Dear friend:

“Saying that marijuana is harmless is like saying that a dog is a cat.”

“Scientific research does not indicate marijuana is medicine.”

“All major national medical associations have rejected it.”

Sound wrong to you? It is. Blatantly so. But these lies, and others like them, are being spread by the Drug Free America Foundation, in a cynical campaign to undermine the enormous progress that marijuana policy reform has made. As we rack up more and more victories, our opposition gets more and more willing to lie outright.

Watch MPP's new video fact-checking these lies — and send it to your friends:

And as always, we need the help of people like you to continue fighting lies with the truth. If what you see in this video angers you, would you fight back against it, by making a donation of $10 or more to MPP's work today?

Sincerely,

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2008. This means that your donation today will be doubled.

More than half of Dutch judges surveyed by the newsweekly Vrij Nederland think marijuana should be legalized, according to a repor

The White House Office on National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP -- the drug czar's office) has failed on its own terms when it comes t

Ending a contentious, year-long argument over what constitutes a 60-day supply of medical marijuana, the Washington state Department of Health last week issued

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Dear friends:

I get a lot of questions about what the presidential candidates have said or done on marijuana policy.

There are a lot of rumors about what Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. John McCain, and the other candidates may or may not have said about marijuana — and MPP specializes in that.

In fact, during the presidential primary campaign, MPP helped persuade all of the Democratic candidates and three of the Republican candidates to pledge to end the arrest of patients in states with medical marijuana laws.

If you're interested in knowing what the candidates have said and done, please watch our new video:

MPP is the only organization that's systematically influencing the presidential candidates to take positive positions on medical marijuana — and punishing those who don't. Would you please consider making a donation to support our work today?

Sincerely,

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2008. This means that your donation today will be doubled.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
OCTOBER 8, 2008

ONDCP Has Failed to Cut Marijuana Use, Misused Treatment Stats, New Report Shows

CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications ............... 415-668-6403 or 202-215-4205
                   Jon Gettman, Ph.D. ..........................................................540-822-5739

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The major U.S. government study of drug use shows that the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy has badly failed to meet its own goals for reducing use of marijuana and other illegal drugs, according to a pair of new reports by George Mason University senior fellow Jon Gettman, Ph.D. In addition, ONDCP and its chief, "Drug Czar" John Walters, have misused treatment statistics to suggest that marijuana is dangerously addictive when the government's own data suggest that arrest-driven treatment admissions have wasted tax dollars by treating thousands who were not truly drug-dependent.

    Both reports and a summary of all the findings are available at http://www.drugscience.org/Archive/bcr5/bcr5_index.html.

    "The government's own statistics demolish the White House drug czar's claims of success in his obsessive war on marijuana," said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C.  Kampia noted that during Walters' tenure, ONDCP has released at least 127 separate anti-marijuana TV, radio and print ads and 34 press releases focused mainly on marijuana, in addition to 50 reports from ONDCP and other federal agencies on marijuana or anti-marijuana campaigns. "The most intense war on marijuana since 'Reefer Madness,' including record numbers of arrests every year since 2003, has wasted billions of dollars and produced nothing except pain and ruined lives."

    Gettman, who made international headlines in December 2006 with an analysis showing that marijuana is the top cash crop in the United States, noted the following in his new report:

    **In 2007 there were 14.5 million current users of marijuana in the United States, compared with 14.6 million in 2002, while the number of Americans who have ever used marijuana actually increased.

    **ONDCP has not come close to meeting its goal of reducing illegal drug use by 25 percent by 2007.

    **There was a marked jump in the percentage of marijuana treatment admissions referred by the criminal justice system from 1992 to 2006, while just 45 percent of marijuana admissions met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria for marijuana dependence.

    With more than 25,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.

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Try reading this unhinged Boston Globe editorial opposing decriminalization in Massachusetts with a straight face. It is an exhibit in dishonesty and an insult to everything on earth that is actually truly dangerous. The whole thing is nuts, but this line really tickled my bullshit bone:

And despite their best efforts to paint an ounce of marijuana as innocuous, the fact is that one ounce of marijuana is worth about $600 and represents about 60 individual sales.

