"Patients in West Virginia have been waiting a long time for safe, legal access to medical cannabis. It has been nearly four years since Gov. Justice signed the medical cannabis bill into law, and there's no reason the rollout should have taken this long. Other states have been able to implement similar programs in a fraction of the time it has taken West Virginia. Still, the fact that dispensaries have finally been licensed and patients are finally able to register for the program is an important step forward," said Matt Simon, MPP's senior legislative analyst.

"It is morally wrong to continue to treat Alabamans who suffer from serious medical conditions as criminals for using a substance that is now legal in 36 states. However, we urge lawmakers to revise the provisions of the bill that create significant barriers for patients and their physicians," said Karen O'Keefe, MPP's director of state policies.

"All these things will be front and center in how I think we will talk about and push for cannabis de-scheduling, because if the administration is truly concerned about criminal justice reform and police reform, cannabis has been at the epicenter of how the US has waged the war on drugs for the last fifty years," said Steve Hawkins, MPP's executive director.

"Kansas should join the majority of states and establish a well-regulated, compassionate medical cannabis program. People who could benefit from medical cannabis should not have to wait—and in some cases cannot wait—for the right to use it legally," said Olivia Naugle, MPP's legislative analyst.

"Legalization has proven to be a winning issue, and we expect to see continued progress for state-level marijuana reforms this year," said Violet Cavendish, MPP's communications manager.

"We expect that the Governor and the legislature will ultimately make the right decision and uphold the will of the people," said Chris Lindsey, MPP's director of government relations.

"While it’s encouraging to see Alabama seriously considering medical cannabis legislation, we recommend a number of revisions to SB 46 to better serve patients. For example, patients should not be steered to far more dangerous opiates first, as the bill currently does. In addition, the burden on doctors should be reduced to avoid dramatically depressing participation and leaving large numbers of patients behind," said Karen O'Keefe, MPP's director of state policies.

"Legislatures are increasingly recognizing that programs need to have enough points of access for patients (to be effective and viable). We continue to see a lot of burdens lifted," said Karen O'Keefe, MPP's director of state policies.

"We could turn around and it’s June and there could be five or more states that have legalized. That could change the conversation in Congress," said Steve Hawkins, MPP's executive director.

"Stories like that may give suburban lawmakers some caution, but once they’re able to see that nobody’s forcing you to have these businesses in your community — and even if they’re in their community, you’re allowed to put reasonable zoning and advertising and licensing restrictions on them — I think more folks will become more vocally supportive," said DeVaughn Ward, MPP's senior legislative counsel.