New Jersey Could Force Cuomo’s Hand on Pot Legalization The New York governor has released a plan to legalize marijuana, months after voters in the Garden State approved legalization in November. Advocates say the pressure could have ripple effects regionally. Joshua Vaughn
Lawmakers Calling for “Unity” Should Support Policies Voters Actually Want Americans largely support progressive policies—despite objections from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Now is the time to pass them. Emily Galvin-Almanza, Sean McElwee
The House Just Passed a Historic Marijuana Bill. Now the Senate Must Act. After decades of harm, wrought by the war on drugs, the federal government has finally listened to the American people by voting to decriminalize marijuana. Zachary A. Siegel
Historic Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Passes House of Representatives It’s the first time a full chamber of Congress has approved such a measure. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
America Wants Marijuana Reform. Congress Shouldn’t Stand In The Way. Investing in local communities and rolling back the criminalization of marijuana is exactly what the country needs right now. Barbara Lee
If Arizona Legalizes Weed, Top Prosecutors Would Be Key To Clearing Past Convictions One candidate for Maricopa County attorney says she’ll make clearing past marijuana convictions ‘universal and automatic’ if elected. The other has not said she would do anything to support expunging criminal records. Meg O'Connor
Pennsylvania Governor Calls for Marijuana Legalization to Cover COVID-19 Budget Shortfall Tom Wolf said Tuesday that legalizing and taxing recreational use of marijuana could help solve fiscal woes that arose from the pandemic, and address long-standing racial injustices. Joshua Vaughn
Elizabeth Warren Announces Plan to Legalize Marijuana If Elected President The Democratic candidate also pledged to expunge prior criminal convictions for marijuana and invest in the communities most affected by the war on drugs. Joshua Vaughn
A City Council Resolution Could End Marijuana Arrests and Fines in Austin, Texas The move is made possible by a Texas law that legalized the production of hemp last year. Jay Willis
Illinois pardons are a reminder of the scale of marijuana arrests, past and present Vaidya Gullapalli
Michael Bloomberg Should Apologize For More Than Stop-and-Frisk, Critics Say The billionaire and former New York City mayor defended the NYPD’s surveillance of Muslim Americans and mandatory minimum prison sentences for gun possession, among other policies. Aaron Morrison
Ayanna Pressley Hopes the U.S. Can Reduce Its Prison Population by Over 80 Percent The Appeal spoke with the lawmaker about her “entirely new blueprint for a just society.” Kira Lerner
Someone Tell Joe Biden: Marijuana Is Not a Gateway Drug Biden believes that the jury is still out on the question of whether marijuana is a gateway to other illicit substances. But the truth is that it is not—and this has long been a matter of settled science. Paul Armentano
How District Attorney Jackie Lacey Failed Los Angeles On a host of issues—including police shootings, bail reform, marijuana legalization, and the death penalty—critics say Lacey, once seen as a reformer, has sought to preserve the status quo. Jessica Pishko
Beto O’Rourke’s Criminal Justice Plan Reflects Pressure On Democrats To Tackle Mass Incarceration Vaidya Gullapalli
The Appeal Podcast: The War on Drugs Continues In Family Court With Miriam Mack and Elizabeth Tuttle Newman of The Bronx Defenders Adam H. Johnson
