Posted by KCC on May 18, 2017 in Blog
Imagine you’ve been working at a job for a while and you start really getting mad because you realize you haven’t had a raise in a long time. Day after day it bothers you more and more. Your boss should give you a raise. He should just do it. Why isn’t he?
You start to complain to your buddy at work. He’s in the same boat. He hasn’t gotten a raise in a long time either. Now both of you are mad. A few months go by and every single day it’s eating at you. Underlying everything you do is an anger and resentment. Why isn’t the boss giving you the raise that you so clearly deserve?
After about six months of this finally you can’t take it anymore. You go into the boss’s office and tell him you think you deserve a raise. To your surprise, the boss gives you a raise! Turns out all you had to do was ask.
You see, our movement has been plagued with a certain sense of fatalism. For the last 50 years people have walked around carrying this tremendously heavy resentment that cannabis has been criminalized and wondering why the government doesn’t just legalize it. There was the sense that change was impossible. They walked around pissed but yet they didn’t ask. They did not stick up for themselves.
That’s what it comes down to right now in 2017. If you want cannabis to be decriminalized, if you want cannabis legalized, you MUST make your voice heard. You must contact your state senator and your state representative. The difference is, they are not your boss – YOU are. They are your representatives.
There is a theme some people say about how we should not “beg our masters” for legalization. That’s true, but who are our masters? WE are the masters of ourselves. As citizens, we must engage in the political system or we have no hope. Just as the boss isn’t going to give you a raise if you don’t ask, the General Assembly of Pennsylvania is not going to pass either decriminalization or legalization legislation unless the citizens of Pennsylvania stand up for themselves and demand change.
Last month we had a big rally in the Harrisburg capitol building. About 400 people representing 10 cannabis reform groups from around Pennsylvania demanding the immediate decriminalization of cannabis and the full legalization of cannabis that includes the right to grow our own.
So now, KCC and members of the reform community are contacting members of the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Representative Ron Marsico, and asking them to please hold hearings on the two bills for downgrading cannabis possession cases currently in their committee. The bills are Ed Gainey’s HB195 and Rep. Barry Jozwiak’s HB928.
We are also contacting all members of the House to support either HB195 or HB928. We are asking for them to either cosponsor one of these bills or for their support once they are passed out of the committee.
On the senate side there is no companion bill for downgrading cannabis offenses but state senators should still be contacted to make them aware of the house bills and to possibly seek a sponsor for a senate version of the house bills.
We need everyone to do this. Everyone always asks, “What can I do to help decriminalize and legalize cannabis in Pennsylvania?” The thing that you must do now is to call your state representative’s office, your state senator and the chairman and members of the House Judiciary Committee and ask them to advance HB195 and HB928.
There will be multiple rallies this summer in cities throughout Pennsylvania. You should go to those rallies. They are important for raising public awareness and making a strong statement. More importantly though, you have to make your voice heard to those who represent us.
If you are exceptionally knowledgeable and confident, schedule an appointment to talk to them directly and take along good information for them. If that doesn’t sound like you then call their office. Let them know why the cannabis laws must change.
We ask that you do this soon. The battle is not some time in the distant future. The battle is now. HB195 and HB928 are alive RIGHT NOW. If we all work hard we can pass one of these bills by the end of summer or by the end of THIS YEAR! Our goal is to get the downgraded penalties in effect by the time the medical cannabis dispensaries are in operation next year.
One we pass HB195 or HB928 we are in range of our ultimate goal – the full legalization of cannabis that includes the right to grow our own.
KCC will do our part. We will rally the troops and make the case to our lawmakers but we need YOU to do your part. It will take all of us working together in smart and effective ways. KCC relies on the generous donations of our supporters. If you would like to help fund this important work, please click the link and help us to stop the war.
Les Stark,
Executive Director, Keystone Cannabis Coalition
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Posted by KCC on Feb 21, 2017 in Blog
Perhaps the question I get more than any other is “When will Pennsylvania just legalize it?”
It’s actually an awesome question because years ago nobody asked that question. All we heard for years and years was the simple declarative statement “Pennsylvania will NEVER legalize cannabis!”
Nowadays, we don’t even consider it a matter of if anymore. Now it’s a matter of when. So I will attempt to answer that question because it is a good one, when will Pennsylvania legalize cannabis?
Well, first of all you have to understand the political system of Pennsylvania. There is a process that all bills go through. A state senator or a state representative gets an idea to introduce a bill. The idea is submitted to the Legislative Reference Bureau where they write the bill. The legislator then circles a cosponsor memo asking for other legislators to put their names on the bill.