Seriously!? Do you even know what marijuana is? The average price is around $200 an ounce. And it's not sold in 1/60th ounce increments. You can’t even roll a joint out of that. You know what a joint is, right? Seriously, I would have thought there were enough preposterous reefer madness arguments already in circulation that you wouldn’t need to create new ones.

One of the great challenges facing those who advocate sensible marijuana policies is that of responding to crazy made-up nonsense over and over again. Sometimes our opponents just lie on purpose. Other times they simply don't know what they're talking about. And frequently we can't tell the difference.

Even though it has been over 50 years since the last commercial hemp crop was grown in the United States, a financially viable and environmentally sustainable hemp industry not only exists here today,

Paul Armentano at NORML points to Sarah Palin's glorification of "Joe Sixpack" in the vice presidential debate. Indeed, one could scarcely overstate the naked hypocrisy of portraying daily drinkers as American heroes, while our nation continues to arrest nearly a million Americans each year for using marijuana.

I usually leave the alcohol analogy alone, assuming that it often speaks for itself, and when it doesn’t, the guys at SAFER can be counted on to point it out. But there are moments -- like hearing a major party VP candidate canonize alcohol users in a massively public forum – that remind us how truly discriminatory and fundamentally illogical this disparity is. If regulated sale is the best policy for alcohol, then it is the best policy for marijuana. And if people who drink a sixpack after work can be American heroes, so too are those who derive pleasure and relaxation from cannabis.

(This blog post was published by StoptheDrugWar.org's lobbying arm, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also shares the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
OCTOBER 6, 2008

Protest Supporting Convicted Medical Marijuana Dispensary Owner Draws 350Patients and Advocates Call for an End to Federal Obstruction of State Law

CONTACT: Aaron Smith, MPP California organizer, (707) 291-0076

LOS ANGELES — The California organizer for the Marijuana Policy Project, Aaron Smith, joined approximately 350 medical marijuana supporters at a rally outside the U.S. District Courthouse in Los Angeles today.

    The rally was organized to support Charles C. Lynch, a former operator of a Morro Bay medical marijuana collective who was recently convicted on federal drug charges. Lynch opened Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers in 2006 but was raided by federal and San Luis Obispo County law enforcement agents in March 2007. A respected member of the community who operated with the support of local officials and the chamber of commerce, Lynch was known to refuse payment from patients who could not afford it.

    "He was just a compassionate kind of guy," Steve Beck, the father of a cancer patient who relied on Lynch's dispensary to relieve the pain caused by his treatment – which included an amputated leg – told Reason magazine this summer.

    The raid and subsequent prosecution was conducted at the request of San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Patrick Hedges, who was unable to use his office to close the facility since it was in full compliance with state and local laws.

    The jury that convicted Lynch was barred from hearing any evidence about medical marijuana or his compliance with state law. Rally participants hope that a judge will grant Lynch a retrial. A hearing to consider Lynch’s retrial request is slated for Nov. 4.

    "Only a small minority of extremists still support imprisoning Americans for medical marijuana," Smith said. "That's why it's no surprise the federal drug warriors didn't allow jurors to hear all the facts in Charles' case."

    Smith encouraged the crowd to engage in the public process by urging Congress to lift the federal ban on medical marijuana. "With your help we can bring federal policy in line with the public sentiment," added Smith.

    With more than 25,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.

####

MEDIA ADVISORY   
OCTOBER 6, 2008

Marijuana Policy Project to Participate in Medical Marijuana Rally Today California Spokesperson to Join Advocates in Demanding an End to Federal War on Patients

CONTACT: Aaron Smith, MPP California organizer, Mobile (707) 291-0076

LOS ANGELES — MPP’s California organizer, Aaron Smith, will be speaking at a rally which is expected to be attended by hundreds of medical marijuana patients and advocates on Monday morning in downtown Los Angeles.

