Maine Governor Janet Mills has signed into law a bill to allow those with convictions for possessing or cultivating marijuana to have the charges sealed (completely hidden) from their criminal record.

(Photo credit: Shutterstock.com).

Governor Mills has signed House Bill 2236 into law, following a 90 to 57 vote in the House of Representatives and a 27 to 8 vote in the state’s Senate.

The new law will implement a Criminal Records Review Committee recommendation to add to the definition of “eligible criminal conviction” for the Maine Revised Statutes, “which identifies what is considered an eligible underlying crime for a person to file a post-judgment motion to seal criminal history record information related to the conviction for that crime, any Class D crime related to unlawfully possessing or cultivating marijuana when that crime was committed prior to January 30, 2017, the effective date of Maine’s first adult use cannabis laws.”
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A group of lawmakers led by Congressmembers Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) and Morgan McGarvey (D-KY) have sent a letter to Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health Shereef Elnahal requesting the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to produce a strategic plan to implement MDMA therapy in-house if it’s approved by FDA.

MDMA tablets, often referred to as “ecstasy”.

“The effects of emerging therapies for our veterans have been groundbreaking, and I’m proud to be a leader on pushing forward this innovative tool into the proverbial toolbox, especially while moving away from opioids,” said Congressmember Luttrell in a press release. “As the FDA is finally playing ball to move towards approving these therapies, it’s critical we ensure the VA has an implementation plan and can effectively and efficiently treat veterans.”

Congressmember McGarvey said “VA is the leader in mental health care for veterans, and its providers’ specialized knowledge in treating issues such as combat trauma and military sexual trauma is unmatched by any other healthcare system in this country. We want to be prepared to support the VA in leading the nation through expanded research and clinical implementation of this novel care model, ensuring veterans receive access to the highest quality mental health care available.”
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Hawaii’s full legislature has given approval to legislation to facilitate marijuana expungements, sending it to Governor Josh Green.

The House has given final approval to House Bill 1595, with the vote being 41 to 9. The measure has already been passed by the Senate, 24 to 1. Governor Green is expected to sign the measure into law.

“Recognizing the limited resources of the Hawaiʻi criminal justice data center, the purpose of this Act is to establish a pilot project, to be administered by the department of the attorney general, to expunge certain arrest records and other records pertaining to prior arrests made under section 712-1249, Hawaii Revised Statutes, concerning the possession of less than one ounce of marijuana”, states the bill’s text.
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A coalition of 28 different organizations have endorsed a progressive agenda that includes legalizing marijuana.

The coalition, which includes organization such as MoveOn and the National Immigrant Justice Center, has officially endorsed the “Progressive Proposition Agenda”, which was recently put forth by the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC). The agenda calls for lawmakers to pass laws tat “reduce criminalization and incarceration through sentencing reform, legalizing cannabis, expunging records, providing restorative justice, and an accelerated and reformed clemency process for people with marijuana-related convictions.”

The full list of endorsers includes the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Economic and Policy Research, Center for Popular Democracy, Demand Progress, Family Values @ Work, the Green New Deal Network, Indivisible, MoveOn, National Education Association, National Employment Law Project, National Immigrant Justice Center, National Nurses United, Native Organizers Alliance, Our Revolution, P Street, People’s Action, PolicyLink, Public Citizen, Public Money Action, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Sierra Club, Social Security Works, Sunrise Movement, Take on Wall Street, United We Dream, and Working Families Party.
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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) released its Progressive Proposition Agenda, including a section in support of legalizing marijuana, which they say “can pass with congressional majorities”

The CPC calls their new agenda “a vision for Congress to meet everyday Americans’ urgent needs and rebuild the American dream for the poor, working, and middle class.” The document presents “a comprehensive domestic policy legislative agenda that includes proactive, top-priority policies that lift up poor and working people.”

The agenda includes a section on  marijuana law reform, with the group saying they want to “reduce criminalization and incarceration through sentencing reform, legalizing cannabis, expunging records, providing restorative justice, and an accelerated and reformed clemency process for people with marijuana-related convictions.”
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The SAFE Banking Act to allow marijuana banking nationwide has just garnered its 116th sponsor in the United States House of Representatives.

Congressmember Jahana Hayes (D-CT) has become the latest lawmaker to sponsor the SAFE Banking Act, a bipartisan measure that now has 116 sponsors, well more than any other marijuana-related bill in US history. A Senate version of the bill, the SAFER Banking Act, is sponsored by 36% of the entire Senate, with it passing the Senate Banking Committee in September.

The SAFE Banking Act was filed last April, with 10 original sponsors. In the 12 month since, the measure has garnered over 100 additional sponsors. Congressmember Hayes officially joined as a cosponsor on 4/20.
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A large majority of adults in the United States support legalizing marijuana federally and most believe it to be safer than tobacco or alcohol, according to nationwide polling data released today.

According to survey data compiled by Data For Progress, two-thirds (66%) of likely voters support legalizing cannabis federally “for all adults over the age of 21.” This includes support from 75% of Democrats, 67% of Independents, and 54% of Republicans.

A majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans also said that they supported the Biden Administration’s efforts to pardon those convicted of federal marijuana possession offenses and to move marijuana from its Schedule I prohibited status under the US Controlled Substances Act.
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In a not-so-subtle nod to the marijuana holiday 4/20, both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris made pro-marijuana social media posts at exactly 4:20pm (ET) on 4/20.

“Sending people to prison just for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit”, said President Biden in a post on the social media platform X. “It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

President Biden followed up these remarks with an image with the quote “No one should be jailed just for using or possessing marijuana.”
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Legislation to legalize marijuana will be filed tomorrow in the United States Senate.

The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) will be filed tomorrow by a coalition of Senate Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden.

The CAOA would require the US attorney general to finalize rules removing marijuana as a controlled substance within 180 days of the bill’s passage, place a 5% federal excise tax on marijuana producers that would increase to 12.5% by the fifth year, and establish the Center for Cannabis Products within the FDA, tasked with regulating “the production, labeling, distribution, sales and other manufacturing and retail elements of the cannabis industry”.
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