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Exciting times for medical marijuana in Rhode Island!

Dear friend, Since 2003, the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition (RIPAC) has led the Rhode Island’s medical marijuana movement. This past year has been monumental with the passage of the compassion center legislation which will allow three state-regulated, not-for-profit, retail dispensaries in RI. This victory will help to ensure that RI patients will have safe and affordable access to their medicine and make the RI Medical Marijuana Act the best in the country. Even before this success in June 2009, RI and RIPAC have been receiving amazing press coverage and recently we were even featured in The New York Times. We have been responding to the national medical marijuana developments with such actions as my interview on WPRI/Fox Providence and press statement in response to the Obama Administration’s announcement last month protecting patients in medical marijuana states. This is AMAZING progress and we need your continued support! http://ripatients.org/Donate/ RIPAC has expanded our services and we are now conducting orientations to provide patients and caregivers with the skills they need to make the most of the program. We continue to hold multiple meetings every month to educate patients, caregivers and community members. These meetings have gotten bigger and our monthly cardholder meetings now consistently include more than 10% of the state’s population of medical marijuana patients. None of this could have been possible without your continuous support. As a very small nonprofit, RIPAC relies heavily on private donors like you. With your generous support we can continue our work to advocate for patients, help educate them to navigate the program and help them retain a better quality of life. Your contribution, of any size, is crucial for us to continue our work to preserve the rights of patients. http://ripatients.org/Donate/ We are reaching much of the community, but now more than ever, we still have more work to do. We need to continue educating medical professionals and RIPAC, along with Patients Out of Time, is accomplishing this by hosting an international Continuing Medical Education “Clinical Conference on Cannabis” at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Warwick, RI from April 15-17, 2010. We also need to educate law enforcement personnel to protect our patients and we need to make sure that the compassion centers have the patients’ best interests in mind. In this season of giving, founding executive director Jesse Stout and I ask you to contribute $50, $100, $250 today with a check or credit card or become a member of our “Advocacy Circle” with monthly donations of $50, $40, $25 or whatever you can afford. Our goal is to raise $30,000! You can help with your gift, which is tax-deductible, and you can conveniently give by visiting our website and donating in the upper right hand corner. http://ripatients.org/Donate/ Happy Holiday Season to all! Sincerely, Stephen Hogan Jr. & Jesse Stout

Marijuana Policy Project’s 15th Anniversary Gala to Celebrate ‘15 States in 15 Years’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                   

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Marijuana Policy Project’s 15th Anniversary Gala to Celebrate ‘15 States in 15 Years’

Celebrity guests and other prominent figures will help celebrate MPP’s remarkable passage of improved marijuana laws in 15 states in 15 years

CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP assistant director of communications …… 202-905-2030 or [email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Marijuana Policy Project, America’s largest marijuana policy reform organization, will look back on 15 productive years of improving marijuana laws at a January 13 gala that will feature guest speakers such as talk show host Montel Williams. The star-studded host committee includes Melissa Etheridge, Tom Robbins, Bill Maher, Ben Taylor, Steve Buscemi, Susan Sarandon, Lewis Black, Nicole Atkins, Margaret Cho, Mark Leno, Hal Sparks, Ani DiFranco, Garry Trudeau, and Medeski, Martin and Wood, along with many other prominent supporters.     

         When MPP was founded in 1995, medical marijuana was illegal in all 50 states.  Since then, 13 states have passed medical marijuana laws, with Michigan becoming the 13th state in November 2008, when Michigan voters passed MPP's ballot initiative by a 63% to 37% margin.  By the end of 2010, MPP is hopeful that medical marijuana will be legal in 15 states (with passage in New York and New Jersey).

         At the same time, marijuana possession is now decriminalized in 13 states, with Massachusetts becoming the 13th state in November 2008, when Massachusetts voters passed MPP's ballot initiative by a 65% to 35% margin.  In 2010, MPP is hopeful that marijuana will be decriminalized in 15 states (with Rhode Island and Vermont becoming the 14th and 15th states).