When the bill is officially introduced it is assigned to a committee. Many thousands of bills are assigned to committees and almost all of them die in those committees without ever receiving any consideration at all. Over 90% of all bills that are introduced never pass and the 10% or less that DO pass usually take about five years to pass.
The only way a bill makes it out of committee is either a few powerful and influential people want it or a popular movement is rising amongst the masses who want it. There must be lobbying. Someone has to actually fight for their bill.
When bills are controversial there are usually hearings in the committee. Hearings are only heard when sufficient political agitation persuades them that they need to look at something.
For example, there is a bill for statewide decriminalization of cannabis called HB195. It was introduced by Rep. Ed Gainey. It has been introduced to the Pa. House Judiciary Committee. KCC is lobbying the Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on this bill.
There are two dozen members of the House Judiciary Committee and all of those members are the ones who we need to reach but out of all of them there is really only one man who holds all the power and is the one who we must reach. His name is Rep. Ron Marsico. He is the one who we must persuade to hold hearings on cannabis policy.
Representative Jordan Harris is also expected to reintroduce a bill for full legalization and his bill will most likely go to Marsico’s committee again and Representative Barry Jozwiak is expected to reintroduce a compromise bill for statewide decriminalization and it will also go to Marsico’s House Judiciary Committee. So his committee has three bills to consider.
In the state senate, Daylin Leach’s bill for full legalization is called SB213 and it currently sits in the Pa. Senate Law and Justice Committee. We need to persuade Senator Chuck McIlhinney to hold hearings. He is the chair of that committee and he holds all the power although we must reach every member of that committee.
Pennsylvania works in two year legislative sessions. Anything introduced in that two year time period whether it is in month one or month 23 has to be passed within that two year session or it dies and has to start all over again no matter how much progress it’s made. Most of the last session of 2015/2016 was taken up passing medical cannabis and industrial hemp legislation. That was about all the cannabis the legislature could handle. The medical cannabis bill passed overwhelmingly and the industrial hemp bill passed 233- 0 in the senate and the house. This gives us great hope that the reefer madness resistance is eroding.
The new two year session started in January of 2017 and it will end in December of 2018. We are in month two so that means that we have 22 months to pass legislation or see it die and be forced to start all over again.
In our work with KCC we have made relationships with dozens of state senators and representatives. We are friends with the Governor and many members of his administration. We played a role in passing the medical cannabis legislation and we are the ones who passed the hemp legislation with our lobbying efforts. Because of this involvement we have a very good feel for where the General Assembly is right now and unfortunately I have to report that there is about a zero percent chance that we will pass full legalization in this two year session.
Does that mean that we just give up? Of course not. What that means is that we start building the solid case and foundation for legalization at the same time we go for where there is consensus, our next achievable victory – statewide decriminalization of cannabis.
We have been trying to schedule a meeting with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Ron Marsico and we have met with staff from Senate Law and Justice Chairman Chuck McIlhinney about holding hearings on marijuana policy but have so far been ignored or politely listened to. That is why our rally in the rotunda of the state capitol building on Wednesday, April 19 is so important. We need to get hundreds of people there to demand action on cannabis reform and let them know that we are serious and we mean business.
So let’s say that our rally really rocks the house on April 19 and Chairman Marsico goes, “Who, I’d better schedule some hearings quick!” Then what happens?
The Judiciary Committee will then hold at least one and who knows, maybe two or three hearings. At worst, he may stack the hearings with reefer madness proponents. At best, it will be a balanced hearing with half of the people supporting the bill and half of them spouting off nonsense and propaganda. That’s why every member of the committee must be educated because they will have to vote by majority to move the bill out of committee.
The hearing phase of the bill could last six months or more before finally the committee will vote. If the majority of that committee votes Yes then the bill will be sent to the House for a full vote on the floor. The Majority Leader is David Reed and he schedules all floor votes. The Speaker of the House is fierce cannabis reform opponent Rep. Mike Turzai. Reed does not have to schedule a floor vote if he doesn’t want to. He could just sit on the bill or he could wait months with it.
Let’s suppose it passes in the House. Reed has scheduled a vote and hooray, much to our surprised approval HB195 has passed! Now Gainey’s or Jozwiak’s or Harris’s bill goes to the state senate where it is assigned to….another committee, the Senate Law and Justice Committee.
Now the Senate Law and Justice Committee has to pass it but before they do, if they have not already held hearings on cannabis reform policy then they may want to hold a hearing or two and that could take several months. Then if they pass it out of committee it has to go to the floor for a full vote in the senate. Then, if it passes it finally goes to Governor Wolf for his signature.