    The rally has been organized by local patients and advocates supporting Charles C. Lynch, a Central Coast man who was recently convicted on federal drug charges for operating a medical marijuana collective in Morrow Bay. Lynch complied with state law and obtained a permit to operate the facility. The jury in his trial was denied any information about the state’s medical marijuana law.

    - WHAT: “Free Charles C. Lynch” rally

    - WHEN: Monday, Oct. 6, 2008, 11 a.m.

    - WHERE: U.S. District Courthouse, 312 North Spring St. (at Temple St.), Downtown Los Angeles

    With more than 25,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.

####

Press Release: October 1, 2008
CONTACT: Tom Murphy 207-542-4998 or tom@thehia.org, or Adam Eidinger 202-744-2671 or adam@votehemp.com

Hemp Industries Association Gathers in Boston October 19-20 for Annual Meeting

New Data on Growth of Hemp Food and Body Care Markets to be Released Conference Explores All Aspects of Versatile Hemp Plant

Boston, MA – Even though it has been over 50 years since the last commercial hemp crop was grown in the United States, a financially viable and environmentally sustainable hemp industry not only exists here today, but is thriving. Business leaders of the worldwide hemp industry will meet in Boston, Massachusetts on October 19-20 to map out plans for bringing back hemp farming in the United States, to present updates on current industry developments, and to share new data about expanding markets. The Hemp Industries Association (HIA) Annual General Meeting will be held at the Best Western Roundhouse Suites, located at 891 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston.

The HIA annual meeting comes on the tail-end of the Natural Products Expo East, taking place October 15-18 also in Boston. Hemp companies are regular exhibitors at the Natural Products Expo, an event attended by thousands of retail buyers for natural food stores, distributors and brokers.

Featured speakers at this year’s HIA Annual General Meeting include:

Mario Machnicki, Managing Director, American Limetec: “Hemcrete® and the Potential Market for Hemp in Building Construction”

Alex White Plume, Pine Ridge Hemp Project: “The Lakota Hemp Building Project & Efforts to Grow Hemp at Pine Ridge”

Amy Shollenberger, Executive Director, Rural Vermont: “The ‘Hemp for Vermont’ Bill: How to Successfully Pass State Hemp Legislation”

Anndrea Hermann, Executive Director, Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance: “Canadian Update”

Barbara Filippone, EnviroTextiles: “Hemp Textiles Update”

Bernd Frank, Managing Director, BaFa GmbH: “Industrial Hemp in the EU: Experiences and Future Prospects”

Carl Hedberg, Consultant & Editor: “The Entrepreneurial Mindset in Mission-Driven Enterprises” (based on the top-selling book on entrepreneurship)

Christina Volgyesi, Living Harvest: “The Hemp Foods Market & Consumer Studies Update”

Gero Leson, Leson & Associates: “Nutritional Assessment of Hemp Foods and the TestPledge Program”

David Bronner, President, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps: “Hemp Industry and Legal Update”

# # #

More information can be found online at www.thehia.org. An embargoed sneak preview of sales data to be released is available upon request by contacting Adam Eidinger at 202-744-2671 or adam@votehemp.com.

No Prison for Cannabis Edible Maker

A federal judge has refused to impose prison time on a California man who had produced and distributed edible medical cannabis products throughout the state.

Michael Martin addresses supporters at his sentencing

Despite sentencing guidelines calling for at least two and a half years in jail, U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilkin exercised her discretion to sentence Michael Martin, 34, to five years probation, with one year to be served in a halfway house and one year to be served in home confinement. The dramatic sentence caused the courtroom full of patients and activists to erupt in applause.

Faced with the threat of more serious charges and the specter of a federal trial in which no information about state law or medical use could be introduced, Martin pled guilty in federal court to manufacturing marijuana edibles and did not contest the government finding of more than 400 plants seized in the September 2007 DEA raid.

In a speech to the court that had observers in tears, Martin spoke eloquently about why he had acted on behalf of patients, describing the cancer patients he was proud to have helped, the support of his loving family, and how he had only acted on behalf of others, never for profit.