         WHAT: The Marijuana Policy Project’s 15th Anniversary Celebration

         WHEN: January 13, 2010. Press Availability from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m.

                        Reception from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Dinner from 7:30 to 11:00 p.m.

         WHERE: Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW, 20001

         Tickets cost $250 each, or $2,000 for a table.

         With more than 29,000 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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Help put medical marijuana on the ballot in Arizona

Dear friends:

We’re getting close.

In Arizona, an MPP-sponsored signature drive to place a medical marijuana initiative on the ballot in November 2010 is moving into the home stretch. If the campaign collects more than 250,000 signatures before the end of February, the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project could qualify for the ballot earlier in the election year than any other initiative in Arizona’s history.

As of now, the campaign has collected more than 175,000 signatures, almost three-quarters of the way towards our goal. But it costs about $2 to collect each signature, so we need help to get the rest of the way there.

Can you help us finish the job by making a contribution to the campaign today? Every $20 contribution gets us 10 signatures closer to our goal.

A recent poll showed that 65% of Arizonans support the proposed initiative, so once the measure qualifies for the ballot, it will very likely pass. This means that by supporting this signature drive, you can directly help protect seriously and terminally ill patients in Arizona from arrest and jail. The initiative, which would allow for a system of state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in the state, could also serve as a model for other states considering medical marijuana laws.

I know you agree that patients should never be sent to jail just for following their doctors’ advice. With a contribution today, you can help make sure medical marijuana patients in Arizona don’t have to fear this fate.

Thanks in advance for your support. And whether or not you are able to make a contribution today, please forward this e-mail to anyone who might be interested in this campaign.

Thank you,

Rob's signature

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 $2.35 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2009. This means that your donation today will be doubled.

You're invited: Celebrate 15 years of MPP history with us

Dear friends:

Please join MPP staff, supporters, and celebrity guests in toasting 15 years of remarkable progress in the movement toward ending marijuana prohibition. Reserve your ticket to our 15th Anniversary Gala today.

WHAT: MPP’s 15th Anniversary Gala

WHEN/WHERE: January 13 in Washington, D.C.

HOW: Find more information here.

The event’s theme? 15 states in 15 years. When MPP was founded in 1995, medical marijuana was illegal in all 50 states. Since then, 13 states have legalized medical marijuana and 13 have decriminalized marijuana possession. By the end of MPP’s 15th year in 2010, we’re hopeful that medical marijuana will be legal in 15 states, and that marijuana possession will be decriminalized in 15 states.

Our honorary host committee for the event includes Melissa Etheridge, Susan Sarandon, Montel Williams, Ani DiFranco, Bill Maher, Steve Buscemi, Tom Robbins, and more.

Still not sure? Watch this video invitation, created by honorary host Hal Sparks:

Please reverse your tickets today! 

By the way, if you’d like to join the host committee for the event, please e-mail MPP’s Leah Harris at [email protected] for more information.

I look forward to seeing you on January 13.

Sincerely,

Rob Signature

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 $2.35 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2009. This means that your donation today will be doubled.

Great, FREE event and reason to celebrate

Sensible News header

Sensible Colorado - working for an effective drug policy

 

Make your town a Sensible town!


Help Colorado Lead the Nation

 

 

11/16 Event:  Moving Marijuana Reform Forward in Colorado

 

Please join Sensible Colorado, SAFER, and the Marijuana Policy Project on Monday, Nov. 16th, for a Thanksgiving Celebration to commemorate how far marijuana policy reform has come in Colorado, and to find out where it is headed as we move forward into the new year.

This event is FREE and open to the public!

Our featured guest speaker will be Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), a leading marijuana policy reform organization based in Washington, DC. Rob will discuss the direction medical marijuana and broader marijuana policy reform efforts are headed at the national level.

Mason Tvert of SAFER and Brian Vicente of Sensible Colorado will also be on hand to discuss recent success in Breckenridge and other efforts forthcoming in Colorado and beyond.

