N.Y.: Identical Medical Marijuana Bills Introduced in Assembly & Senate.

April 28, 2009.

Dear fellow American:

Last Tuesday, April 21, Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard Gottfried and Senate Health Committee Chair Tom Duane joined MPP's lobbyist Vince Marrone and two patients for a very successful press conference on the introduction of their identical medical marijuana bills, A. 7542 and S. 4041-A, in Albany. The press conference generated lots of positive media coverage across New York State.

The media is paying attention to this important issue. Now, patients need your help to make sure that state senators hear how much their constituents care about protecting patients.

Please call to urge your state senator to support Sen. Duane's bill. Then ask your friends and family to do the same. Don't forget to fill out the feedback form so you can let us know about your senator's response. While the Assembly has passed similar bills the past two years, the Senate has never had a floor vote on an effective medical marijuana bill. Every senator's vote is key and your feedback will help us determine where to focus our efforts.

At the press conference, two patients — Joel Peacock, a Buffalo chronic pain patient and Conservative party member, and Joe Gamble, a Syracuse-area Army veteran and former commercial pilot who suffers from multiple sclerosis — had the opportunity to share their stories with the media. Joel explained, "As a registered Conservative Party member, I believe in strong conservative values like compassion for the sick and dying. Seriously ill people have enough hardship — they shouldn't be arrested for easing their suffering." Later this week, the Syracuse Post-Standard published Joe's opinion piece.

Please call your state senator today. Then ask your friends and family to do the same. Also, if you are a patient, a loved one, a medical professional, or a member of law enforcement or clergy who might be interested in speaking out please contact us at state@mpp.org to see how you can be of special help in passing this legislation. Please include your nine-digit zip code so we can identify your legislators, and please share your connection with medical marijuana.

The twin bills have a real chance of becoming law this year, but in order for that to happen it is crucial that senators realize this is an issue their constituents support. Today, the Assembly bill is already scheduled for its first committee vote of the year, and it has 49 co-sponsors. The Senate bill has 14 co-sponsors.

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. With your help, this can be the year that New York stops the cruel and senseless policy of arresting the seriously ill.

Sincerely,

Noah Mamber
Legislative Analyst
Marijuana Policy Project

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

MPP Update: Ushering in a NEW Era.

March 24, 2009.

Dear fellow Americans:

We're in a new era! Last week, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the federal government will now defer to state governments on medical marijuana — a 180-degree reversal of the Bush administration's anti-democratic policies.

The impact was immediate. On the day of Holder's announcement, New Mexico announced that it had issued the first license that any state government has ever issued to a medical marijuana producer in any state. That first nonprofit provider will be able to grow and sell medical marijuana to card-carrying patients without being harassed or raided by local, state, or federal law enforcement officials.

Additionally:

• Rhode Island is poised to expand its existing medical marijuana law to allow for three nonprofits to dispense medical marijuana to registered patients.
• This November, Maine voters will consider a ballot initiative similar to what Rhode Island envisions. MPP's polling shows the initiative is supported by 66% of likely voters.
• The Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota legislatures are debating bills to create new medical marijuana laws that allow for licensed dispensing from day one.
• In Arizona, MPP's campaign committee will be placing a similar proposal on the statewide ballot in November 2010. That initiative is supported by 65% of likely voters.
• In California, medical marijuana is dispensed at approximately 400 collectives that are generating approximately $100 million annually in state tax revenues. They operate under a state law that allows their activity but doesn't provide for state licensing. With federal policy improved and clarified, we expect the California Legislature to pass legislation similar to our Arizona proposal.

To fully appreciate the changes we're seeing, compare the Obama administration's policy to the Bush administration's policy. In the fall of 2001, after executing the first of what would be dozens of medical marijuana dispensary raids over eight years, a spokesperson for Bush's Justice Department said, "The recent enforcement is indicative that we have not lost our priorities in other areas since September 11. The attorney general and the administration have been very clear: we will be aggressive."

As the World Trade Center was still literally smoldering and our country was about to launch two foreign wars, the Bush administration was crowing about how it was arresting medical marijuana patients. That policy was not only cruel, but stupid. Good riddance.

Now that the Obama administration has taken the Drug Enforcement Administration out of the business of busting pharmacy-like establishments, MPP will be lobbying the federal government to also do the following:

• Congress should remove the federal ban on the District of Columbia enacting a local medical marijuana law. In November 1998, 69% of D.C. voters passed a medical marijuana ballot initiative, but every year since then Congress has attached a rider to its D.C. spending bill that prevents this law from taking effect. Even former Republican Congressman Bob Barr, the author of the federal ban, now supports lifting it — and has lobbied on MPP's behalf to do exactly that.
• The DEA should stop preventing the University of Massachusetts from growing medical marijuana for research purposes. A privately grown, regulated supply of marijuana is a prerequisite to getting marijuana approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a prescription medicine.
• The Obama administration should reopen the existing federal program that currently provides medical marijuana to only three patients nationwide but that was closed to new enrollment in 1992. This could be a huge boon to patients in states without medical marijuana laws.