That speech, the enormous volume of letters of support for Martin the judge received, and the lack of any evidence that any edible produced by Mickey was diverted to recreational use, all helped the judge declare that this was a unique case that did not call for a normal sentence, and certainly not the more than three years of federal prison that the law mandates.

Comments from the bench about the tensions between state and federal laws also made clear that the judge understood medical cannabis cases to be different from other federal drug cases, and she joined several other members of the federal judiciary in departing from the government's sentencing guidelines.

"The prosecution of good people like Michael Martin, who are trying to give patients the choice of an edible, non-smoked medicine, is a travesty," said Rebecca Saltzman, ASA Chief of Staff. "The government says smoking is a bad delivery method then prosecutes those who provide an alternative -- ridiculous."

ASA played a key role in providing support for Martin and his family after he surrendered to authorities. ASA staff helped organize the grassroots response of local patients and activists who filled the courtroom during Martin's hearings and assisted him with managing the media response in the wake of DEA attempts to portray him as a dangerous drug dealer.

Martin was the state's largest producer of medical cannabis baked goods and other edibles, products that offer an alternative to smoking cannabis that is preferred by many patients. The products were available only through licensed dispensaries and carried prominent labels warning that they were cannabis products for medical use only. A majority of the more than 300 medical cannabis dispensaries in California provide edible products to their patients.

Calif. Job Rights Bill Vetoed, ASA Vows Fight

Late September 30, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed AB 2279, a bill to ensure job rights for the state's medical cannabis patients.

AB 2279 would have stopped workplace discrimination against hundreds of thousands of legal patients, whose right to work was compromised by a California Supreme Court decision earlier this year. The governor's veto means that California employers can still fire patients who follow state law - even those who only use medical cannabis in the privacy of their homes. The veto is a setback for fairness and non-discrimination, but ASA will fight on in the state courts and capitol to protect and expand cannabis patients' rights.

"The governor's veto is disappointing," said Don Duncan, ASA's California Director. "But we have seen that persistent and strategic work by ASA - supported by our robust grassroots effort - can get results. In a different political climate, we would have gotten the governor's signature. But our strategy got it through the legislature, so we're hopeful for the future."

Medical cannabis patients were caught with other constituencies in the crossfire between Gov. Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers over the state's budget. The governor vetoed a record number of bills this year, including some that passed both houses unanimously and had no registered opposition, in apparent retaliation for the legislature's reluctance to adopt his controversial budget.

Patient Gets Cannabis Back from Police, Finally

In another victory for ASA's return of property campaign, a California medical cannabis patient got his cannabis back from police after a nearly three-year wait.

Jim Spray, 52, finally got Huntington Beach police to return the property they had seized from him in November 2005, but not without going through the legal wringer.

Jim Spray sports an ASA cap as he retrieves his property from police.

With the help of ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford, Spray went to court three years ago, asking for the return of approximately five ounces of marijuana, twelve immature plants, a jar of concentrated cannabis, and marijuana cultivation equipment valued at $1,000. But the court denied the motion.

The ruling hinged on another case, Chavez v. Superior Court, which had said that a patient-caregiver was not entitled to the return of his medical marijuana because not all was for his personal medical use. Courts and prosecutors used this to claim that there was no circumstance under which medical marijuana could be returned.
"We had been fighting this misunderstanding in a number of cases," said Joe Elford, ASA's Chief Counsel. "But because you can only appeal the denial of a motion for return of property through a procedure known as a writ, the appellate courts could elect to ignore us, which is what they did."

But Spray was not alone. Felix Kha was fighting a similar battle with Garden Grove police, also with ASA's help. Police had already been ordered to return patient Kha's property, but the city refused, and the appeal languished for months - until Spray's case came along.

ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford

"With Jim Spray's case filed," said Elford, "I could remind the court of appeal that the Garden Grove case was pending and that this was an issue that needed to be resolved. James Spray's case pushed the issue along."

The appeals court consolidated the cases for oral argument, with Elford arguing both. Three months later, decisions came down in favor of both patients. But the difficulties continued for Spray.

Despite being directed by the court of appeal to issue an order for the return of Spray's property, the trial court refused. So Spray and Elford had to file yet more paperwork, finally resulting in an order to police, nine months after ASA's court win.