This free event will be held at the Gilmore Art Center, an art gallery in the Mile High Framing building at 2119 Curtis St. in Denver. Light food and drinks will be served, and recommended attire is casual to business-casual.

 

When:       Nov 16, 2009
Time:         6:00 PM
Location:   Gilmore Art Center @ Mile High Framing (2119 Curtis St., Denver, 80205.)  Map HERE

 

 

Although this event is FREE, we hope you will consider bringing your checkbook and making an end-of-the-year donation. All proceeds will benefit Sensible Colorado's and SAFER's work to defend the progress that's already been made in Colorado and take reform in this state to the next level.

Sensible Colorado | PO Box 18768 | Denver CO 80218

Victories in Maine and Colorado tonight

Dear friends:

Great news! Two marijuana-related ballot initiatives, one in Maine and one in a ski town in Colorado, won in voting booths on Tuesday.

By 59%-41%, Maine voted to become the third state to license nonprofit dispensaries to provide medical marijuana to qualified patients.

And by an overwhelming 73%-27%, Breckenridge, Colorado voted to allow adults over the age of 21 to possess up to an ounce of marijuana. The Breckenridge initiative was spearheaded by MPP grant recipient Sensible Colorado.

Maine's new law is enormously important. While 13 states permit medical marijuana use, until now only Rhode Island and New Mexico have had laws allowing dispensaries, both of which were adopted by the states’ legislatures. Patients in the other states have had to grow their own marijuana, find someone to procure it for them, or buy it from the criminal market.

Tonight's vote is a dramatic step forward, the first time that any state’s voters have authorized the state government to license medical marijuana dispensaries. Coming a decade after passage of Maine’s original marijuana law in 1999, this is a huge sign that voters are comfortable with these laws, and also a sign that the recent change of policy from the Obama administration is having a major impact.

The new Maine law also expands the number of conditions that make a patient eligible for medical marijuana use and protects patients from discrimination in employment, housing, education, and child custody.

A coalition of activists and marijuana policy reform organizations are responsible for this victory: MPP got the momentum going by drafting the initiative and providing start-up funding to Maine Citizens for Patients' Rights, and the Drug Policy Alliance provided assistance to help complete the signature drive.

If you support initiatives like this, would you please consider automatically donating $5 or more on your credit card each month to help us pass more laws like these?

We have momentum on our side, so now is the time to push even harder for change. Please consider helping us rack up more victories like these.
 
Thank you,

Rob Signature

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 $2.35 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2009. This means that your donation today will be doubled.

Medical Marijuana Victory

You Can Make a Difference

 

Dear friends,

Today we have something huge to celebrate.

All your calls and letters to the White House this year have paid off: The Obama administration just announced that it's directing federal drug agents not to arrest or harass medical marijuana patients who comply with state laws.

Your determination to hold the administration accountable turned campaign promises into official policy. Congratulations! Donate now to turn this momentum into more medical marijuana victories.

The next step is to protect patients by making sure that states with medical marijuana laws also provide safe and legal ways for people to obtain their medicine.

We have a perfect chance to do that in Maine on Election Day. An initiative on the state's November ballot would create a legal, regulated distribution system for medical marijuana. 

We can reach 35,000 Mainers who support the initiative to make sure they cast their vote, but we need your help to do it. Will you make a donation to help us call Maine voters?

Raising $10,000 in the next week will allow us to conduct the outreach that could make the difference on Election Day. 

A victory will not only protect patients in Maine, but build momentum for medical marijuana efforts around the country. Please donate now and help us reach our $10,000 goal.

