Pittsburgh Norml

06/18/2026

This is a significant victory for cannabis consumers' Second Amendment rights. In a unanimous 9-0 decision, the Supreme Court held that a regular cannabis consumer cannot be prosecuted for violating 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(3) which prohibits "an unlawful user of a controlled substance" from possessing a firearm absent actual evidence of intoxication at the time of possession.

Mr. Hemani was found to be in possession of a firearm and cannabis. He admitted using cannabis "every other day". There was no evidence he was "high" at the time he possessed the firearm.

The Department of Justice argued that prosecuting Hemani was consisted with Colonial America's history and tradition of disarming drunkards.

Writing for the Court, Justice Gorsuch said:

"“To square that expansive theory with the Second Amendment, the government invites us to draw an analogy between its present regulation and historical laws addressing habitual drunkards,” Gorsuch wrote.

Those laws, the government contends, demonstrate a tradition of firearm regulation consistent with its effort to disarm any regular user of any controlled substance without any further showing,” he continued. “But the government’s analogy fails under every measure it asks us to consider.”

A slight chuckle rippled through the courtroom when Gorsuch noted that, if habitual drunkard laws applied to those who drank regularly, two of America’s founders “could have faced trouble.” John Adams was known to drink “a tankard of hard cider” with his breakfast, and some accounts say James Madison “consumed a pint of whiskey daily.”

This is especially welcome here in the Third Circuit where United States v. Harris awaited the Hemani decision. Judge Bibas' opinion found Colonial era laws dispossessing drunks and the mentally insane as an adequate analogy for disarming cannabis consumers. Harris was remanded to develop a record on the mechanics of cannabis impairment, including determining the "half life" of the drug - whatever that means. That Judge Bibas was so nonchalant about analogizing PA's 450,000 MMJ patients with drunkards and the insane was truly frightening.

Between rescheduling for MMJ patients and Hemani cannabis consumers are ever closer to enjoying all of their Constitutional rights.

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday the government can’t criminally prosecute a man for possessing a firearm simply because he regularly smoked ma*****na, rejecting the government’s compar…

06/18/2026

Heads up:

BREAKING: The Supreme Court ruled the government can’t criminally prosecute a man for possessing a firearm simply because he regularly smoked ma*****na in a unanimous decision. https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5929977-second-amendment-firearm-ruling/

06/18/2026

“…More than a decade after legalization, Colorado continues to demonstrate that a well-regulated cannabis market can successfully reduce underage access and protect public health.

“While these long-term trends are promising, we recognize the importance of remaining vigilant and continuing to work alongside other stakeholders to sustain this progress,” Smith continued. “Colorado’s legal cannabis industry remains firmly committed to preventing youth access, as evidenced by consistently high compliance rates for age verification and refusing sales to minors. Together, we will continue building on the success of a regulatory framework that is delivering the outcomes it was designed to achieve…”

Rates of ma*****na use among Colorado teens continue to decline more than a decade after voters legalized adult-use ma*****na, according to the latest results from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. The 2025 survey found that 9.7% of Colorado h...

06/16/2026

“…The Drug Enforcement Administration’s administrative hearing on ma*****na rescheduling is now just two weeks away, with proceedings set to begin June 29 at 9 a.m. ET.

The hearing, which will take place at the DEA Hearing Facility in Arlington, Virginia, is part of the federal rulemaking process to consider moving ma*****na from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. According to the notice, the hearing will conclude no later than July 15, though it may be moved, continued from day to day or recessed to a later date.

The proceeding comes after the Department of Justice and DEA already took a narrower but significant step in April by placing FDA-approved ma*****na products and ma*****na products regulated under qualifying state medical ma*****na licenses in Schedule III. That action did not fully reschedule ma*****na, but it gave Schedule III status to those specific categories while leaving the broader question of ma*****na’s federal status to the upcoming hearing process.

The June 29 hearing is focused on whether ma*****na more broadly should be transferred to Schedule III, a move first proposed in a notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register in May 2024. That proposal followed a recommendation from the Department of Health and Human Services, which found that ma*****na has a currently accepted medical use, has a lower potential for abuse than substances in schedules I and II, and that its abuse may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence.

A prior DEA hearing on the proposal had been scheduled for December 2024, but the agency later withdrew that notice and terminated the earlier proceedings. The new hearing was announced after President Trump issued an executive order in December directing the attorney general to take all necessary steps to complete the rulemaking process related to rescheduling ma*****na to Schedule III in the most expeditious manner allowed under federal law.

