Marijuana Policy

Dear friends:

Wow.

We just got some encouraging news from Massachusetts: 71% of Massachusetts residents support a landmark ballot initiative to decriminalize marijuana possession in the state, according to a new statewide poll from Boston's Suffolk University and the local NBC affiliate.

The initiative will be on Massachusetts' ballot this November 4. If it passes, it would remove the threat of arrest or jail for possessing an ounce or less of marijuana, replacing it with a $100 fine — which could be paid through the mail without lawyers or court appearances, just like a speeding ticket.

71% support eclipses what we've seen in all previous polling — support has generally remained in the 60% range — and so these newest numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, these results clearly point to widespread support for marijuana law reform in Massachusetts and bode well for the initiative's chances this November.

Can you help capitalize on this unprecedented level of support? If you want the chance to help pass a historic marijuana policy, here's your chance.

Your help really matters, because victory is by no means assured. Powerful, well-financed organizations within the state — including the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association and the Massachusetts Family Institute — have publicly announced their plans to work against the initiative, and both are already marshalling their forces to prevent it from passing. So this encouraging poll is a double-edged sword: While it reveals the initiative to be enormously popular in Massachusetts, it will also motivate prohibitionist opponents to an even greater degree.

Would you please consider donating $10 or more to the campaign today, to help provide the resources to counter the coming attacks?

Thank you in advance for anything you can do to help the campaign capitalize on the groundswell of public support and fight back hard against those who want to continue jailing marijuana users. 

Sincerely,

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

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.