Decriminalization

Kentucky state Rep. Nima Kulkarni (D) pre-filed bills to decriminalize cannabis possession and to allow ballot questions discussing legalization to be put to voters.

The St. Louis, Missouri Board of Aldermen approved a measure to decriminalize cannabis possession up to 35 grams, remove cannabis screening from the hiring process for most city positions, and stop cannabis from being used as the basis for a warrantless police search.

Detroit voters decided to decriminalize psilocybin and the therapeutic use of other entheogenic plants during last week’s election.

U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren have sent a letter urging Attorney General Merrick Garland to decriminalize cannabis by removing it from the federal controlled substances list.

The Seattle City Council voted yesterday to decriminalize the use, possession, and home cultivation of psilocybin, making it the largest U.S. city so far to enact such reforms.

California’s attorney general last week approved language for an upcoming psychedelic decriminalization ballot initiative.

The campaign to decriminalize cannabis in Italy gathered the 500,000 signatures required to put the issue before voters in just one week.

A referendum in Italy to decriminalize cannabis is on track to meet the 500,000 signatures it needs to be considered by lawmakers before the September 30 deadline.

The Delaware Supreme Court last week ruled that cannabis odor during a traffic stop by itself is not enough to trigger probable cause for arrest.

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.