I am simplifying things a little bit but that is the basic path a bill takes to become law. You can see that under likely circumstances it may take us a year or more to even pass a bill for statewide decriminalization. It will be either our action or inaction that either speeds up or delays this process. A strong showing in Harrisburg on April 19 will give our issue a BIG boost and if we keep the pressure up I honestly believe that we can win by the end of THIS YEAR!
In Pennsylvania we cannot get legalization on the ballot. We have to go through the legislature. Our political process can be frustrating, discouraging and painfully slow. Although I have high hopes that we can decriminalize cannabis this year I also know the possibility that it will take us until next year but I am confident that within this two year legislative session we WILL pass decriminalization legislation.
Okay, so I gave you a reasonable timeframe for passing decriminalization but when will Pennsylvania fully legalize cannabis?
A lot of it depends on what WE do here in Pennsylvania. We must continue to grow this movement, to educate, to persuade, to rally and demand change. We are already doing that. We have to get more and more people active and involved. We have to get huge enough that they MUST enact reforms because the political pressure is too great and public opinion overwhelmingly in favor.
Just as important to consider is how outside influences will help determine what happens here in the Keystone State. What happens in Pennsylvania does not occur in a vacuum. Currently eight states have fully legalized cannabis – California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts, plus Washington D.C.
All of those states policies influence us a little bit but the most profound of these are Maine and Massachusetts. It is those two states that are ultimately going to be seen as the key dominoes to fall in securing legalization here.
Because of the victories in Maine and Massachusetts it is almost a sure thing that within 1-3 years all of New England will go legal. Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont have all come close to passing legalization bill in years past and will almost certainly succeed in their efforts to legalize very soon.
Also, in New Jersey there is only ONE impediment to passing full legalization legislation – Governor Chris Christie. Guess what, in 11 months he will be gone! It is predicted that by the end of 2018 cannabis will be completely legal in New Jersey! (If activists do their part.)
Delaware is also looking very promising. They have already passed medical cannabis legislation and statewide decriminalization. It’s a small state with a smaller legislature which makes change a little bit easier. How long will it take Delaware to legalize it? Between 1-3 years.
Another important state is Maryland. They are working two different paths to legalization. One path is a bill working its way through the legislature. The other path may lead to a ballot measure in the elections of November, 2018. So we may be less than two years away from full legalization in Maryland.
So in other words, by 2020 at the latest Pennsylvania will be staring legalization in the face from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland plus more states that will legalize it. By then there will be approximately 16 or more legal states. We will be two years already into our experience with decriminalization, thousands of acres of hemp will be growing in our fields and 150 medical cannabis dispensaries and dozens of grow ops in full operation and already a couple years into it. At that time, if it has not occurred already, Pennsylvania will be ready to fully legalize cannabis.
I am predicting that the shortest time to legalize would be three years. That’s three years though if everything goes right and the people keep demanding it. The general timeframe though I am predicting for full legalization in Pa. is 3-5 years.
T
his is why we must strongly demand immediate decriminalization of cannabis now. Decriminalization is not perfect. It is an imperfect, temporary and partial truce in the war while Pennsylvania figures out the best way to legalize it. We must also demand that Pennsylvania starts the conversation on full legalization right now.
KCC has already been making the case for full legalization for years and we will never stop until we have ended this cruel, barbaric, archaic and inhumane war against us forever and buried the opposition into permanent oblivion. In addition to going with the decriminalization consensus on April 19 we will also state in no uncertain terms that the ultimate answer is full legalization that allows for home grows and we will push that message as well.
There is one wild card that could speed up the process and that is if the masses in Pennsylvania suddenly awoke and stood up and demand their rights. The stronger presence we have at the Pennsylvania Marijuana Decriminalization Rally in Harrisburg on April 19 the more clout we will have.
Hope to see every one of you there.
Les Stark
Executive Director, Keystone Cannabis Coalition
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Posted by KCC on Feb 20, 2017 in Blog
Pennsylvania Marijuana Decriminalization Drive Begins With Harrisburg Rally on 4/19
The last two year legislative session saw the Pennsylvania General Assembly occupied with considering and passing industrial hemp and medical cannabis legislation. They had a lot on their plate and passing those two pieces of legislation was considered near historic and near miraculous.
Republicans and Democrats came together in a bipartisan manner to pass these landmark bills that will ultimately prove good for the people of Pennsylvania.
Now the Pa. Legislature is being asked to come together once again for the good of the people and remove the threat of jail for simple possession of cannabis.
