Decriminalization

Since July, New Jersey courts have expunged at least 362,000 low-level cannabis-related criminal records and there are an estimated 125,000 to 150,000 similar cases that could be automatically expunged under the state’s legalization law.

The City Council of Tybee Island, Georgia voted to reduce the penalty for possession of an ounce or less of cannabis to a $150 fine.

Thailand legalized the possession and sale of Kratom, which has historically been a part of daily life for Thai people.

Wyoming Attorney General Bridget Hill (R) has approved the language of two longshot cannabis ballot initiatives—one to legalize medical cannabis and another related to decriminalizing the plant.

The New Orleans City Council approved language to retroactively and proactively pardon all low-level cannabis cases in the city, effectively nixing some 10,000 cannabis convictions and decriminalizing cannabis moving forward.

Charles Koch plans to use $25 million of his $45 billion fortune to influence cannabis legalization reforms by the end of the year.

The courts have granted the Westchester, New York district attorney’s request to dismiss all felony or misdemeanor charges for cannabis possession or sales.

The New Orleans City Council Criminal Justice Committee has unanimously approved an ordinance that would decriminalize cannabis possession.

The California Assembly Public Safety Committee passed the Senate-approved psychedelic decriminalization bill on Tuesday.

Mexico’s highest court on Monday overruled cannabis prohibition, effectively decriminalizing the plant for adults nationwide.

The bill would decriminalize all drugs at the federal level and shift authority for the substances from the Attorney General to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Wyoming advocates are submitting signatures today on two cannabis reform initiatives for 2022 ballots, one to legalize medical cannabis and another to decriminalize possession.

The California Senate has approved a bill to legalize the possession of psychedelics including LSD, MDMA, psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline, and others.

Lawmakers in Louisiana’s House approved a measure to decriminalize the possession of up to 14 grams of cannabis, limiting potential punishments to a $100 fine and no jail time.

Washington’s legislation to reestablish drug possession penalties after a February Supreme Court decision decriminalized all drugs has been approved and now awaits Gov. Inslee’s signature.

Since Washington’s Supreme Court struck down the state’s minor drug possession laws in February, cities, state lawmakers, and the governor are re-envisioning what drug policy will look like in the Evergreen State.

The city councils in St. Louis and Maplewood, Missouri voted to decriminalize cannabis possession on Tuesday.

The California Senate Public Safety Committee has advanced a psychedelics decriminalization measure.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) may support a bill that would decriminalize cannabis possession while limiting the number of homegrown plants allowed for medical cannabis patients.

The City Council in Shreveport, Louisiana is considering a measure to decriminalize low-level cannabis possession. If approved, Shreveport would be only the third Louisiana city to adopt significant cannabis reforms.

Barbados Attorney General Dale Marshall is set to decriminalize the possession of up to 14 grams of cannabis but has warned that fines and penalties will be higher for people who lie to officials about their cannabis possession.

Alabama’s Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a measure that would decriminalize cannabis possession for first-time offenders, reducing penalties from a potential jail sentence to a $250 fine.

Washington state law enforcement agencies are releasing responses including guidance and pushback to the state’s Supreme Court ruling last week that effectively decriminalized all drug possession.

Washington state’s Supreme Court essentially decriminalized drug possession yesterday after declaring the state’s felony drug possession law to be unconstitutional.