We're getting Closer to LEGALIZATION!!!

Sacramento, CA: Lawmakers on the California Assembly, Committee on Public Safety, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] on Tuesday in favor of [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] – which seeks to legalize the production, distribution, and personal use of marijuana for adults age 21 and older. The vote is the first time since 1913, when California became one of the first states in the nation to criminalize the use and possession of marijuana, that lawmakers have called for the repeal of cannabis prohibition.

"Today's vote marks the first time in nearly a century that California lawmakers have reassessed this failed criminal policy," said NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano. "Any risks presented by the use of marijuana by adults falls within the ambit of choice we should permit individuals in a free society. It's time to replace the failings of marijuana prohibition with a policy of legalization, regulation and education. Today's vote is a significant, albeit first step in this direction."

Further Assembly votes on AB 390 are [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] because of legislative calendar restraints. However, the bill's sponsor, San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, has pledged to reintroduce a similar marijuana legalization measure imminently.

Registered supporters for AB 390 include: the AFL-CIO, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the California Public Defenders Association, among others.

Registered opponents of the bill include: the California Fraternal Order of Police, the California Narcotics Officers Association, the California Police Chiefs Association, the California State Sheriffs' Association, the California Peace Officers' Association, and the California District Attorneys Association.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] in favor of SB 390 were Ammiano, Assemblyman Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael and Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley. Voting no were Assemblyman Warren Furutani, D-Gardena (Los Angeles County), Assemblyman Danny Gilmore, R-Hanford (Kings County) and Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills (San Bernardino County).

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], or Dale Gieringer, California NORML Coordinator at: 415-563-5858 or online at: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. Video footage of today's hearings is archived online on the California Channel at: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

Trenton, NJ: Lawmakers in the House and Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation this week that seeks to make New Jersey the fourteenth state in the nation to allow for the state-authorized use of medical cannabis by qualified patients. The measure, known as the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, now awaits action from outgoing Gov. Jon Corzine – who has pledged to sign the measure into law early next week.

The Act authorizes patients with a physician's recommendation to possess and obtain medical cannabis from state-authorized "alternative treatment centers." Patients diagnosed with the following conditions are eligible to use medical cannabis under the Act: cancer, glaucoma, seizure and/or spasticity disorders (including epilepsy), Lou Gehrig's disease, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, HIV/AIDS, inflammatory bowel disease (including Crohn's disease), any terminal illness if a doctor has determined the patient will die within a year, and/or any other medical condition or treatment that is approved by the state health department.

Unlike the medical marijuana laws that have been enacted in thirteen other states, authorized patients in New Jersey will not be eligible to legally grow their own cannabis.

Said NORML New Jersey Executive Director Chris Goldstein: "Patients have been waiting since 2005 for medical marijuana legislation. Yes it passed with some major compromises, such as the removal of home cultivation. But this bill also looks forward to the future of medical cannabis by regulating the most comprehensive single-site marijuana production facilities outside the federal government's marijuana greenhouse at the University of Mississippi."

He concluded: "While much more restrictive than other states, this measure also strengthens the legal legitimacy of marijuana as a medicine. We are confident that registered patients in New Jersey will have safe and affordable access to locally produced, medical grade cannabis by the end of 2010."

The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act will take effect six-months after the Governor signs the bill into law.

For more information, please visit: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Olympia, WA: State lawmakers heard testimony on Wednesday in support of taxing and regulating the commercial production and distribution of marijuana for adults.

Members of the House Committee on Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness heard arguments in favor of House Bill 2401, which seeks to "remove all existing civil and criminal penalties for adults 21 years of age or older who cultivate, possess, transport, sell, or use marijuana." The hearing marked the first time that state lawmakers had ever debated the merits of regulating the use and sale of cannabis.

Lawmakers at the hearing also heard testimony in favor of HB 1177, which seeks to reduce the penalties on minor marijuana possession offenses from a criminal misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine to a monetary penalty of no more than $100.

The Committee is scheduled to vote on both measures on Wednesday, January 20, 2010.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. To read NORML's testimony in support of HB 2401 and HB 1177, please visit: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] For additional information on these proposed measures, please see: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]