The current max penalty on the books for possession of up to an ounce of cannabis is 30 days in jail and a $500 fine. Opponents of reform claim that nobody gets the max penalty anymore and that people do not go to jail for “pot”. Yet that is the penalty on the books – you could get 30 days in jail in the state of Pennsylvania for having a joint! Well, unless you live in Harrisburg or State College, or Pittsburgh or Philadelphia, or maybe soon in Reading, West York and Wilkes Barre where they have all enacted cannabis decriminalization ordinances or are currently considering them.
Legislation has been introduced by Rep. Ed Gainey that removes the threat of jail, changes possession of up to 30 grams of cannabis from a criminal misdemeanor to a summary offense, removes the threat of losing one’s driver’s license and fixes a maximum penalty of $100. The bill is called HB195 and it is supported by all cannabis reform organizations in the state.
In addition to Rep. Gainey’s bill in the Pa. House of Representatives, State Senator Daylin Leach has introduced a bill for full legalization of cannabis in the Pa. Senate and that bill is called SB213.
Rep. Jordan Harris is expected to reintroduce a bill for full legalization in the Pa. House and another decriminalization bill is expected to be introduced by Rep. Barry Jozwiak. The cannabis reform community supports Gainey’s bill over Jozwiak’s but if his bill were to pass it would still be a positive step in the right direction.
On April 19 all Pennsylvania cannabis reform groups will come together in unity to demand immediate decriminalization of cannabis and for further discussion on the merits of the full legalization of cannabis.
Uniting for Change
Participating groups are Keystone Cannabis Coalition, Pittsburgh NORML, Philly NORML, Pennsylvania Cannabis Association, Pittsburgh NORML Women’s Alliance, Philly NORML, Northeastern Pennsylvania Cannabis Association, Lancaster NORML, Pennsylvania Veterans for Medical Marijuana and Pa. for Safe Access.
The rally will be held at 11:30 in the Main Rotunda of the State Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is free and the public is invited to attend.
This will be the BIG opening announcement of the campaign to reform the archaic laws of Pennsylvania regarding cannabis. We will be joined by Rep. Ed Gainey, Rep. Mark Rozzi and many prominent members of the community and top activists. There will be a surprise celebrity guest and we are waiting confirmation on several other legislators.
Several hundred people are expected to attend and the word is going out calling for ONE THOUSAND PEOPLE to come to Harrisburg and demand our rights and some common sense for once.
Keystone Cannabis Coalition is proud to be a part of this historic event and this great movement. We are especially thrilled to work together in unison with all the other great reform organizations in the state. We know that together we are stronger. We are like individual strands of hemp that when wound together form an unbreakable cord.
We hope to see you there in Harrisburg on 4/19. You may have gone your whole life wishing that you could make a difference. Now is your chance. Come stand with us as we take a stand for freedom and common sense.
Les Stark,
Executive Director, Keystone Cannabis Coalition
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Posted by KCC on Dec 31, 2016 in Blog
One year ago I wrote “2015 was an epic, monumental year in the Pennsylvania cannabis reform movement and Keystone Cannabis Coalition was right in the middle of it once again as in years past”. The blog post is a good read to see a review of the events that led us to the victories of this year. You can read it here.
A year later I think it is safe to say that 2016 was even more epic, even more monumental and once again Keystone Cannabis Coalition was right there in the middle of it.
In January we dove head first into the new year. Representing the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council we spent nine days at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show in Harrisburg along with founding PaHIC president Geoff Whaling and other board members and volunteers.
We spent one day setting up the stand and then worked for 8 days straight from morning until night talking to thousands of farmers, legislators, members of the media and general public about the hemp legislation we were trying to pass. It was the debut event for PaHIC, an organization entirely for the promotion of a thriving hemp industry in the state. This allows us to keep the issue of hemp away from the more controversial issue of cannabis. At the end of our nine day adventure we were exhausted but excited. Not only was our hemp bill moving but so was the medical cannabis bill.
On February 8 we participated in a sit-in organized by Campaign for Compassion. All of us were risking arrest. About a hundred of us plopped down on the floor. We sat in silence for nine minutes, a minute for every month that we had been waiting since the state senate first voted in favor of medical cannabis. Then we sat for another 9 minutes while individual patients told their stories of suffering and how cannabis could help them.
For many people there, this was the most radical thing they had ever done. Simple patients, frustrated with the legislative process that threatened to hold up their medicine forever. We were pleasantly surprised when Governor Tom Wolf came to join us! Our former governor Tom Corbett would have had us arrested but Wolf embraced us and our cause. It was profoundly moving.
