Pot Reform Groups Send Policy Memo to Trump Team, IN Poll Has "Robust" Support for Legal Weed, More... (12/10/24)

Marijuana legalization bills have been filed in Pennsylvania and Texas, and more. 

Could the Lone Star State join the ranks of the legal weed states next year? There is a bill in the House...

Marijuana Policy Groups Send Wish List Memo to Trump. The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) have sent a memo to the incoming Trump administration articulating a series of policy reforms they hope it will enact. Those include ending pot prohibition, protecting gun rights for marijuana users, expanding clemency to people hurt by prohibition, and promoting banking access for the legal marijuana industry. 

The central request in the memo is that the Trump administration "end the federal criminalization of marijuana, allowing states to decide cannabis policy without undue federal interference." Trump expressed support for such a policy in his last term in office—although he did not act on it—and he endorsed Florida's failed marijuana legalization initiative this year. 

"By removing marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act in a manner similar to alcohol or tobacco, President Trump can reduce federal overreach and increase liberty," the memo says. "States that wish to continue criminalizing marijuana for adults’ use or medical use would be free to do so. But it would no longer be a federal crime to choose to relax with marijuana or for state-licensed businesses to sell marijuana in accordance with state laws."

If the administration is not prepared to move on legalization, MPP and NORML suggested it could support the ongoing marijuana rescheduling process, reiterate Obama-era guidance to the Justice Department on not interfering with state-legal marijuana and medical marijuana programs, and support bipartisan legislation to allow the industry access to banking and financial services. 

The memo also calls for the administration to protect the 2nd Amendment rights of marijuana users and to change federal policy so past marijuana use is not a disqualifying factor for a federal job. 

The memo also states that the administration should ensure that people who use marijuana have their Second Amendment right to buy and possess firearms restored. And it calls for a policy change to make it so past cannabis use is not a disqualifying factor in federal employment.

"Like alcohol prohibition before it, marijuana prohibition has failed. It has also become quite unpopular," the joint memo says. "President Trump can lead the nation to sensible national federal policy, which enables states to make their own decisions, and allows for sensible lab-testing and safety regulations. He can also roll back federal overreach that denies Americans their gun rights, work, housing, and federal contracts for relaxing with cannabis."

Indiana Poll Has Continuing Strong Support for Marijuana Legalization. A new Ball State University Hoosier Survey finds that state residents' primary concerns are school safety, public safety, and health care, but also that a solid majority of Indianans continue to support marijuana legalization. 

More than two-thirds of respondents said school safety, public safety, and health care were "very important" issues, while 62 percent said they favored marijuana legalization. And a whopping 87 percent supported medical marijuana. Indiana is one of only a handful of states with no medical marijuana program. 

There was a divide by education level, with 51 percent of college grads favoring legalization but 70 percent of those without a college degree favoring it. 

The Republican-dominated statehouse and legislature have blocked marijuana reform measures in the past, but may now be considering at least medical marijuana, and a new GOP-backed group, Safe and Regulated Indiana, recently launched to lobby for change.

"The growing support for marijuana legalization reflects national trends," said polling director Dr. Kevin Smith.

Pennsylvania Marijuana Legalization Bill Filed. A bipartisan bill to legalize marijuana has been filed in the House of Representatives. Reps, Aaron Kaufer (R-Luzerne County) and Emily Kinkead (D-Allegheny) introduced the as-yet-unnumbered bill. 

The bill would create a legal marijuana market under the auspices of the state Department of Agriculture and provide " support for small businesses to participate in the market, prioritizing rural, minority, female, and veteran-owned businesses in particular."

It would legalize the possession of up to 30 grams of flower and up to five grams of concentrate by people 21 and over but would limit the ability to grow your own to medical marijuana patients. Patients would be limited to no more than five plants. Everyone else would have to buy their weed at the pot shop. 

The lawmakers said they saw their bill as a starting point and hoped it would lead to robust discussion and passage this coming session. This could be the year with Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) on board with legalization. 

Texas Marijuana Legalization Bill Filed. Rep. Jessica Gonzalez (D-Dallas) has filed a marijuana legalization bill for the forthcoming session, House Bill 1208.

The bill would legalize the possession of up to 2.5 ounces of weed for people 21 and over in public and up to 10 ounces at home.

Public or vehicular consumption of marijuana would not be allowed, and there is no provision for home cultivation. 

The bill would create the structure for a legal marijuana market to be regulated by the state Department of Licensing and Regulation. A 10 percent tax would be imposed on the retail sale of marijuana and marijuana products, with some of the revenue going to fund public schools. 

While a handful of Texas cities have voted to effectively decriminalize marijuana possession, the state's Republican political establishment remains firmly opposed to legalization.