A MOMENTOUS WEEK FOR MARIJUANA REFORM – PLEASE HELP CALIFORNIA NORML FINISH THE WORK IN 2021!

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Last week was huge for marijuana reform.

On Friday Dec 4th, the U.S. House approved an historic bill to end federal marijuana prohibition, the MORE Act (The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement Act) by a vote of 228-164. The MORE Act would deschedule and remove federal penalties against marijuana, respect state laws, and expunge prior offenses. Watch the video of Friday’s session (The MORE Act is introduced about 16 minutes in.)

The California delegation was key to winning the vote: 22 California Congress members co-sponsored the bill, 45 voted for it, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris sponsored it in the Senate.

Cal NORML was instrumental in lobbying for the MORE Act in California, thanks to our supporters who sent thousands of  messages to their representatives in support of it.  Nationwide, NORML networks generated 170,000 letters in favor of MORE.  Prior to the vote, Cal NORML hosted a Zoom call / Cal NORML meeting with Rep. Barbara Lee, co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus and leading co-sponsor of the MORE Act, to turn out support for the bill.

Unfortunately, the MORE Act won’t pass into law this year because Sen. Mitch McConnell won’t allow the Senate to vote on it.  However, with your support, we hope to make further progress next year. The MORE Act has sent a powerful message to the next administration that it’s time to take marijuana reform seriously.

San Francisco Protects Marijuana Smokers’ Rights.
In another victory last week, Cal NORML successfully opposed a proposed San Francisco ordinance that would have banned cannabis smoking and vaping along with tobacco in all apartments and condos with three or more units. Cal NORML was instrumental in sounding the alarm and alerting our supporters to tell the Board of Supervisors to delete cannabis from the ordinance.  In testimony to the Board, we provided expert scientific evidence that second-hand marijuana smoke doesn’t present public health risks like tobacco. The Board agreed and voted 8-3 to delete cannabis from the ordinance.   We scored a similar success in  West Hollywood earlier this year.

UN Votes to Reschedule Medical Cannabis
Finally, the United Nations voted to remove marijuana from its list of most dangerous drugs.  The vote was the culmination of the experience of thousands of patients, doctors, and researchers who have witnessed the benefits of medical marijuana since the passage of California’s pioneering medical marijuana law, Prop. 215.

YOU CAN SUPPORT CAL NORML’S EFFORTS GOING FORWARD IN 2021

Now is the time to build on the momentum of these victories and push for further reforms in 2021. At the state level, Cal NORML will be prioritizing a bill to protect the employment rights of cannabis consumers and supporting lowering taxes on marijuana. And we will continue to support local efforts towards greater, more meaningful access to cannabis, including opening consumption rooms.