Three days after the sit-in on February 11, I made my way to the Harrisburg City Council meeting where they were discussing their new cannabis decriminalization efforts. I gave a five minute speech and submitted my written comments. KCC supported the ordinance they were considering in principle, however we argued that their fines should be lowered and we opposed the third strike provision. You can read my speech here.
In late February Erica and I went to the Landis Valley Farm Museum to film a media segment for WFMZ who gave us excellent coverage regarding our hemp bill.
On February 23, KCC teamed up with Deb Guy and Lancaster NORML to speak to Lancaster City Council and ask them to consider a decriminalization ordinance. This was a continuation of our efforts with council but so far we have not seen results. We intend to resume our important work in Lancaster and if we cannot get an ordinance passed we will push for a Resolution of Support for Statewide Decriminalization. You can read my speech here.
Four days later on February 27, I gave a two hour lecture on the history and future of the hemp industry in Pennsylvania at the Landis Valley Farm Museum. It was a part of a winter workshop organized by the Back Yard Fruit Growers of Pa.
On March 3, Erica and I teamed up with Deb Guy of Lancaster NORML and met with the Lancaster City Police Chief Sadler. Our meeting went well. He gave us about 1 ½ hours and we had a wide ranging discussion concerning cannabis decriminalization, the consequences of arrests and the support of the public for reform. Sadler was not opposed to the idea and promised to remain publicly neutral. We got good coverage in the press concerning the meeting. You can read my report here.
On March 10 it was back to Harrisburg to speak at Harrisburg City Council’s public hearing on their decriminalization. I again voiced the support of KCC to the principles of what they were trying to do and voiced some dissent while encouraging them to go further. You can read my speech here.
In mid-March Erica and I spent three days in a row in the capitol. On the Monday of March 14 we attended the press conference organized by Christy Billet and her group Pa. for Safe Access. The next day medical cannabis activists were invited to the Governor’s office for a meeting with Governor Wolf again. Erica and I posed for our fourth picture with Wolf.
In the evening we watched over the House floor from the gallery as the Pa. House of Representatives debated the medical cannabis bill. On Wednesday, March 16 we got to witness history on two separate occasions. In the afternoon we watched our hemp bill, SB50 pass the state senate by a 49-0 vote! It was an overwhelming and exciting feeling but it wasn’t over yet. In the evening we watched the House of Representatives vote 149-43 in favor of medical cannabis! It was a very exciting time. I chronicled the experience with more flavor in this blog post.
The next week we were back at work on our industrial hemp bill. Under the banner of Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council on March 21st we organized a hemp lobby day. Erica and I, PaHIC president Geoff Whaling, other members of the board and volunteers along with members of the Pennsylvania Farmers Union set up an impressive educational display in the lobby of the capitol and we each broke up in small teams and lobbied members of the Pa. House of Representatives.
On March 22, Erica and I along with Susan Love met with the Pa. House Majority Leader David Reed to ask him to bring the hemp bill to the floor for a vote. After the meeting with Reed we met with Representative Russ Diamond and then went for a meeting with members of the Pa. Department of Agriculture.
On March 31 we set up a stand for the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council at the York Agricultural Banquet. This was our second year with a hemp stand at the event but our first year representing PaHIC.
Next week it was back in the capitol in Harrisburg. In our meeting with Majority Leader Reed we had been assured that he would bring up the House hemp bill introduced by Rep. Russ Diamond for a vote on April 4th.
So we went to Harrisburg for three days in a row until finally on Wednesday, April 6th we watched from the gallery overlooking the floor of the House of Representatives while they passed HB967 by a 187-0 vote!
We were amazed that even vigorous foes of medical cannabis voted for our hemp bill, including Matt Baker and Speaker of the House Mike Turzai. Every single Democrat and every single Republican voted Yes for hemp! It was a major victory.
On April 13th, representing Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council, we again met with the high ranking leaders and members of the Pa. Department of Agriculture to discuss the implementation of the hemp program, once it is passed. The conversation lasted at least 1 ½ hours and much was discussed in this positive meeting.
Earlier in the morning Erica and I participated in the press conference organized by Campaign for Compassion. I gave a five minute speech urging the House to finally vote on the medical cannabis legislation. As soon as our meeting with the department of ag was over we made a beeline back to the capitol just in time to see the Pa. House of representatives finally pass medical cannabis legislation! It was a fantastic day!
Four days later was the day we had all been waiting for, the day that Governor Wolf would finally sign the medical cannabis legislation into law! The date was set for Sunday, April 17 and the day was beautiful. Hundreds of people gathered for the signing. In fact, far more people showed up for the signing than ever came to the rallies and hearings. The public showed that this was indeed very popular and the feeling was ecstatic and thrilling. Moments like this come once in a lifetime. Erica and I posed with Governor Wolf shortly after the signing.