On September 17, Spray took the order to the Huntington Beach Police Department to get his property back. Although much of the cultivation equipment had been mysteriously destroyed and the dried marijuana and plants were beyond salvage, one jar contained several grams of concentrated cannabis that is still usable, much to Spray's delight.

Congress Urges Oversight of DEA Tactics on Medical Cannabis

Several U.S. Representatives used the waning days of 110th Congress to record their continued opposition to federal enforcement raids on individuals who use or provide medical cannabis in accordance with their state law.

ASA's lobbying efforts helped convince more than a dozen members of the U.S. House of Representatives to sign a bi-partisan letter asking the Judiciary Committee to investigate DEA enforcement activity against medical cannabis dispensing collectives and their landlords. The lawmakers have asked to Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers to convene an oversight hearing on whether the DEA is using federal resources wisely and efficiently, what impact the increased level of enforcement is having on the ability of state and local governments to effectively implement their state law, and what changes to federal law are necessary.

The letter, which was spearheaded by ASA and sponsored by U.S. Representatives Sam Farr (D-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Barney Frank (D-MA), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), and Dr. Ron Paul (R-TX), echoes the concerns raised by local officials across California and acknowledges the Chairman's pervious endeavors to provide oversight.

"We had hoped that oversight would have occurred by now," said Caren Woodson, ASA's Director of Government Affairs, "But given the Bush Administration's systematic obstruction of Congressional oversight the past few years, particularly of officials in the Justice Department, we expect oversight hearings to have generous support next year with a new Congress and new Administration open to change."

As a result of ASA efforts on Capitol Hill and in California this year, Chairman Conyers earlier sent a letter to DEA Acting Administrator Michelle Leonhart which questioned the Department of Justice about the enforcement tactics being used against medical cannabis patients and state programs.

Dear friends:

Opponents of Massachusetts' marijuana decriminalization ballot initiative just can't stop lying.

Here are some the lies they're flooding the media with, in a cynical attempt to scare voters into defeating the measure on November 4:

• Marijuana is more dangerous than alcohol or tobacco — because tobacco takes a long time to kill you and alcohol has health benefits. (Yes, you read that right.) That's according to Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter.

And here are four gems from the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association:

• “By empowering drug dealers with decriminalization of marijuana, we would be empowering them to continue their violent ways: carrying and brandishing weapons; ripping off kids who get in over their heads; engaging in bloody turf wars; and indiscriminately assaulting or murdering when things don't go the way they want.”
• “Marijuana arrests are strongly associated with violent crime — dangerous criminals who make the wrong choice time and time again.” (In reality, research shows unmistakably that marijuana — unlike alcohol — is almost never the cause of aggression or violence.)
• “Very few arrests involving marijuana charges are for simple possession.” (In reality, according to FBI statistics, a full 89% of marijuana arrests are for simple possession.)
• The initiative “will allow drug dealers to operate with impunity and make it easier for them to do business with your children.”

You and I know this is outrageous. Don't sit by and let law enforcement officials get away with this blatant lying and fear-mongering — help the campaign fund an aggressive response.

This is the first time in history that an initiative to decriminalize marijuana will be on any statewide ballot, and the campaign needs our help to fight back hard in the little time that remains. Will you please visit www.SensibleMarijuanaPolicy.org/donate to donate $10 or more today?

As always, thank you for your generous support of MPP and our allies.

Sincerely,

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

Idaho is a rocked-rib Republican state, and the state's Republican Party is no friend of medical marijuana, but that isn't stopping one GOP legislator from going ahead with plans to introduce a med

With election day little more than a month away, it is time for a round-up of drug policy reform initiatives facing voters in November.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Wednesday vetoed a bill that would have protected medical marijuana patients from being fired from their jobs for testing positive for pot on a drug test.

While most Americans are keeping a close eye on the November 4 elections here, Canadians will also be heading to the polls in a national election later this month.

Smoking marijuana is less harmful than smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol, said the British think-thank the Beckley Foundation in a