Before we all gather together to enjoy Thanksgiving, we wanted to send you a note of appreciation. As we approach the conclusion of 2022, it’s apparent that we have so much to be thankful for. Most of all, we at NORML are thankful for you! That’s because all our successes are only possible because of YOU and your amazing support in our fight for cannabis freedom.
We added THREE new legal states this year. Rhode Island legislators approved adult-use legalization in May. Then, during the November midterm election, voters in Maryland and Missouri decided in favor of legalization. With these statewide victories, we end the year with a total of 21 legal states. In fact, nearly half of all Americans now reside in a place where cannabis legalization is the law of the land.We are also witnessing real momentum at the federal level. Once again, the House of Representatives approved The MORE Act, which removes marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act. On multiple occasions, House members also voted in favor of the SAFE Banking Act. In the upper chamber, the Senate leader introduced comprehensive legislation to replace the failed policy of prohibition with one of legalization and regulation. Just last week, Congress advanced a bill to facilitate the federal approval of cannabis-specific scientific research and drug development to President Biden’s desk for his signature. Moreover, despite the fact there are only a few days left in the lame-duck session, there still remains a chance there will be further legislative action taken by the Senate before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.
We also saw positive advancements from the executive branch. Since he was elected, NORML has been calling on President Biden to make good on his campaign promises of pardoning federal marijuana offenders. Tens of thousands of you used NORML’s Take Action tools to sign our petitions and send emails in support of these priorities. In October, POTUS finally made good on his pledge by issuing pardons for several thousands of citizens with federal marijuana convictions. He also rightfully called marijuana prohibition a “failed policy” and pushed his administration to initiate a long-overdue review of marijuana’s Schedule I classification. While we need and expect more from the President (and Congress), having the most powerful elected official in the country join us in declaring the ongoing war on cannabis consumers is a failure represents progress that can’t be overstated.
But while we have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, we must not lose sight of the fact that we still have much more to do.
As we look toward 2023, we see new and significant opportunities ahead of us. With shifts in power coming out of the midterms in several statehouses, we are in a great position to move legalization legislatively in several states, such as Minnesota and Pennsylvania. At the federal level, our support among members continues to grow. And while the complexities that will arise from split party control of Congress create some new hurdles, it also brings forth new opportunities to influence our elected officials to move forward on descheduling marijuana in a bipartisan manner. We will need your support and engagement to keep the pressure on, but we are in a great position to keep fighting for cannabis consumers.
That is why today, while we celebrate our progress and also gear up for the battles ahead, we are asking you to make a generous donation to NORML.