On April 18th Governor Wolf started a tour of key state reps and state senators offices to thank them for their bipartisan work on the medical cannabis legislation. Erica and I joined with members of the Campaign for Compassion for a press conference at the office of Sen. Mike Folmer in Lebanon. Before the event we got to have a nice conversation with Governor Wolf. I told him all about hemp again, of course.
The next day, on April 19 Erica and I went to State Senator Daylin Leach’s office in Montgomery County. There before the press conference we again had a good conversation with the governor. Campaign for Compassion was well represented at the meeting and it received great press, as did the press conference the day before.
On May 2nd, Erica and I made the three hour journey to Penn State. We met up with our friends Adam A. Thompson and Josh Leidecker and the four of us met with members of the Pa. Department of Agriculture and staff from Penn State, plus a professor from the UK who breeds hemp to discuss the possibility of getting a test plot of hemp in the ground this year. The talk went well.
That same night, the borough of State College was talking about their decriminalization ordinance. Since we were in the area we made sure to weigh in. I was quoted in this article. State College ultimately passed their decriminalization ordinance on August 2 – the 79th anniversary of federal “marihuana” prohibition. KCC was not successful in getting them to compromise with a better ordinance but it is still a step in the right direction.
On May 8th I went to Philadelphia for the march organized by Philly NORML. We marched past city hall and then went to a local park where I got to give a speech and lead the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to Chris Goldstein. At the event Representative Jordan Harris announced the introduction of his bill to fully legalize cannabis in Pa.
On May 19 Harrisburg City Council held a discussion on the decrim proposal and once again I and other members of KCC attended and spoke. The conversation lasted for nearly two hours. It was a fascinating discussion as the decriminalization ordinance was moved along.
On May 26, Erica and I drove to Wilkes Barre for a meeting of the Luzerne County Council. They were considering a county-wide ordinance decriminalizing cannabis. Our friend Kenny Small was there and Carl Romanelli, Jeff Zick and I spoke in favor of passing the ordinance. Council agreed with decriminalization but after consulting with their legal team decided they did not have the authority to go ahead. I disagreed with them and was quoted in this article.
On June 6th we organized an event in the Capitol to celebrate Hemp History Week under the guise of the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council. In addition to the speeches of Erica and I we were also joined by Senator Judy Schwank, Senator Mike Folmer, Rep. Russ Diamond, PaHIC board members Riley Cote and Adam Thompson, Hannah Smith-Brubaker of the Pa. Department of Agriculture and Michael Kovach of the Pa. Farmers Union. We also read a statement by Governor Wolf and prepared remarks by Rep. Marty Flynn. The event also pushed for the final passage of the hemp bill.
A week later, on June 14 we were back at the capitol. Andy Hoover of the Pennsylvania branch of the ACLU alerted Chris Goldstein that a dangerous version of decriminalization was suddenly being considered in the House Judiciary Committee. The bill was being revived after laying dormant for a year. We scrambled and got our members to flood the members of the committee with calls and emails opposing the bill. Chris Goldstein organized a press conference. We attended and I spoke forcefully against the bill and in favor of Ed Gainey’s Bill, HB2076. We were joined by other heroes such as Randall Robertson and Chuck Homan. To make a long story short, our efforts were a success and we killed the bill! You can read more about it in my blog post from June.
We certainly were busy but there was no time to rest. Two days later Erica and I loaded up the Jeep and drove to New York City and set up an outstanding booth for the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council at the Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo at the Javitz Center in Manhattan. We were up there June 16-19th.
The New York event was amazing. To see the industry so well represented on the east coast was refreshing. Industry innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders from all over the country converged into an amazing, mind blowing event, especially for a region still living under reefer madness and the force of law. After three days in New York we came back to Pa. with a new perspective.
In late June we got word that Harrisburg City Council was going to vote on the decriminalization bill. The efforts of KCC really made a difference and we helped persuade them to compromise and craft a better bill. You can read about it in my blog here.
On July 5th I traveled to Harrisburg and watched joyfully as Harrisburg City Council unanimously passed their decriminalization ordinance. The policy has been in effect for nearly a half year and the sky has still not fallen in Harrisburg!
On July 8 Erica and I attended the Regulatory Palooza organized by State Senator Daylin Leach. The event was attended by hundreds of people, most of them potential investors and stakeholders in the new emerging medical cannabis industry. There were many panels and input and feedback was taken to provide guidance to the Pa. Department of Health in helping to create and implement their new program.
