marijuana legalization
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House Passes Historic but Largely Symbolic Measure to Decriminalize Marijuana
In what was largely a symbolic move, the House of Representatives voted on Friday to decriminalize marijuana on the federal level. Don’t spark up just yet, though. Vice reports that the bill is unlikely to pass through the Republican-controlled Senate. The measure, titled the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, would potentially remove marijuana from…
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America Has Yet to Achieve Racial Equity in Cannabis Reform. New Jersey Is Hoping Dianna Houenou Can Change That
On Election Day, New Jersey became one of four states where voters legalized marijuana for recreational purposes, joining a wave of drug reform and decriminalization that has been sweeping the country since Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational cannabis in 2012. This means that a third of Americans (more than 111…
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Colorado Governor Grants Pardons to Those Convicted for Possession of Up to an Ounce of Marijuana
Colorado’s Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order on Tuesday pardoning people who have been convicted for possessing up to an ounce of Marijuana. CNN reports that this move follows the passage of a bill in June that granted the governor power “to grant pardons to a class of defendants who were convicted of…
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Pennsylvania Governor Wants to Legalize Marijuana to Help With COVID-19 Recovery Effort
Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor Tom Wolf included marijuana legalization as part of his legislative agenda for the state’s COVID-19 economy recovery plan. CNN reports that Gov. Wolf has asked the state legislature to work towards legalizing marijuana. A press release outlining his proposed plan states that 50 percent of marijuana sales be directed towards historically disadvantaged…
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Black People Are Still Disproportionately Arrested for Marijuana Possession in California Despite Legalization
There was hope that when states like California voted to legalize marijuana, it would correlate with a reduction in marijuana related arrests for Black people. In Los Angeles, the opposite has proven to be true due to both a lack of access to legal means and red tape making it harder for Black entrepreneurs to…
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Close to 66,000 Marijuana Convictions to Be Dismissed in Los Angeles
As we’ve seen over the past few months, one of the benefits of marijuana legalization has been states allowing those previously convicted to have their charges dismissed. Los Angeles County has become the next city to do just that. According to CNN, approximately 66,000 marijuana convictions will be dismissed as a result of the recent…
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Driver Transporting 3,350 Pounds of Hemp Falsely Arrested After Officers Mistake It for Marijuana
As a California resident who declines to partake in one of its finest exports, I have no idea how to differentiate hemp from weed, and apparently police can’t either, as a U-Haul truck filled to the brim with approximately 3,350 lbs. of one of the above landed one poor unfortunate hired driver behind bars. From…
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New Year, New Marijuana Law: Illinois Lt. Governor Celebrates 2020 by Purchasing Newly Legal Edibles
Public officials, they’re (sometimes) just like us! Hundreds of customers poured into Sunnyside Lakeview dispensary in Chicago on Wednesday, the first day recreational marijuana could be legally purchased in Illinois. Among that number was the state’s lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton, who was there to tout the new marijuana law’s emphasis on equity—as well as purchase…
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Chicago’s Top Prosecutor Tosses Out More Than 1,000 Marijuana Convictions Ahead of State Legalization Law
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx took the first step toward wiping more than 1,000 marijuana convictions off the books, appearing at a court hearing Wednesday afternoon to call for the expungement of low-level cannabis convictions. As the Chicago Sun-Times reports, the move is part of Illinois’ new recreational marijuana law, which legalizes weed in…