According to the DEA notice, the purpose of the hearing is to receive factual evidence and expert opinion regarding whether ma*****na should be transferred to Schedule III. An administrative law judge will preside over the proceedings and will have authority to manage the hearing, examine witnesses, rule on evidence and take other actions allowed under DEA hearing procedures.

If ma*****na is ultimately moved to Schedule III, it would remain federally controlled, but would no longer be classified alongside substances such as he**in and L*D under Schedule I. Ma*****na has been a Schedule I drug under federal law since the Controlled Substances Act was enacted in 1970…”

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s administrative hearing on ma*****na rescheduling is now just two weeks away, with proceedings set to begin June 29 at 9 a.m. ET. The hearing, which will take place at the DEA Hearing Facility in Arlington, Virginia, is part of the federal rulemaking process to...

06/11/2026

Update:

The bill - which would've transferred oversight from the Department of Health to a new Cannabis Control Board - was voted down 23-to-27, with six Republicans and all but two Democrats opposed.

06/04/2026

Action alert 🚨

06/01/2026

Heads up! 🚨 Thank you Rep. Dan Frankel.

PASSED 174-27: my bill to allow terminally ill patients to access medical cannabis while receiving care in hospitals. “Ryan’s Law” gives some very sick people the chance to spend their final days conscious, comfortable and connected to the people they love.

Read more: https://www.pahouse.com/Frankel/InTheNews/NewsRelease/?id=143850

05/27/2026

⚖️ "Consumers deserve representation in any hearing involving the future legal status of ma*****na."

That's the message we're sending to the DEA as federal officials prepare to debate one of the nation's most significant ma*****na policy changes.

🔗 Read more: https://norml.org/blog/2026/05/26/norml-seeks-seat-at-dea-ma*****na-rescheduling-hearing-says-consumers-must-be-represented/

05/22/2026

“…A Republican running to become Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor says that legalizing ma*****na would be “catastrophic” for the state, claiming it would increase the size of the illegal market, undermine job creation and harm public health.

Jason Richey, who won the primary this week for the GOP lieutenant governor nomination, criticized Democrats for seeking to raise needed revenue for the state through cannabis legalization.

“These budgets that are 7 billion over how much we bring in, and then the answer is, ‘we’re going to legalize drugs,’ which is going to be catastrophic,” he said on WILK radio’s Bob Cordaro Show.

“We know from Colorado, for instance, that the black market quadruples the amount of supply into a state when ma*****na gets legalized,” Richey claimed. “Employers don’t want to come to the state because they don’t want a workforce on drugs. DUI, or impaired driving up, mental health up, ER visits up. I mean, who wants that?”

The GOP candidate said that scenario is the “vision” of incumbent Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), who supports legalizing cannabis.

“The Dems are this close to realizing it. And that’s why Stacy and I have stepped up,” he said, referring to Republican gubernatorial nominee Stacy Garrity.

“We are going to fight back, and we’re going to take full control,” Richey said in the interview on Monday, one day ahead of the state’s primary election in which he and Garrity won the nomination of their party for the offices they are seeking. “And I think if we do and put conservative economic principles into play, we have a chance to help millions and millions of Pennsylvanians.”

Richey’s comments align with the position of his running mate, Garrity, who currently serves as state treasurer.

Late last month, Garrity pledged to veto a ma*****na legalization bill if lawmakers ever sent one to her desk—though she added that she doesn’t think the reform stands a chance of making it that far in the state.

“I don’t support legalizing recreational ma*****na,” she said. “Recreational ma*****na will not end up in the budget. They’re never going to pass it…not as long as Senate Republicans are in control of the Senate.”

Richey’s claims about cannabis legalization’s effect on the illegal market in Colorado run in contrast to what that state’s governor says the impact of the policy has been.

“Colorado has collected over $3B in ma*****na tax revenue to pave roads, build schools, rec centers and so much more, all while successfully cracking down on the underground market,” Gov. Jared Polis (D) said last year in response to similar criticism of ma*****na reform from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)….”

A Republican running to become Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor says that legalizing ma*****na would be “catastrophic” for the state, claiming it would increase the size of the illegal market, undermine job creation and harm public health. Jason Richey, who won the primary this week for the ...