Two days later, on July 10, 2016 we scored our most major victory yet, the industrial hemp bill that we had worked so hard on passed its final victory by a vote in the Pa. House of Representatives 187 to ZERO! We were ecstatic. Ten days later, Governor Wolf signed the bill into law. You can read about it in my blog here.
On July 12th we had a great event right here in our hometown of Reading. Music icon Melissa Etheridge came to personally thank the advocates who helped pass medical cannabis and industrial hemp legislation in the state. Also announced at the event was the creation of AgriNext, Pennsylvania Harvest and Keystone Green, business that will help build these new emerging industries.
On July 23rd Erica and I represented KCC once again at the fifth annual Hemp Heals Festival organized by Riley Cote of the Hemp Heals Foundation. We set up a stand along with Jesse Nova of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Cannabis Network. I got to make a speech from the stage again to the largest crowd I’ve ever spoken to. There were at least 6,000 people and I helped rile them up. It was great fun!
On July 28 Erica and I started our morning with what was billed as a “stakeholder’s meeting” with the Pa. Department of Agriculture as the sought input to create and implement rules and procedures for overseeing the hemp program. The meeting lasted for several hours. It was attended by about two dozen people and the department received great advise and council from PaHIC and others in attendance.
When the meeting was over I caught a ride with Gabriel Chorno down to Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention. N.a Poe organized a march and rally that day and we went down and marched in the rain while meanwhile in a historic move actually wrote cannabis reform into the platform of the Democratic Party. I spoke and I smoked cannabis with everybody else but the Philly Cops had no problems with us and considered it free speech.
From August 15-19 Erica and I worked a stand representing the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council at Ag Progress Days in Penn State. It was bit exhausting but well worth it. We had many fascinating conversations with all sorts of people doing interesting and innovative things in agriculture and are fascinated with the idea of working with hemp and seeing how it can fit in with what they are doing.
On August 24th, Erica and I headed down to Philadelphia for a speech I gave for the 252nd annual meeting of the American Chemical Society about the history of cannabis and hemp in Pa. and about the work that KCC is doing. I was invited by Dr. Jahan Marcu who had helped organize the event. (The day just happened to be on Erica’s birthday but she still went)
In September KCC teamed up with MPP and surveyed all incumbents and challengers with regard to their positions on cannabis reform. With an eye to the elections we published the voting guide to our members.
Also in September we did some of our most important work. On September 21 Brianne Archer, Erica and I sat down with Reading Mayor Wally Scott. We had a half hour conversation where we explained to him our intention of introducing a decriminalization ordinance and the reasons to support the effort.
We had already been talking to members of Reading City Council for two years but after our conversation with the mayor councilwoman Donna Reed and councilman Chris Daubert asked to see the ordinance we intended to pass. Within days Erica submitted a fantastic ordinance and next thing it’s all over the news.
We caused quite a commotion in Reading. There were numerous media pieces that week and on September 26 Erica, Brianne and I went to address Reading City Council along with several other supporters. No one spoke in opposition and the crowd was on our side. The mayor asked them to drop the ordinance but city council voted 4-3 to keep it on the agenda! Decrim is still alive in Reading.
We are having a town hall on decriminalization in Reading on January 19 with Rep. Mark Rozzi.
On October 1st KCC teamed up once again with our good friend Jesse Nova of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Cannabis Network and Jeff Zick for our third annual rally in Wilkes Barre. The event was not as well attended as we would like but it was a major success in getting the word out through four different media organizations that showed up and gave us excellent coverage.
October 19, that was the day of the year though! Although Governor Wolf had already officially signed the hemp bill three months earlier, it was decided that he would hold a special signing ceremony where the hemp bill would be printed on hemp paper and signed with hemp pen. It was meant to be a photo-op for the governor, senators and representatives who made it happen and the advocates who advanced the bill.
Unbeknownst to Erica, I made special plans and they unfolded perfectly. Governor Wolf talked to me briefly beforehand and gave me the go-ahead, indicating that he had been informed of my plan. He gave me the signal to speak and I took out a prepared speech, which completely surprised Erica because we had not discussed me speaking at the event.
After reading a five minute speech where I detailed the history of hemp with marriage ceremonies, I asked Erica to come forward. Then I asked her to marry me in a Pennsylvania hemp field and she said YES! I placed a hemp ring on her finger to the applause of the governor, State Senators Schwank and Fomer, Rep. Russ Diamond, Marty Flynn and members of the Dept. of Agriculture. It was an awesome moment!
On November 3 we went to Philadelphia where Erica conducted a workshop on the newly passed hemp legislation. The event was organized by Stephanie Thomas for her chapter of Women Grow. It was well attended and after Erica’s power point presentation we had many fascinating and productive conversations.