Sincerely,

Bill Piper
Director, Office of National Affairs 
Drug Policy Alliance Network

Urgent Message from LEAP

Dear friends, The contrast is unbelievable. On one hand, we are accelerating our impact: We are close to receiving endorsements from police unions at home and in Europe, I am testifying before the Danish Parliament and the Brazilian Commission on Drugs and Democracy, we enjoyed recent coverage on CNN… And in a New York Times.com article, Misha Glenny acknowledged that LEAP is the "most effective" drug reform organization in America. We are gaining strength, making a difference and will not be denied. On the other hand, our growing success has come at a time when many major donors have been forced to cut back. We face a short term financial crisis. We are in the final stages of hiring a development director, but can't wait until s/he is on board to raise the funds that sustain LEAP's day-to-day operation. We need your help right now so we can continue playing the role in drug reform that only we can play. I am making a one-time appeal for your help to bridge a gap that threatens our continuing success in overthrowing the prohibition. You know how powerful our impact is. When we talk about not tinkering at the edges of reform but making meaningful changes in national policy, we can't be dismissed or marginalized. Please, make a generous, one-time donation to LEAP as soon as you can. You can use any credit card through our website, www.leap.cc or write us a check to the address below/above. I spent a quarter of a century as a warrior in this destructive war, and now, along with my fellow officers, we can bring an end to the madness of drug prohibition. But the LEAP support system is dangerously low on funds, and that is where you take the lead. You have the power to keep LEAP speakers in front of influential audiences, in person, through the media and on our website which had over a million visitors last year. Without your immediate help, our influence will diminish and the forces of prohibition will be strengthened. Please don't let that happen. Your tax-deductible contribution is your weapon. Please use it with conviction. And thank you so much for your past and present support. Jack A. Cole Executive Director

Marijuana Reform is Happening

You Can Make a Difference

 

Dear friends,

We're going into battle and we need your help. Congress has returned from August recess, and we're gearing up for our push to dismantle the war on drugs. That's why we need your help right now -- can you help us raise $12,000 to end the war on drugs?

Polls show that a substantial majority of Americans in almost every state want to stop arresting people for possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. And a majority of voters in some states want to make marijuana legal like alcohol. Now is the time to increase pressure on elected officials.

Can you give $25 or more to help us stop the ill-conceived war on marijuana?

With your contribution, we can meet with dozens of members of Congress to build support for Representative Frank's bill to decriminalize marijuana. We can also build support for legislation in California to make marijuana legal like alcohol. And we can expand our media operations so we continue getting positive marijuana stories in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and other influential outlets. 

Can we count on you to help us lobby Congress for marijuana reform? The American public is finally becoming aware of the futility of the war on drugs, and if we stand together we can bring it to an end.

Sincerely,

Bill Piper
Director, Office of National Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance Network

 

Are these ads too hot for TV?

[Courtesy of MPP] 

Dear friends:

Do you think these ads are too hot for TV? New York City's ABC, Fox, and CBS affiliates do — they've rejected them.

NY ad - Joel  

These stations have no problem airing lewd and violent commercials selling products like video games and reality shows, but they're rejecting ads asking the New York Legislature to allow seriously ill patients to use medical marijuana (something that 76% of New Yorkers support). What's wrong here?

We have a real shot at making New York the 14th medical marijuana state and the third to have state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. But before the legislature returns for a special session, they need to hear our message.

Don't let big media bureaucrats stand in the way of justice and compassion. Please join me in ensuring that as many New Yorkers as possible view these compelling ads by donating to the ad buy today.

Fortunately, many other stations have approved the ads. Let's show ABC, FOX, and CBS that their rejections have simply inspired supporters nationwide to light up the rest of the airwaves with these ads.

The ads are starting to air today, and any money you generously donate in response to this message will go straight into the purchase of more airtime. I invite you to give what you can today — $10, $25, $50, or more — to spread these ads across the airwaves.

The last time TV stations rejected one of our ads, it turned into a massive national news story. The same could happen this time with these ads.  By donating to the ad campaign today, you can be part of making a big media splash that puts voters face-to-face with the patients they have the chance to protect from arrest, while at the same time exposing the outrageous hypocrisy shown by some stations in rejecting the ads.

If you donate in response to this message, I'll make sure to send you a personal message in a few weeks to show you exactly how your investment in this special project paid off.

Thank you for considering this timely request.

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 $2.35 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2009. This means that your donation today will be doubled.

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