed in Maryland and Missouri but failed in Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota. Supporters already are looking toward a March legalization vote in Oklahoma.
DAVID A. LIEB
Mon, November 14, 2022
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Law-abiding marijuana enthusiasts could find themselves in a bit of a predicament following voter approval of a recreational cannabis initiative in Missouri.
Though it soon will become legal for adults to possess and ingest cannabis, it could take a couple more months before they can legally buy it.
Maryland residents will have to wait even longer — until the middle of next year — before a recreational marijuana measure approved this past week can take effect.
With the addition of Maryland and Missouri, 21 states have legalized recreational marijuana for adults over the past decade — even though it remains illegal under federal law.
Marijuana advocates are pressing forward with similar efforts elsewhere, undeterred by defeats last week in Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Efforts to legalize psychedelic drugs for personal use also appear likely to spread, after supporters poured millions of dollars into a Colorado measure that won approval.
Here's a look at what's next in the effort to reshape state drug laws.
MISSOURI AND MARYLAND
Recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older will become legal in Missouri on Dec. 8. That’s the same day the state’s existing medical marijuana businesses can apply for licenses to grow, manufacture, transport and sell cannabis for recreational purposes.
But there won't be any immediate deals — at least not legally.
The newly approved constitutional amendment gives the state health department until Feb. 6 to consider applications. Though officials could act more quickly, the department doesn’t expect to approve recreational cannabis licenses until February, said the department's communications director, Lisa Cox.
In the meantime, people potentially could get free marijuana from those with medical cards or turn to the black market.
“No one needs to say how or where they acquired their cannabis in order for it to be legal,” said Dan Viets, Missouri coordinator for the drug policy group NORML.
Maryland’s new constitutional amendment legalizes the possession and use of marijuana for adults 21 and older effective July 1, and directs the General Assembly to come up with laws regulating it.
In the meantime, a law set to be in place from Jan. 1 through June 30 makes the possession of a personal supply of marijuana — defined as up to 1.5 ounces — a civil offense with a fine of up to $100.
Both states also have provisions to gradually expunge some past marijuana offenses for people.
OKLAHOMA AND BEYOND
The next vote on legalizing recreational marijuana for adults will occur in Oklahoma. Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt set a March election after a delay in counting initiative signatures and legal challenges prevented the measure from appearing on the November ballot.
Oklahoma already has one of the nation's most robust medical marijuana programs, with about 2,500 licensed dispensaries. About 380,000 people, nearly 10% of all residents, have state-issued medical cards allowing them to buy, grow and consume marijuana.
After Oklahoma, Ohio could vote next on cannabis legalization. A group that originally sought to get a measure on the November ballot reached a legal settlement with legislative leaders that could allow supporters to submit petition signatures for a 2023 vote.
After Democratic victories in last week's legislative and gubernatorial elections, Minnesota could be poised to legalize recreational marijuana next year without needing to go to voters. Legislative approval of recreational marijuana also could be pursued next year in Democratic-led Hawaii, said Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the Marijuana Policy Project, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.
New citizen-led ballot initiatives are possible in Florida, Idaho, Nebraska, Wyoming and the three states where ballot measures recently failed.
This year was "probably the worst election cycle for cannabis reform since the first ones passed in 2012, but there’s still a belief that we can go win more states in 2024,” said Schweich, who ran this year's campaign in South Dakota.
Marijuana legalization campaigns raised about $24 million in the five states where they were on the ballot, according to pre-election finance reports. The vast majority of that was in Arkansas and Missouri, where more than 85% of contributions came from donors associated with medical marijuana licensees, according to an Associated Press analysis.
In Arkansas, some marijuana advocates opposed the initiative because it benefitted the existing industry while lacking provisions for people to grow their own cannabis and expunge past marijuana convictions. But advocates hope to return to voters in two years with a revised plan.
“I think the people still truly want to see this," said Eddie Armstrong, chairman of the group that campaigned for the Arkansas initiative.
PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS
Voters in Colorado made it the second state, behind Oregon, to legalize psychedelic mushrooms for personal use by people 21 and older.
Though the hallucinogenic drug remains illegal under federal law and won't be sold in Colorado stores, it will be available for use under supervision at state-regulated “healing centers.” Residents also will be able to grow psychedelic mushrooms at home and use them without civil or criminal penalties.
The initiative won't take effect until 2024. By then, similar legalization efforts already may have spread to other states.
The Colorado measure is “at the forefront of a new trend,” said Mandy Zoch, who tracks ballot measures at the National Conference of State Legislatures. "I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more measures relating to things like psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs in the future.”
Legislatures in several states, including California and New Jersey, are likely to consider psychedelic drug measures in 2023, said Graham Boyd, executive director of the drug policy group New Approach.
After spending more than $4 million on the Colorado initiative, New Approach expects donors concerned about veterans and mental health issues to step forward with more money for future initiatives.
“I think that we are at the beginning of a very hopeful period of expanding options for dealing with mental health. That’s what this is all about,” Boyd said.
___
Associated Press writers Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Ark., and Brian Witte in Annapolis, Md., contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the midterm elections at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections.
