Who We are. Our mission
SMPL is an organization dedicated to statewide coalition building, sound policy research, education and advocacy for substantive drug law reform. We are headquartered in the capitol of Baton Rouge where we lobby at the local and state level, but have affiliates in every major city throughout Louisiana. The SMPL board is a dynamically diverse mix of professionals who share one passion in common for making our laws for marijuana both modernized and civilized. We bring to the task a varied mix of seasoned and younger advocates, different political orientations, ethnicities, sexes, socio-economic backgrounds, birthplaces and skill sets or expertise. By going public with our growing coalition and amplifying publicly available information, we seek to help expose the ulterior motives of the vested drug warriors and undo some of the deep damage that results from the stigmatism of any non-violent fully consenting private consumption of a naturally occurring medicinal plant. learn more
Latest News Releases
ARLINGTON — When we hear about states legalizing medical marijuana, it’s easy to picture situations like this. But for folks like Eric Espinoza, who suffers from spastic cerebral palsy, the need for daily medication is no laughing matter. “You take 1 to3 a day of various things,” Espinoza told NewsFix. “Muscle relaxers, painkillers, anti-inflammatories.” He’s even spent time taking more extreme medications. “It’s a year of my life I’ll never get back because there is no memory on Oxycontin.” Espinoza … read more
FARMER TOM Revolutionizing Cannabis, One Fed A Time May 16, 2016, 6:30 am Photo: Patricia Bennett When federal agents visit a pot farm, it’s not by invitation—but it was this time. Tom Lauerman, affectionately known as Farmer Tom, invited federal researchers to spend several days at his organic hippie grass-land (medical cannabis farm) in Vancouver, Washington to evaluate cannabis processing procedures. It was the first and only known time the feds have conducted friendly business on a privately owned pot farm. … read more
Are NFL owners beginning to read the writing on the walls all around them? On the heels of two more states where NFL teams are housed, California and Massachusetts, approving marijuana for recreational use, it seems that there’s a growing consensus around the league that players should be able to use the drug as an alternative for painkillers. It was reported on Wednesday that the NFLPA will conduct studies to see if marijuana itself is a viable alternative for players … read more
California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada Legalize Marijuana, As Florida, Arkansas, Montana and North Dakota Approve Medical Marijuana Measures TELECONFERENCE Tomorrow (Wednesday) at 12:30pm (ET) / 9:30am (PT): What Do Election Results Mean for Marijuana Law Reform? This Election Day was a watershed moment for the movement to end marijuana prohibition, with the results expected to accelerate efforts to legalize marijuana in states across the U.S., at the federal level, and internationally. Overall, legalization initiatives prevailed in four out of five … read more
By Ilya Somin November 5 at 11:05 AM Ignored in the tumult of the presidential race is the fact that the 2016 election may be a milestone in the struggle to end marijuana prohibition. Five states – Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada – all have marijuana legalization initiatives on the ballot. Polls indicate that all five are likely to pass, as well as a medical marijuana initiative in Florida. Medical marijuana legalization initiatives in Arkansas and North Dakota seem too closes to call. … read more
Sunday, 30 October 2016 00:00By Michael Corcoran, Truthout | Report If the unthinkable occurs and Donald Trump is elected president on November 8, residents of a handful of states may soon be able to legally smoke weed to cope. Legalization of recreational use of marijuana is on the ballot in five states, and medical marijuana laws are up in another four. In legalization states, it may be a clean sweep: recent polls in Arizona, Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada all … read more
Alaska made history and opened it’s very first legal Cannabis shop today! Alaska’s first marijuana retailer opens to throngs of customers By Yvette C. Hammett VALDEZ, Alaska, Oct. 30 (UPI) — They weren’t giving away marijuana, but that didn’t stop dozens from lining up hours in advance for the opening of Alaska’s first pot shop on Saturday. Residents of Valdez are calling their community “the highest little town at sea level,” KTVA reported. People in Alaska see the opening of Herbal Outfitters as a … read more
During this pivotal election year, which representatives are on the right side of drug policy history? It’s time to see your elected official’s record. Select this link and enter your zip code to see your if representative is fighting to end the drug war.
by Art Swift STORY HIGHLIGHTS Highest percentage of support recorded in 47-year trend Favoring legalization is up among all age groups in the past decade Large majorities of Democrats, independents favor legalization WASHINGTON, D.C. — With voters in several states deciding this fall whether to legalize the use of marijuana, public support for making it legal has reached 60% — its highest level in Gallup’s 47-year trend. Marijuana use is currently legal in four states and the District of Columbia, … read more
In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first two U.S. states – and the first two jurisdictions in the world – to approve ending marijuana prohibition and legally regulating marijuana production, distribution and sales. In the 2014 election, Alaska and Oregon followed suit, while Washington D.C. passed a more limited measure that legalized possession and home cultivation of marijuana (but did not address its taxation and sale due to D.C. law). The report’s key findings include: Marijuana arrests have plummeted … read more
