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With a grant from MPP, in 2002, Murphy founded Republicans for Compassionate Access where he organized two political campaigns leading to the defeat of the legislature’s top medical marijuana opponents, one a Republican state senator, the other the Democratic House Speaker.
- Safe Banking: It’S A law-and-order Bill
- GOP Cannabis Reformers Are Also Primary Winners
- ‘Republicans Are Now Expected to Deliver’
- Bills Could Make It Out of Committee
- Veterans Are Key to Moving Progress Forward
- Safe Banking ‘Must Start in The Senate, Not The House’
Leafly: Let’s talk about the SAFE Banking Act, which seems to have the most chance of passage with bipartisan support. My senator here in Montana, Steve Daines, a Republican, is a lead sponsor of SAFE. He’s framed it as a law-and-order policy. Don Murphy: On SAFE, small businesses and frontline employees are getting literally killedwhile we mess ar...
Leafly: Rep. Nancy Mace (R-NC)is another example of a GOP member becoming a leader in cannabis reform. Murphy: She’s the new Exhibit A that you can be a vocal supporter of cannabis reform and still win a Republican primary. That’s always been the big problem for Republicans. Every time somebody puts up a poll saying, oh, 90% of the American public ...
Leafly: What do you make of Rep. Mooney’s bill, regarding firearm possession, and Rep. Steube’s bill, regarding military veterans? Will they fare better in the 118th Congress than they have in past sessions? Murphy: I think these bills will fare better because now the Republican party is in the majority. When you’re in the majority, that’s the good...
Leafly: Is there enough support at the committee level? Murphy: I think there’s a pretty high level of support among subcommittee members for these bills. For example, Mooney’s bill will go to Judiciary, and everybody knows that [Judiciary Committee Chairman] Jim Jordan’s not a big fan of [cannabis legalization]. And [Rep.] Andy Biggs [R-AZ], who i...
Leafly: What’s your take on Rep. Steube’s bill to facilitate veterans’ access to medical marijuana? Murphy: There’s a fair number of good Republicans on the Veterans Affairs Committee who have voted for SAFE Banking in the past. How do you vote for SAFE Banking and then not support veterans access? Veterans are the key to moving this forward for Re...
Leafly: You’ve referred to SAFE Banking a few times in our conversation. How do you think it gets done this session? Murphy: In 2023, SAFE Banking cannot start in the House. If you are the House Republicans, you’re like, I’m not sending this bill over to the Senate for the eighth time only to have it die. Let them send it over. They’re still contro...
May 3, 2023 · Two decades ago, Murphy sponsored a bill that allowed people arrested for marijuana possession to legally argue it was for medicinal purposes. Murphy has since moved on to advocate on cannabis policy locally and nationally.
Jan 31, 2023 · With Republicans now running the House, Murphy—a veteran conservative lobbyist, Republican, and former Maryland state lawmaker—steps into 2023 as one of the most influential cannabis legalization changemakers on Capitol Hill.
Feb 10, 2023 · Named a top federal cannabis lobbyist by Politico, Don Murphy served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1995 to 2003 and is a four-time RNC Convention Delegate. He is the original lead sponsor of the Darrell Putman Compassionate Use Act, the first Republican-led medical marijuana bill to become law.
Named America’s top conservative legalization advocate, by Leafly and one of the top federal cannabis advocates by Politico and a Top Influencer by Campaign & Elections Magazine, Don Murphy is a...
- University of Baltimore
May 20, 2024 · Don Murphy highlights potential political hurdles for the SAFE Banking Act. Last week, the Justice Department’s move to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III gained traction, reflecting a significant policy change.
