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  Oregon: Retail Marijuana Sales To Begin

  by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
  

  Regulations permitting state-licensed medical cannabis dispensaries to also engage in retail sales to those ages 21 or older take effect on Thursday, October 1. An estimated 200 facilities are anticipated to begin providing cannabis to adults.

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  Study: Patients Report Substituting Cannabis For Booze, Prescription Drugs

  by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
  

  Patients who possess legal access to cannabis frequently substitute it in place of alcohol and prescription drugs, according to survey data published online in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review. “Substituting cannabis for one or more of alcohol, illicit drugs or prescription drugs was reported by 87 percent of respondents, with 80.3 percent reporting substitution for prescription drugs, 51.7 percent for alcohol, and 32.6 percent for illicit substances,” they reported.

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  FBI: Uptick In Marijuana Arrests In 2014

  by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
  

  According to the 2014 Uniform Crime Report, police made 700,993 arrests for marijuana-related offenses, some 7,500 more arrests than were reported in 2013. Of those arrested, 619,808 (over 88 percent) were charged with possession only -- a two percent increase since 2013.

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  The Boston Freedom Rally: Time To Finish the Job and Fully Legalize It

  by Keith Stroup, NORML Legal Counsel
  

  I just returned last evening from the 26th annual Boston Freedom Rally on the historic Boston Common, a lovely event that has become more celebration than protest as Massachusetts moves ever closer to ending prohibition and fully legalizing marijuana. The weather this year was fabulous, with bright blue autumn New England skies and comfortable fall temperatures, the crowds were huge, especially on Saturday (the largest crow I recall experiencing in my twenty-plus years attending), and the overwhelming feeling was one of confident optimism at this latest Freedom Rally, as Massachusetts […]

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  Studies: Fewer Teens Using Marijuana, Younger Adolescents More Likely To Voice Disapproval

  by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
  

  Self-reported use of marijuana by high-school students is significantly lower today than it was 15 years ago, according to an analysis of CDC data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. "People have been very quick to say that marijuana use is going up and up and up in this country, particularly now that marijuana has become more normalized," study leader Renee M. Johnson, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor in the Department of Mental Health at the Bloomberg School said in a press release. "What we are seeing is that ... the rates of marijuana use have actually fallen."

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  Study: Daily Cannabis Use For Chronic Pain Is Safe, Effective

  by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
  

  Chronic pain patients who use herbal cannabis daily for one-year report reduced discomfort and increased quality of life compared to controls, and do not experience an increased risk of serious side effects, according to clinical data published online ahead of print in the Journal of Pain. The study is one of the first ever to assess the long-term safety and efficacy of medicinal cannabis.

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  2016 Will Be a Watershed Year for Marijuana Legalization

  by Keith Stroup, NORML Legal Counsel
  

  It’s been a year of preparation for those in the legalization movement. It’s a non-election year, with only one statewide measure on the ballot this November — Issue 3 in Ohio — which may answer the question of whether the lure of legalization will bring a surge of young voters to the polls in sufficient numbers to approve full legalization in an off-year election. A victory in Ohio will challenge conventional wisdom that holds voter initiatives should never be scheduled in odd-numbered years; a defeat will reinforce the need to […]

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  Democrat Candidates Positions Evolve on Marijuana Law Reform

  by Danielle Keane, NORML Political Director
  

  In previous years, candidates’ largely ignored or belittled the issue. But this election that won’t suffice. Voters are demanding clear answers from candidates on what the federal government should do in relation to marijuana policy and they are demanding a change from business as usual.

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  Republican Presidential Candidates Engage In A Serious Discussion About Marijuana Policy — It’s A Start

  by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
  

  While it is encouraging to see some, though not all, Republican candidates deferring to the principles of federalism in regard to the rising tide of public support in favor of marijuana law reform, far too many politicians in both parties continue to deny the reality that public and scientific opinion are in direct conflict with federal marijuana policy. In the 2016 Presidential race, it is inherent that the candidates from both political parties recognize that advocating for marijuana law reform is a political opportunity, not a political liability.

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  Reefer and Republican Debate

  by Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director
  

  Republican candidates for president convened second debate tonight in California and a marijuana-related question was asked, four candidates weighed in on the topic, which demonstrated clear policy fissures in the Republican Party on the topic of ending cannabis prohibition, the war on drugs in general and states' rights.