To be honest, this is not even a complete list of what we did in 2016. In addition to everything mentioned we attended other meetings and did a heck of a lot of work behind the scenes. Especially Erica as she works towards actually building a hemp industry in Pennsylvania. Both of us appeared in numerous television, radio and print media pieces over the year, including our most recent podcast last week with Skip Shuda of Green Rush Advisors. I’ve also been of Lefty Grime’s show a few times this year. I’ll probably remember more of what we did after this is published.
In addition to all of this activity we have continued to keep everyone informed and up to the minute on where we stand and everything that goes on with regard to cannabis and hemp reform in the state of Pennsylvania. I invite everyone to read the blogs in our archives on the KCC website and join our Facebook discussion page. Also stay tuned to our main Facebook page.
So, all in all 2016 was a fantastic year for Keystone Cannabis Coalition and cannabis and hemp reform in the state of Pennsylvania! Nothing happens in a vacuum though. We depend on all of YOU. We asked for donations and it was your funds that have made all that we have done and achieved possible. So THANK YOU ALL!
2017 is going to be the year that we make a major effort to pass statewide decriminalization of cannabis in Pennsylvania. If we are going to be as successful as we have been in past battles then we need to raise funds for this year’s effort. I hope all of you who have supported us in the past can continue to do so by making a generous donation towards our efforts.
Thank you KCC, Happy Holidays and a Happy NEW YEAR!
Les Stark
Executive Director, Keystone Cannabis Coalition
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Posted by KCC on Nov 20, 2016 in Blog
While it has been more years than I care to admit since I was a young woman who read Hunter Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the words Fear and Loathing have been rolling around my head for the last several days. This year’s presidential election has brought a whole lot of Fear and Loathing bubbling up from all sides. It truly seems that we have all fallen into our own echo chambers, been barraged with tabloid style fake news and left scratching our heads as to how we found ourselves in this state of disarray. Exactly when was it that we stopped talking to each other in any kind of meaningful and productive way? In many ways it no longer matters.
Done is Done.
What is certain at this point, regardless of who you supported in this election or why, the election is over. Donald Trump is our President-Elect. Whether you love or hate him, for the cannabis community his victory does pose some major concerns. Mostly in regards to who he is surrounding himself with.
For our cause that would be the very disturbing appointment of Sen. Jeff Sessions, a staunch prohibitionist, as Attorney General. There is still some hope that he will not be confirmed, but that hope is sketchy at best. Cannabis reform up to now has not even been much of a talking point in this other than his being quoted as joking about the KKK being ok with him until he found out they smoked pot. This is mostly because of some legitimate concerns about his past racist remarks that prevented him from being confirmed as a federal judge 30 years ago. Most believe he will be confirmed relatively easily.
While I have some reassurances from sources that even if Sessions is confirmed recreational and medical cannabis states are not on the chopping block, at least not as a priority in the first 100 days, the danger is very real. No doubt the mere tone of the people currently surrounding our President-Elect will make our work for decriminalization much more difficult on both the local and state-wide levels.
We no longer have the luxury of pointing fingers, casting blame or even worrying about who was right and who was wrong in their reasoning. We must face the reality of the current moment and figure out where we go from here – together.
The other thing we can be certain of is that the Cannabis Community and Culture is a diverse and beautiful slice of America. We come in all shapes, sizes, colors, genders religious backgrounds, economic brackets and sexual preferences. We come from both the Left and the Right.
We must be strong and we must be vigilant, but that strength must come from a place of Love. Truth in Love will always win in the end no matter how long the road or how difficult the struggle may be.
If we can find the grace to cast aside our fear and loathing for the other side and come together to support our cause, there just may be hope. Not only for cannabis consumers, but all of America.
Let us treat each other with respect and kindness. Let us listen to each other with open hearts and minds. Let us show the rest of this great country how its done.
~Erica McBride
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Posted by KCC on Oct 18, 2016 in Blog
Voting is perhaps the single most important thing you can do to further cannabis reform. We need as many friendly legislators as possible to reach our goals. As a service to our supporters we partnered with MPP to create a 2016 voting guide.
We had send out questionnaires to all the candidates to ask them about their position on both decriminalization and full legalization. The voting guide indicates their responses as well as their voting record on medical cannabis. It is extremely disappointing how many candidates would not respond to the survey which indicates that they either did not deem the issue important enough or they were unwilling to go on record with their position.
The guide is split between the House and Senate races and is in order by district. If you do not know what district you are in you can find it here.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 8th.
Remember, voting is not only our right, it is our civic duty!
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