Leading Marijuana Policy Group Celebrates Victories as State-Level Marijuana Legalization Bills Fail
[Alexandria, VA] – Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action and its state affiliates celebrated the victory of public health and safety over the marijuana industry in states across the country as multiple marijuana legalization bills died at the end of legislative sessions.
In Illinois, Healthy and Productive Illinois (HPI) worked diligently in conjunction with local leaders, including students from Adlai Stephenson High School, to defeat a bill that would have put the question of marijuana commercialization to a ballot initiative. In April, HPI, SAM Action, and Stephenson High School Students held a press conference highlighting a working paper that found marijuana legalization would cost the state of Illinois upwards of $670 million, far outweighing prospective tax revenues.
In Vermont, several legislators attempted a “Hail Mary” by trying to quickly move a bill to legalize retail sales late in the session. SAM Vermont stepped in and brought about a victory for public health as the bill was overwhelmingly voted down in the House of Representatives.
New Hampshire also joined the states saying no to marijuana legalization this year. In the Granite State, the House voted to send a bill which would have allowed possession of three quarters of an ounce and three plants back to a study committee, which killed the bill for the remainder of the year. New Futures, a SAM Action affiliate, worked diligently within the state to urge legislators to heed the lessons of other states that made the mistake of legalizing marijuana.
Earlier in April, pro-pot advocates were ready to declare victory in Connecticut as a bill to legalize marijuana was passed out of committee. Fortunately, state lawmakers sided with science and health officials over the pot industry and refused to bring the bill to a vote in either chamber before the session expired. Earlier in the year, the Connecticut chapter of SAM (CT-SAM) released a comprehensive cost study finding that marijuana legalization would cost the state $216 million, well exceeding the projected revenue of $113 million.
Finally, while the legalization efforts of pro-pot Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey are not completely defeated, SAM Action and New Jersey Responsible Approaches to Marijuana Policy (NJ-RAMP) have successfully worked to slow down the effort. Governor Murphy promised to legalize and commercialize marijuana within his first hundred days and 140 days in, he has failed to deliver on that promise thanks to the work of NJ-RAMP, SAM, and other supporters.
“While the pot industry wants folks to believe that commercialization and legalization is inevitable, the results we have seen in these states challenge that assertion,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet, founder and president of SAM Action. “The wins in these states call for celebration, but we know Big Marijuana won’t give up easily – they have too much money on the line. We won’t ever give up either – we have the future of our country on the line.”
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