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Marijuana Policy

Marijuana Policy Subtopics:
Hemp
Medical Marijuana
Marijuana Industry

Marijuana Backers to GOPers: Why Not Cut the DEA Budget?

With Republicans in the House looking to cut down on spending in the next fiscal year, supporters of legalizing marijuana have a suggestion for where they should start -- the Drug Enforcement Agency's budget. "In the grand scheme of things, the entire federal budget dedicated to keeping marijuana illegal and carrying out all the enforcement measures to do so is really something that is long past its prime," the Marijuana Policy Project's Steve Fox said. "I'm not naive enough to think there would be such a major step, but you can just pick it apart and look at the marijuana seizures -- the amount of time and energy put into those seizures -- is really doing essentially nothing except maybe having a marginal effect on the price of marijuana," Fox said. "So all they're really doing is giving those involved in illegal marijuana dealing a little bit of price support."

Cut Drug War Spending (Action Alert)

Hi Friends,

In a recent Q&A with YouTube viewers, President Obama said that U.S. drug policy focuses too heavily on law enforcement. He also took a huge step forward calling drug legalization an "entirely legitimate topic for debate." If you haven't taken action on the email alert I sent you last week, please take a minute to do so now. We have a great opportunity to cut funding for arrests and incarceration by treating drug use as a health issue instead of a criminal issue.

Sincerely,

Bill Piper
Director, Office of National Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance

We Are the Drug Policy Alliance.

 

 

Tell President Obama to stop wasting money on the failed war on drugs.

Take Action!

Email the President

Dear Friends,

In his State of the Union address a few days ago, President Obama said it is time for the federal government to tighten its belt and stop wasting so much money. One of the biggest – and most destructive – wastes of money is the war on drugs. President Obama is working on a new federal budget – urge him to stop wasting money on the failed war on drugs.

In these times of deficits and budget cuts, let’s send a clear message: no more money for marijuana arrests. No more money for laughably stupid anti-marijuana ads. No more money for random drug testing. No more money for SWAT raids on people's homes for suspected drug law violations. No more money for long prison sentences for low-level, nonviolent drug offenses. No more money for the drug war. Period.

Tell the President that our tax dollars should be spent more wisely.

With your help we can eliminate or cut drug war waste and dismantle the war on drugs. Please take a minute to write the White House and tell President Obama to stop wasting your tax dollars on failed drug policies.

Sincerely,

Bill Piper
Director, Office of National Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance

MPP Insider: Hostile Police, Medical Marijuana in the Courts, Deadly Raids, and More...

 

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Medical marijuana bill introduced in Idaho

Newsletter IdahoOn January 19, Idaho made a great stride toward securing medical marijuana patients against the threat of arrest and prosecution when representative Tom Trail introduced a medical marijuana bill into the state's legislature. If passed, the legislation would make Idaho the 16th medical marijuana state. Read more ...

Why are some cops so hostile to marijuana policy reform?

Newsletter Hostile PoliceMPP executive director Rob Kampia looks at the reasons why law enforcement officials are so often resistant against, or opposed to, marijuana policy reform. What do you think – is it ignorance, job security, quality of life, or perhaps something else? Read more ...

Utah man killed in outrageous police raid

Newsletter RaidA recently released video of a police raid in Utah last September, which depicts a man being shot and killed as police force entry into his home, has enraged many readers of our blog. Take a look, but be forewarned: the contents of this video are shocking and outrageous, and likely to induce commentary. Read more ...

Courts hearing cases on rights of medical marijuana patients

Newsletter V1_I8 courtroomTwo separate cases (in two separate states) involving the rights of medical marijuana patients will be heard by supreme courts. One case deals with employment protections for registered medical marijuana patients, and the other deals with issues of handgun permits for medical marijuana patients. Read more ...

Find us on Facebook

Newsletter V1_I3 FacebookCome join the Marijuana Policy Project on Facebook! MPP maintains not only a very active Facebook page, but also a very popular Facebook Cause as well: End Marijuana Prohibition. The fastest, easiest, and most useful thing you can do for marijuana policy reform today is to join us on Facebook and show your support!

 

The MPP Video of the Month

Todd Blair Drug Raid

Featured Person

Newsletter V1_I10 VictimIn January 2000, 18-year-old Marisa Garcia received a ticket for marijuana possession that nearly cost her a college education.
Hear her story...

Our mailing address is Marijuana Policy Project, 236 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20002. Any donations you make to MPP may be used for political purposes, such as supporting or opposing candidates for federal office.

