Statewide efforts to enact medical marijuana law reform still remain in play in nearly a dozen states.

Here are some highlights and ways that you can help.

New Jersey: Last Thursday, members of the state assembly Health and Senior Services Committee substituted, then approved, Assembly Bill 804: the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act. The bill will now go before the full Assembly.

However, as substituted by the Committee, neither qualified patients nor their caregivers would be authorized to grow cannabis medicinally under the law. Instead, patients will be required to obtain their medicine from yet to be established ‘nonprofit Alternative Treatment Centers.’ (Read all of the changes made to the measure here.)

A less restrictive version of this proposal, Senate Bill 119, was approved by the Senate in February. If the Assembly ultimately approves A 804, members of the Senate would have to approve the Assembly’s changes.

Further information about this effort, visit the Coalition for Medical Marijuana – New Jersey or go here.

New York: Legislation (Assembly Bill 7542) to exempt qualified medical cannabis patients from state arrest and prosecution continues to move through the state Assembly. So far, members of the Committees on Health, Codes, and Ways and Means have all signed off on the proposal, which is now before the Assembly Committee on Rules. A companion bill, Senate Bill 4041-A, remains pending before the Senate Committee on Codes. If you live in New York, you can contact your elected officials and urge them to support this effort by going here or here.

Delaware: Last week, members of the Senate Health & Social Services Committee approved Senate Bill 94, an act that seeks to allow for the use of medical cannabis by state-authorized patients. The full Senate is expected to take action on the measure in the coming weeks. If you live in Delaware, please urge your state Senator to move expeditiously on SB 94 by going here.

Illinois: House lawmakers adjourned last week without taking a floor vote on Senate Bill 1381, the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act. However, this does not mean that SB 1382 is dead! House members may call the bill for a floor vote later this fall. If not, the bill will carry over to January 2010, where lawmakers will once again take up the measure. To get involved in this effort, please visit Illinois NORML or go here.

New Hampshire: If you live in New Hampshire and you have not yet contacted Governor John Lynch and urged him to protect patients who use marijuana medicinally, you can do so by going here or here. Gov. Lynch is the only hurdle that stands in the way of patients and their medicine in the Granite state, so make your voice heard now.

For information on additional state and federal marijuana law reform legislation, please visit NORML’s Take Action page here.

Yesterday’s NORML blog post notwithstanding, a number of state legislatures continue to move forward in support of sensible marijuana law reform.

Here are some highlights and ways you can help.

Rhode Island: House members overwhelmingly approved legislation last week regulating the establishment of state-licensed ‘compassion centers’ to manufacture and provide medical marijuana to authorized patients. Rhode Island’s legislature is the first state on the east coast to move forward with such legislation, which was approved by a vote of 63 to 5 in the House and 35 to 2 in the Senate. The margins are large enough to override a veto from Republican Gov. Donald Carcieri, who has voiced opposition to the measure. If you live in Rhode Island and want to learn more about this effort, please visit: http://ripatients.org.

Illinois: On Wednesday members of the Illinois Senate passed SB 1381, the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act. UPDATE! On Thursday, members of the House Human Services Committee also passed the bill, and the full House is expected to act on it imminently. If you live in Illinois, you can voice your support in favor this legislation by going here and here. UPDATE#2! The House convened for its summer session without taking a floor vote on SB 1381. House members may decide to take up the issue later this fall or next spring.

New Hampshire: As we reported yesterday, lawmakers are still trying to negotiate a compromise with Democrat Gov. John Lynch, who has threatened to veto medical marijuana legislation recently passed by the House and Senate. Our allies on the ground, NH Compassion, are encouraging voters to contact Gov. Lynch and urge him not to stand in the way of medical marijuana law reform. You can contact the governor by going here and here.

New Jersey: Members of the state assembly Health and Senior Services Committee are scheduled to hear testimony in favor of A 804, the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, on Thursday, June 4, at 10am. (Full details available online here.) A companion bill, S 119, has already been approved by the Senate, and Democrat Gov. John Corzine has promised to sign medical marijuana legislation into law if it reaches his desk. You can help support this campaign by going here and by contacting your member of the assembly here.

Delaware: Members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee are considering legislation, SB 94, to allow for patients with a debilitating medical condition to grow and possess cannabis. The proposal is the first marijuana law reform bill to be before lawmakers in recent memory. Proponents can contact their senate members in support of the measure here.

For information on additional state and federal marijuana law reform legislation, please visit NORML’s Take Action page here.

Wow, things are really heating up! If you have not yet gotten active in your state, now is most definitely the time to start. State legislatures around the country are taking significant strides to reform their marijuana laws, and here’s how you can help!

California: On Monday, state Assemblyman Tom Ammiano introduced AB 390, The Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act — the first bill ever in legislature to legalize and regulate the commercial production and sale of marijuana in California. You can see local, network, and national media coverage of this effort here, here, and here. If you live in California, please go here to contact your state assemblyman and urge him or her to support AB 390.

New Jersey: Lawmakers took a major step on Monday toward making New Jersey the fourteenth state to legalize the medical use of cannabis. Senators voted 22 to 16 in favor of Senate Bill 119, the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act. But this battle is only half over. Members of the New Jersey Assembly must also vote on this issue. If you reside in New Jersey, please take a moment to contact your members of the state assembly and urge them to support companion bill, A804. You can further support this effort by contacting the Coalition for Medical Marijuana – New Jersey or NORML New Jersey.

**Note: Additional information and interviews regarding these breaking events in California and New Jersey are available here on the NORML Daily Audio Stash podcast.

Montana: Ready for even more good news? Senate lawmakers in Montana today voted 28 to 22 in favor of SB 326, which seeks to expand the state’s medical marijuana laws. As introduced, SB 326 (1) Expands the number of qualifying conditions for which marijuana may be legally recommended; (2) Increases the amount of marijuana a patient may legally possess; and (3) Prohibits employers and landlords from discriminating against medicinal marijuana patients solely because of their medical status. NORML thanks all of you who took the time to support this important measure, which now moves to the House for consideration. For more information about this and other statewide marijuana law reform efforts in Montana, please contact Montana Patients and Families United or Montana NORML.

Washington: Finally, last week the Senate Judiciary Committee approved SB 5615, which seeks to reduce the penalty for minor marijuana possession offenses to a civil fine of no more than $100. You can listen to audio from the hearing and vote here. This proposal now goes before the Senate Rules Committee, which must take action on the bill to put it before the full Senate. Tell them to do so by going here.

To learn about additional pending legislation in Alabama, Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Texas, please visit NORML’s Legislative Action Alerts page here.