California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) is urging the prosecuting attorneys throughout the state to expedite their overdue processing of past marijuana convictions in order to allow eligible individuals to have their sentences reduced or removed and past records sealed from public view. Proposition 64, which California voters passed in 2016 to legalize cannabis for adults, allowed people with certain prior convictions to petition to the courts for relief, an effort to undo criminal consequences of conduct that is no longer illegal. The plan rolled out inconsistently across the state and into repeated delays, so in 2018 lawmakers passed separate legislation to streamline the process. Bonta, a state assembly member at the time, was that bill’s lead sponsor. “Since this law went into effect,” he said in a statement Wednesday, “tens of thousands of Californians have been able to turn the page and make a fresh start—but unfortunately there are still some who are waiting for relief. I urge counties to prioritize processing their records so that these Californians can finally get the relief they deserve.” Prosecutors had until July of last year to review eligible cases and decide whether to challenge them, but some have still not forwarded necessary information to courts, the attorney general’s office said.

Ben Adlin, Marijuana Moment, 12/16/2021 08:25:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/california-ag-pushes-county-prosecutors-to-stop-delaying-relief-for-past-cannabis-convictions/

Illinois officials announced on Wednesday that applications are opening for $45 million in new grants—funded by marijuana tax revenue—that will support programs meant to reinvest in communities most harmed by the drug war. This will be the second round of funding to be issued through the state’s Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) program, which was established under Illinois’s adult-use cannabis legalization policy. The law requires 25 percent of marijuana tax dollars to be put in that fund and used to provide disadvantaged people with services such as legal aid, youth development, community reentry and financial support. “In the pursuit of justice, progress isn’t possible without accountability. We must acknowledge and address the trauma inflicted by the war on cannabis, which incarcerated countless nonviolent offenders and tore apart families and neighborhoods in the process,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) said at a press conference on Wednesday. “That is the core tenet of Illinois cannabis legalization framework and what sets Illinois apart from other states that have legalized: we’re prioritizing investments in communities that were previously harmed for what is now legal,” he said. Earlier this year, $31.5 million in R3 grants were distributed to 80 organizations. The sizable increase in funding this time around reflects the boom in cannabis sales that Illinois has seen over the past year, with multiple record-breaking months.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 12/15/2021 11:58:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/illinois-announces-45-million-in-marijuana-funded-grants-to-support-community-reinvestment/

With several new states having legalized marijuana in 2021—in addition to some modest congressional developments—reform advocates put some wins on the board this year. Now a congressional memo is laying out priorities to build upon those successes for 2022. Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Barbara Lee (D-CA), longstanding champions of reform, released the memo on behalf of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus that they co-chair. It lists the numerous pieces of marijuana legislation that have been filed this on Capitol Hill this session, including some that did advance, and then explains what to watch for next year. While the lawmakers’ memo—which was shared exclusively with Marijuana Moment ahead of its release—highlights momentum that has developed behind cannabis reform in the House this year, it also notes that the Senate still has a lot of work to do. In the meantime, arguably the most consequential reforms of 2021 did not take place in Congress. Instead, as the new report acknowledges, it was the record number of states that legalized marijuana for adult use, as well as Alabama legalizing medical cannabis.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 12/15/2021 19:00:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/congressional-memo-touts-marijuana-momentum-in-2021-and-lays-out-2022-reform-priorities/

Criminal justice reform wasn’t a priority for state Rep. Shamed Dogan, R-Ballwin, when first elected to the Missouri legislature in 2014. As he enters his final year before term limits end his tenure in the House, the pre-filed a ballot resolution to legalize marijuana and expunge civil and criminal records pertaining to all non-violent, marijuana-only offenses. House Joint Resolution 83 would place before Missouri voters next November an amendment to the state Constitution allowing the legal adult use of marijuana, subject to state regulation, taxation, and local ordinance. If passed, all those incarcerated or on probation for non-violent offenses will be immediately released and not subject to supervision. During Empower Missouri’s “Clean Slate Town Hall” webinar on Monday, Dogan said he expects to face the same obstacles encountered by those who legalized medical marijuana in 2018. Dogan, the only Black Republican in the Missouri legislature, announced he will run for St. Louis County Executive in November 2022. “There’s a lot of hesitancy among Republicans in general, but especially in the Senate where it only takes a few people who have a strong opposition to prevent it from moving anywhere,” Dogan said. “Even if we were able to pass something in the House, it was dead-on-arrival in the Senate. We ended up with a [medical marijuana] ballot initiative. We made the argument at the time that if you don’t like what we’re passing legislatively, what’s on the ballot is going to be much less favorable. And you as a legislator aren’t going to have any ability to impact it since it’s going to be in the Constitution.”

Marijuana Moment, Marijuana Moment, 12/16/2021 10:29:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/pro-legalization-missouri-gop-lawmaker-addresses-marijuana-resistance-in-his-party/

Just five weeks after it was introduced, the Ohio Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would expand medical marijuana conditions to migraines, autism spectrum disorder, opioid use disorder, and any condition that could “reasonably be expected to be relieved” from the drug. Senate Bill 261 passed 26 to 5. It now heads to the Ohio House. “It’s our last bill before Christmas break, ending on a high note,” said bill sponsor Sen. Stephen Huffman, a Dayton-area Republican, who elicited groans from his colleagues on the Senate floor for the cheesy metaphor. In addition to broadly expanding medical conditions, the bill would change other aspects of the Ohio medical marijuana program. The bill would expand the forms of medical marijuana that can be legally sold to include pills, capsules and suppositories, oral pouches, oral strips, oral or topical sprays, salves, lotions, and inhalers. Smoking marijuana would still be prohibited but vaping would continue to be allowed. Currently, marijuana oils, tinctures, plant material, edibles, lotions, creams and patches are allowed. SB 261 would increase the allowable amount of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the content of extracts, from up to 70% to 90%.

Laura, Cleveland OH Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather – cleveland.com, 12/15/2021 16:07:00

Open article: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2021/12/ohio-senate-passes-bill-expanding-medical-marijuana-to-any-patient-whose-symptoms-may-reasonably-be-relieved-by-drug.html