 

Arizona Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Introduced by GOP State Rep John Fillmore

Under a bill introduced by Representative John Fillmore possession of two ounces or less of marijuana -- by anyone -- would become a petty offense and carry a fine of only $100. Fillmore says that marijuana isn't a gateway drug, as critics unscientifically claim, and all the money and time wasted by law enforcement on marijuana prohibition enforcement would be better spent elsewhere.

Massachusetts State Legislator Files Marijuana Legislation

Ellen Story, D-Amherst, responding to the 69 percent of the voters in her district who instructed her to vote "in favor of legislation that would allow the state to regulate and tax marijuana like alcohol" on Nov. 2, 2010, is sponsoring "An Act to Regulate and Tax the Cannabis Industry." Assigned House Docket Number 01091, it will receive a bill number in the near future. If enacted, the state’s current prohibition upon adults having or growing a personal supply will be repealed, analogous to alcohol-control laws for home winemaking.

Obama: Drugs Should be Treated as a Public Health Problem

Responding to a deluge of questions regarding marijuana and drug policy that came from YouTube, President Obama acknowledged that the war on drugs has not been effective and said he thinks of drugs as "more of a public health problem." More than 140,000 questions were submitted to the president on YouTube for his virtual question-and-answer session and visitors cast more than 1 million votes. 198 of the 200 highest-rated questions related to drug policy. While drug policy is hardly a top priority in Washington, President Obama said it is an "entirely legitimate topic for debate."

President Obama to Answer Top Questions Posed by Public on YouTube Today, Top 100 Most Popular Questions ALL Related to Marijuana Law and Drug Policy Reform (Press Release)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JANUARY 27, 2011

President Obama to Answer Top Questions Posed by Public on YouTube Today

Top 100 Most Popular Questions ALL Related to Marijuana Law and

Drug Policy Reform

Drug Policy Reform Groups: Obama Needs to Listen to Public’s Concerns and Address Issue

CONTACT: Morgan Fox, MPP communications manager …………………. 202-905-2031 or [email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Drug Policy Alliance, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, the Marijuana Policy Project, NORML and Students for Sensible Drug Policy have issued the following joint statement:

“Following his 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama asked the public to submit questions for an exclusive YouTube interview that will take place at 2:30PM on Thursday January 27. The “Ask Obama” forum promises to take questions from the American people on the issues they find most important in terms of national policy.

“The people have spoken, and the message is loud and clear: the top 100 most popular questions (193,000 were submitted) are on marijuana reform and the harms of drug prohibition, with the first-place question coming from a former police officer who has first-hand experience with the failure of these policies. The questions dominating the forum deal with marijuana legalization, prohibition-related violence, and the fiscal and human consequences of mass incarceration. The American people want to know why our country is continuing the failed, catastrophic policy of drug prohibition.

“Several of the most popular questions also address why our elected leaders have virtually ignored these important issues. This is not the first time marijuana legalization and drug reform have dominated the response to Obama’s call for questions. There were similar results in both 2009 and 2010 when people asked Obama about ending prohibition and using science instead of politics to guide our drug policies. In 2009, Obama’s response was to laugh off the question about taxing and controlling marijuana. In 2010, Obama ignored the questions, despite the questions dominating in quantity and quality. 

“We are encouraged by the grassroots response bubbling up around this issue and urge President Obama to address this issue seriously and thoroughly.”

With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.

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Obama Barraged by Marijuana Questions for Upcoming YouTube Town Hall

Of the top 100 most popular questions as rated by YouTube users, 99 are about the drug war or marijuana. Of the next one hundred, 99 are again about drug policy. The marijuana questions don't stop there, but Huffington Post stopped counting deep into the 200s, as the president is unlikely to answer all of them. A White House spokesman told Huffington Post that the president will answer whatever questions YouTube puts before him.

"Ask Obama" Top 100 Questions About Drug War, Pot

NORML took the time to review the Top 100 questions on the "Ask Obama" site and condense each one into a few words so President Obama could get an idea what is important to the country. When Obama did this in 2010 he heard loud and clear about marijuana law reform. Americans asked about re-scheduling cannabis to allow medical marijuana to flourish, decriminalizing marijuana to end thousands of arrests, legalizing pot to raise tax revenue, ending prohibition to cripple Mexican drug traffickers, regulating cannabis to keep it out of kids’ hands, reforming drug laws to re-prioritize police resources, embracing industrial hemp as a truly green energy source, and using science, not politics, to dictate our drug policy. And President Obama flat-out ignored the citizenry, despite those questions dominating in both quantity and popularity. When Obama did this in 2009 he got the same response from the public. That time he didn’t ignore his fellow Americans; he just laughed at them.
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