Marijuana Policy

Dear friends:

If you only watch one video from the Marijuana Policy Project in your lifetime, let it be this one.

This new documentary from MPP is about the human costs of that war, told by those who have been caught in the crossfire: people like Bernie Ellis, who is fighting to keep the farm he has loved for 40 years after giving medical marijuana to terminal cancer patients ... people like the Naulls family, whose children and property were seized by law enforcement officers even though, as medical marijuana dispensary operators, they had broken no state laws ... and people like Marisa Garcia, who lost her student financial aid because of an arrest for a minor marijuana violation.

And then there are those like Jonathan Magbie, a quadriplegic who died in jail as a result of inadequate medical care after being convicted of possessing a small amount of marijuana, who will never be able to tell their stories.

Every week, we at the Marijuana Policy Project confront extreme government abuses like these, as the war on marijuana users rages on, with the government arresting law-abiding citizens, seizing their property, locking them up for decades, and even killing them.

With the help of our 25,000 dues-paying members, MPP is working to end the persecution and destruction of people just like you. You can help us bring sense to our nation's marijuana policies by making a financial contribution to our work.

Your help is desperately needed. In the time it takes you to watch this video, 28 more Americans will be arrested for marijuana.

We can end our government's cruel war on its own citizens — but we must stand and fight.

Sincerely,

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

P.S. If you'd like to get your own copy of this video on DVD to show to friends and family, you can order it here.

Dear friends:

Please join the Marijuana Policy Project tomorrow, Friday, August 8, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at Bullfeathers on Capitol Hill.

[Courtesy of Marijuana Policy Project] 

Dear friends:

Congress has recessed for the summer without voting on the medical marijuana amendment that Congressmen Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) offer every summer. Unfortunately, this means the amendment will not come up for a vote this year — the first year since 2002.

If passed, the amendment would have prevented the Justice Department — which includes the DEA — from interfering with the medical marijuana laws on the books in 12 states.

Congress decided that rather than considering the Justice Department's annual spending bill, which contains thousands of funding requests and issue-oriented amendments, Congress will instead simply vote to allow this year's funding levels to carry over until next year.   

However, there are two other pieces of legislation in Congress that your U.S. House member needs to hear from you about:

1. The Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act of 2008 (H.R. 5842) would give states greater authority to determine their own medical marijuana policies.

2. The Personal Use of Marijuana By Responsible Adults Act of 2008 (H.R. 5843) would remove federal penalties for possessing up to 3.5 ounces of marijuana.

Would you please take one minute to visit MPP's online action center and ask your U.S. House member to co-sponsor these two bills?

Meanwhile, we're also gearing up for the changed — and more favorable — political climate that we can expect from a new presidential administration and Congress next year. You'll be hearing more from us about our plans for 2009 in the coming months.

As always, thank you for your support.

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.

[Courtesy of Marijuana Policy Project] 

Dear friends:

Here's a photo of MPP's Rob Kampia and Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) at a news conference yesterday, where we announced the growing support for his bill to decriminalize marijuana possession on the federal level.

The event was covered by CNN, The Politico, The San Francisco Chronicle, Roll Call, Reason, Denver Daily News, and many other news outlets. You can see some of the coverage here, and you can see our video of the event here.

We haven't even made a push for co-sponsors yet, but members of Congress keep coming forward to attach their names to the bill:

Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.)
Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.)
William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.)
Barbara Lee (D-Calif.)
Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.)
Jim McDermott (D-Wash.)
Ron Paul (R-Texas)

Imagine what would happen if everyone reading this e-mail alert were to send a letter to his or her U.S. House member asking him or her to co-sponsor the bill too. You can send that letter in about 60 seconds right here.

The “Personal Use of Marijuana By Responsible Adults Act” would eliminate all federal penalties for possession of less than 100 grams of marijuana and the not-for-profit transfer of 1 ounce or less.

Please visit MPP's online action center today and ask your U.S. House member to co-sponsor this legislation.  

Thank you,

Aaron Houston
Director of Government Relations
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

P.S. If you'd like to read Rob Kampia's written remarks presented at the press conference, you can read them here.

Dear friends:

We've just unveiled two exciting new features at mpp.org:

• MPP TV, where you can watch entertaining and educational videos about marijuana policy issues, including interviews and expert news analysis.
• MPP's new blog, featuring some of the nation's most insightful writing on marijuana policy reform. We expect to post news and analysis you're unlikely to see anywhere else, including little-reported events and research studies that deserve notice but escape the attention of the mass media.

We really want you to check these out, leave comments, subscribe to updates, create your own video responses, and generally join the conversation.

And want to check out more of our online universe? In addition to MPP TV and the blog, we also have high-activity pages on the following social networking sites (in fact, MPP's MySpace page is in the top 10 most popular nonprofit pages on the site!):

If you use online social networking, stay in better touch with us by “friending” us on these sites. Keep up-to-date on the latest marijuana policy news, weigh in with your own thoughts and ideas, and make connections with like-minded supporters of marijuana policy reform.

Come join the conversation now:

MPP TV

MPP's blog

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.

The Marijuana Policy Project has four job openings in our headquarters in Washington, D.C.:

• Office administrator/bookkeeper

The office administrator/bookkeeper manages MPP's main office, does all bookkeeping, and assists the executive director. This position is an excellent opportunity to gain exposure to all aspects of operating a fast-paced grassroots lobbying organization. The successful candidate will be a highly organized self-starter with excellent written and verbal communication skills, meticulous attention to detail, and a professional demeanor and appearance. Experience with accounting, bookkeeping, or QuickBooks is strongly preferred.

• Director of State Policies

The director of State Policies manages MPP's grassroots and direct lobbying efforts in all state legislatures, as well as managing MPP's State Policies Department staff. The overarching goal of the position is to pass medical marijuana legislation and/or marijuana regulation legislation in state legislatures while preventing bad bills from being enacted. The position requires strong political instincts, solid political or government relations experience, and exceptional management skills.

• Membership & Events fellowship:

The membership & events fellow assists MPP's Membership and Grants & VIP Outreach departments. The Grants & VIP Outreach Department coordinates MPP's special events and manages MPP's grants program, which dispenses $1.5 million annually in support of efforts that foster measurable changes in marijuana policy. The Membership Department coordinates MPP's fundraising, conducts donor research, oversees communications with members, maintains MPP's member database, processes donations, and submits grant applications. The fellowship begins in late August or early September, pays $9 per hour, and requires a minimum four-month commitment.

• State Policies internship:

The State Policies intern works in MPP's State Policies Department, which is dedicated to reforming marijuana laws on the state level through direct lobbying and by inspiring lobbying at the grassroots level by individuals and allied organizations. This is an unpaid, part-time internship with class credit available. Interns work 16-20 hours per week and have the chance to play a responsible role in a successful nonprofit organization.

For all positions, please visit http://www.mpp.org/jobs for full job descriptions, salary information, and instructions on how to apply.

Thank you for your interest!

Sincerely,

Alison Green
Chief of Staff
Marijuana Policy Project