Marijuana Policy Project

Celebrating the Women Shaping Cannabis Policy

March is Women’s History Month, a time to honor the trailblazers who have challenged the status quo and built the foundations for cannabis policy reform.

At MPP, we recognize that the milestones we celebrate today — legalization, decriminalization, and medical cannabis access — would simply not be possible without the immeasurable contributions of women. Whether they are working as entrepreneurs, budtenders, cultivators, or policymakers, women bring unique perspectives and a deep-seated commitment to justice that is crucial for our movement. 

MPP is proud to have some of the most influential women in the cannabis legalization movement on our own team! As MPP’s Director of State Policies, Karen O'Keefe has spent over two decades at the forefront of cannabis policy reform.  Additionally, we are proud to both recognize and celebrate the women of the MPP staff, Bridget Spiddle and Violet Cavendish, and MPP Board Chair Betty Aldworth, who make our work possible. They aren't just participating in the movement, they are leading the charge to build a reality where no one is left out or left behind. Read the full blog post here: Women’s History Month

Happy Women’s History Month from all of us at MPP!

Trump DOJ attacks cannabis consumers’ constitutional rights

On March 2, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case of United States v. Hemani, testing whether and under what circumstances cannabis users can be stripped of their Second Amendment right to bear arms.

 At issue is a federal law passed in 1968 that felonizes anyone who is “an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance” and prohibits them from possessing firearms or ammunition. 

 This means that if the Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of the law as applied, anyone could be stripped of a constitutional right without conviction of a crime, without proof of misusing firearms, and without proof of intoxication at the time of possession of a firearm.

Put simply, if the Supreme Court rules against the defendant, millions of cannabis consumers would be considered felons if they exercise their right to bear arms.

Rather than seeking to defend this fundamental right, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has urged the Supreme Court to uphold the government’s ability to punish people for owning a gun — even if they are not impaired by any drug at the time of possession. To add insult to injury, a bipartisan group of state attorneys general has issued an amicus brief siding with the DOJ’s interpretation.

Whatever your position on gun policy, the eagerness of state and federal government officials to strip cannabis consumers of their constitutional rights is a dangerous and disturbing development that should concern every American. 

Both the NRA and the ACLU have weighed in on the case in favor of preserving Second Amendment rights for cannabis users, and MPP strongly agrees:

Cannabis possession should play no part in the question of firearm ownership. Individuals should have the right to own and use a firearm when not impaired, and cannabis users should have the same rights and responsibilities as anyone else when it comes to their Second Amendment rights. 

Despite any positive progress that may come from rescheduling, the federal government continues to employ an incoherent and tyrannical approach to cannabis that threatens the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people.

MPP will continue to monitor this case and speak out to defend the constitutional rights of cannabis consumers. 

Prohibitionist campaigns backed by dark money are aiming to gut state legalization laws

Across the country, prohibitionists have launched a well-funded effort to roll back cannabis reform state by state. Using out-of-state dark money to finance ballot initiatives and legislation designed to gut legalization laws, end regulated adult-use markets, and turn back the clock on over 30 years of progress.

These efforts are not grassroots. They are professionalized, coordinated attempts to dismantle what patients, consumers, advocates, and voters worked years to build. And they’re gaining traction.

Millions of dollars have already been spent to put initiatives on the Massachusetts and Arizona ballots this November — and in Maine next June — that would dismantle the regulated adult-use market established by voter-approved initiatives.

So how do we stop them? By turning these threats into opportunities.  

We know that regulation works:

• States that have legalized adult-use markets have seen an average 90% reduction in cannabis arrests.
• Teen cannabis use has declined in virtually every state with a regulated market.
• State testing programs keep the cannabis supply chain free of pesticides and heavy metals.
• Regulated markets have led to the creation of tens of thousands of legitimate businesses and hundreds of thousands of living wage jobs.
• Instead of financing organized criminal networks, the dollars being spent on legal cannabis support local economies and have created billions of dollars in tax revenues for states and localities.
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MPP will spend 2026 bringing that message to voters in the initiative states and nationally, and deliver a terminal blow to the failed approach of prohibition and criminalization.

Chip in today to directly support MPP’s advocacy efforts to defend and advance hard-fought reform achievements across the country

MPP has been vocally challenging and debunking the baseless and misleading talking points prohibitionists are circulating across media platforms and in legislative chambers. We’ve mobilized voters and advocates to defeat regressive legislation threatening adult-use and medical cannabis access in multiple states, and we’ve been working in concert with local and national allies to organize a coordinated campaign in response to the growing number of anti-legalization ballot initiatives.

Prohibitionists know they are losing the long-term fight. Public support for legalization remains strong. That’s why they’re resorting to procedural maneuvers and misleading campaigns funded by outside interests.

We cannot allow a vocal minority with deep pockets to override the will of voters and the American people.

Now is the time to send a clear message to prohibitionists that their mission has failed, and your urgent support is crucial to ensure that cannabis reform continues to move forward, not backward.

Learn more here

Giving Tuesday is here! Why supporting proven cannabis reform advocacy matters

With your generous support today, we will keep fighting, and we will win.

Today, millions of people around the world are coming together to support important causes and fuel positive change. And with hundreds of thousands of Americans still being arrested every year for cannabis-related offenses, MPP’s proven advocacy and leadership are more vital than ever to keep legalization moving forward nationwide.

A growing number of states are facing emboldened efforts by prohibitionist lawmakers and their allies to roll back cannabis reform progress — and Congress is continuing to ignore the American people calling for a sensible approach to federal cannabis policy.

At MPP, we don’t just talk about ending prohibition — we’ve built winning campaigns that have secured decriminalization, adult-use, and medical cannabis laws through dozens of successful legislative and ballot initiative efforts across the country.

MPP lobbies at the state and federal levels for evidence-based cannabis policies that respect the inalienable rights of every individual. That means advocating for laws that reduce and eliminate penalties for simple possession, expunge unjust cannabis-related convictions, and promote a legal cannabis reality based on public health, safety, and access.

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