Drug Law Reform

Cannabis Equity & Inclusion Community v. Nevada Board of Pharmacy

Nevadans, like voters in many states, have chosen to legalize marijuana for medicinal and recreational use. In Nevada, these changes—adopted through citizen ballot initiatives and, in the case of medical marijuana, enshrined in the Nevada Constitution—were intended to ensure that marijuana is regulated much like alcohol and that law enforcement resources are focused on violent crime, not the prosecution of non-violent drug offenses. Despite these legal changes, Nevada’s Board of Pharmacy continues to regulate marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance for purposes of state law, akin to the Board’s treatment of cocaine and fentanyl. The Board’s scheduling designation for marijuana has enormous implications for criminal defendants in Nevada since state law makes it a felony to possess or engage in certain other activity with respect to a Schedule I controlled substance, as designated by the Board. This case, brought by an individual and organization harmed by the Board’s scheduling designation for marijuana, involves the question whether the designation violates the Nevada Constitution and state statutes. The ÌÒ×ÓÊÓÆµof Nevada is counsel in the case, and the ACLU’s State Supreme Court Initiative is co-counsel on appeal. In August 2024, the Court held that Pool and CEIC lack standing to challenge marijuana's designation as a Schedule I substance but recognized that other individuals could appropriately do so in the future. The Court did not reach the merits in reversing the district court’s positive decision.
Status: Closed
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10 Drug Law Reform Cases

Terry v. United States
U.S. Supreme Court
Dec 2021

Drug Law Reform

Terry v. United States

Whether all individuals sentenced for crack cocaine offenses under a now-amended federal statute that created a 100-to-1 disparity between the treatment of cocaine in its crack and powder forms are eligible for resentencing under amendments made by the First Step Act of 2018.
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Terry V. United States. Explore Case.
U.S. Supreme Court
Dec 2021
Terry v. United States

Drug Law Reform

Terry v. United States

Whether all individuals sentenced for crack cocaine offenses under a now-amended federal statute that created a 100-to-1 disparity between the treatment of cocaine in its crack and powder forms are eligible for resentencing under amendments made by the First Step Act of 2018.
Terry V. United States. Explore Case.
Birt v. United States
U.S. Supreme Court
Dec 2021

Drug Law Reform

Birt v. United States

Whether all individuals sentenced for crack cocaine offenses under a now-amended federal statute that created a 100-to-1 disparity between the treatment of cocaine in its crack and powder forms are eligible for resentencing under amendments made by the First Step Act of 2018.
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Birt V. United States. Explore Case.
U.S. Supreme Court
Dec 2021
Birt v. United States

Drug Law Reform

Birt v. United States

Whether all individuals sentenced for crack cocaine offenses under a now-amended federal statute that created a 100-to-1 disparity between the treatment of cocaine in its crack and powder forms are eligible for resentencing under amendments made by the First Step Act of 2018.
Birt V. United States. Explore Case.
For more than a decade, Joseph Casias of Battle Creek, Mich. has endured the painful symptoms of an inoperable brain tumor and cancer. Medical marijuana was his only hope.
Arizona
Dec 2016

Drug Law Reform

White Mountain Health Center v. Maricopa County

Update: In December 2016, the Arizona Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court’s 2012 ruling that federal marijuana prohibition does not void Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Act and that the County and State should therefore allow the White Mountain dispensary to continue operating and providing medicine to qualifying patients in Arizona with debilitating medical conditions.
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White Mountain Health Center V. Maricopa County. Explore Case.
Arizona
Dec 2016
For more than a decade, Joseph Casias of Battle Creek, Mich. has endured the painful symptoms of an inoperable brain tumor and cancer. Medical marijuana was his only hope.

Drug Law Reform

White Mountain Health Center v. Maricopa County

Update: In December 2016, the Arizona Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court’s 2012 ruling that federal marijuana prohibition does not void Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Act and that the County and State should therefore allow the White Mountain dispensary to continue operating and providing medicine to qualifying patients in Arizona with debilitating medical conditions.
White Mountain Health Center V. Maricopa County. Explore Case.
Man in handcuffs
U.S. Supreme Court
Feb 2016

Drug Law Reform

Criminal Law Reform

Utah v. Strieff

Whether the prosecution may use evidence seized after an arrest on an outstanding warrant that was only discovered after an unconstitutional stop.
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Utah V. Strieff. Explore Case.
U.S. Supreme Court
Feb 2016
Man in handcuffs

Drug Law Reform

Criminal Law Reform

Utah v. Strieff

Whether the prosecution may use evidence seized after an arrest on an outstanding warrant that was only discovered after an unconstitutional stop.
Utah V. Strieff. Explore Case.
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