Jeremy Baldwin tags young cannabis plants at a marijuana farm operated by Greenlight, Oct. 31, 2022, in Grandview, Mo. Marijuana advocates are looking toward their next states to target after experiencing some mixed results in the recent elections. Cannabis legalization measures for adults passed in Maryland and Missouri but failed in Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota. Supporters already are looking toward a March legalization vote in Oklahoma.
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
DAVID A. LIEB
Mon, November 14, 2022
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Law-abiding marijuana enthusiasts could find themselves in a bit of a predicament following voter approval of a recreational cannabis initiative in Missouri.
Though it soon will become legal for adults to possess and ingest cannabis, it could take a couple more months before they can legally buy it.
Maryland residents will have to wait even longer — until the middle of next year — before a recreational marijuana measure approved this past week can take effect.
With the addition of Maryland and Missouri, 21 states have legalized recreational marijuana for adults over the past decade — even though it remains illegal under federal law.
Marijuana advocates are pressing forward with similar efforts elsewhere, undeterred by defeats last week in Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Efforts to legalize psychedelic drugs for personal use also appear likely to spread, after supporters poured millions of dollars into a Colorado measure that won approval.
Here's a look at what's next in the effort to reshape state drug laws.
MISSOURI AND MARYLAND
Recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older will become legal in Missouri on Dec. 8. That’s the same day the state’s existing medical marijuana businesses can apply for licenses to grow, manufacture, transport and sell cannabis for recreational purposes.
But there won't be any immediate deals — at least not legally.
The newly approved constitutional amendment gives the state health department until Feb. 6 to consider applications. Though officials could act more quickly, the department doesn’t expect to approve recreational cannabis licenses until February, said the department's communications director, Lisa Cox.
In the meantime, people potentially could get free marijuana from those with medical cards or turn to the black market.
“No one needs to say how or where they acquired their cannabis in order for it to be legal,” said Dan Viets, Missouri coordinator for the drug policy group NORML.
Maryland’s new constitutional amendment legalizes the possession and use of marijuana for adults 21 and older effective July 1, and directs the General Assembly to come up with laws regulating it.
In the meantime, a law set to be in place from Jan. 1 through June 30 makes the possession of a personal supply of marijuana — defined as up to 1.5 ounces — a civil offense with a fine of up to $100.
Both states also have provisions to gradually expunge some past marijuana offenses for people.
OKLAHOMA AND BEYOND
The next vote on legalizing recreational marijuana for adults will occur in Oklahoma. Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt set a March election after a delay in counting initiative signatures and legal challenges prevented the measure from appearing on the November ballot.
Oklahoma already has one of the nation's most robust medical marijuana programs, with about 2,500 licensed dispensaries. About 380,000 people, nearly 10% of all residents, have state-issued medical cards allowing them to buy, grow and consume marijuana.
After Oklahoma, Ohio could vote next on cannabis legalization. A group that originally sought to get a measure on the November ballot reached a legal settlement with legislative leaders that could allow supporters to submit petition signatures for a 2023 vote.
After Democratic victories in last week's legislative and gubernatorial elections, Minnesota could be poised to legalize recreational marijuana next year without needing to go to voters. Legislative approval of recreational marijuana also could be pursued next year in Democratic-led Hawaii, said Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the Marijuana Policy Project, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.
New citizen-led ballot initiatives are possible in Florida, Idaho, Nebraska, Wyoming and the three states where ballot measures recently failed.
This year was "probably the worst election cycle for cannabis reform since the first ones passed in 2012, but there’s still a belief that we can go win more states in 2024,” said Schweich, who ran this year's campaign in South Dakota.
Marijuana legalization campaigns raised about $24 million in the five states where they were on the ballot, according to pre-election finance reports. The vast majority of that was in Arkansas and Missouri, where more than 85% of contributions came from donors associated with medical marijuana licensees, according to an Associated Press analysis.
In Arkansas, some marijuana advocates opposed the initiative because it benefitted the existing industry while lacking provisions for people to grow their own cannabis and expunge past marijuana convictions. But advocates hope to return to voters in two years with a revised plan.
“I think the people still truly want to see this," said Eddie Armstrong, chairman of the group that campaigned for the Arkansas initiative.
PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS
Voters in Colorado made it the second state, behind Oregon, to legalize psychedelic mushrooms for personal use by people 21 and older.
Though the hallucinogenic drug remains illegal under federal law and won't be sold in Colorado stores, it will be available for use under supervision at state-regulated “healing centers.” Residents also will be able to grow psychedelic mushrooms at home and use them without civil or criminal penalties.
The initiative won't take effect until 2024. By then, similar legalization efforts already may have spread to other states.
The Colorado measure is “at the forefront of a new trend,” said Mandy Zoch, who tracks ballot measures at the National Conference of State Legislatures. "I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more measures relating to things like psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs in the future.”
Legislatures in several states, including California and New Jersey, are likely to consider psychedelic drug measures in 2023, said Graham Boyd, executive director of the drug policy group New Approach.
After spending more than $4 million on the Colorado initiative, New Approach expects donors concerned about veterans and mental health issues to step forward with more money for future initiatives.
“I think that we are at the beginning of a very hopeful period of expanding options for dealing with mental health. That’s what this is all about,” Boyd said.
___
Associated Press writers Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Ark., and Brian Witte in Annapolis, Md., contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the midterm elections at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections.
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