As you can see, it's an exciting time, with some of the best possibilities for change that I've seen since I cofounded MPP 14 years ago. But we're 100% dependent on supporters like you to help us fund our lobbying efforts ... so would you please help us take advantage of this newly receptive political atmosphere by making the most generous donation you can afford today? I personally appreciate anything you can give to help our work.

Thank you,

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

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

MPP Update

March 13, 2009.

Dear fellow Americans,

MPP's communications staffers have been busier than ever in the last few months, as media interest in marijuana policy continues to rise, and I want to tell you about a few upcoming and recent TV appearances that might interest you.

• On Sunday night, I'll be appearing on an Al Roker special on marijuana, airing on MSNBC at 10 p.m. EST.
  
• Medical marijuana will be part of the focus of John Stossel's ABC special that airs tonight. He'll be examining the case of Charles Lynch, the former operator of a medical marijuana dispensary — operating legally under California state law — who was raided by federal law enforcement officials and convicted on federal drug charges. 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. MPP provided research assistance for the show, which airs tonight on ABC at 10 p.m. EST.
  
• On Wednesday night, MPP's Bruce Mirken appeared on "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC. You can watch his interview here.
  
• And last, Bruce will also appearing later this month on D.L. Hughley's show on CNN (tentatively scheduled for March 28).

Meanwhile, thanks to the generous support of our 26,000 dues-paying members, MPP is moving a slate of bills forward in states across the country:

• Minnesota's medical marijuana bill has a strong chance of passing into law this year. The Senate bill has already passed three committees, and the House bill now heads to what is expected to be its most difficult committee. We're in the final push now and hope to have exciting news to report from Minnesota within weeks.
  
• In Illinois last week, for the first time ever, a House committee approved an effective medical marijuana bill, and the bill is now on the House floor, where the next step is a vote by the full chamber.
  
• In Iowa, more than a dozen seriously ill patients and advocates and a doctor testified at a subcommittee hearing in favor of a medical marijuana bill, generating extensive news coverage. Although it is too late for the bill to receive a full committee vote, we'll continue to build support and momentum for next year.
  
• In New Hampshire on Monday, a neurosurgeon, seven patients, MPP's grassroots organizer, and MPP's lobbyist testified in favor of a medical marijuana bill. The House health committee is scheduled to vote on the bill next Wednesday.
  
• Rhode Island legislators, who in 2006 enacted MPP's model medical marijuana bill over the governor's veto, seem poised to improve access to medical marijuana. On March 4, doctors, patients, and representatives from the state medical society and nurses association testified in favor of allowing organized distribution through compassion centers. Not a single witness opposed the bills. Last year, the Senate passed a similar bill 30-6, and this year, 50 of the 75 House members are co-sponsoring the bill.
  
• MPP has been featured in local, statewide, national, and even international news discussing the bill to tax and regulate marijuana in California. Whatever the bill's fate is this year, it has started a long overdue conversation about the wisdom of marijuana prohibition.
  

Thank you,

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

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

MPP Update: MARIJUANA THE BIGGEST ISSUE.

Dear fellow Americans,

After MPP passed the medical marijuana ballot initiative in Michigan and the marijuana decriminalization ballot initiative in Massachusetts — both on November 4 — I thought the MPP staff might get a little downtime to regroup for the 2009-2010 election cycle. Not so.

In the last four months, the MPP staff and our allies have been working almost nonstop to respond to — and take advantage of — the many opportunities that have been presenting themselves across the country. I've never seen so much evidence of positive change in such a short amount of time ...

1. MARIJUANA THE BIGGEST ISSUE: Two huge surveys of citizen activists across the country — one on Change.gov on December 12, and one on Change.org on January 15 — showed that the number-one issue on people's minds is ending the government's war on marijuana users.

2. BONG HIT SEEN AROUND THE WORLD: On February 1, the world learned that Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps had used marijuana a few months before, demonstrating yet again that using marijuana is compatible with being wildly successful in our society. When Kellogg's dropped its endorsement contract with Phelps — and MPP and other organizations responded by calling for a boycott of Kellogg's — the public's perception of Kellogg's took a nose dive.

3. EL PASO RESPONDS TO MEXICAN VIOLENCE: Responding to the prohibition-caused violence just over the border in Mexico, on January 6 the El Paso City Council unanimously passed a resolution calling for "an honest, open national debate on ending the prohibition of narcotics," which drew the ire of some Texas politicians but also sparked a great deal of positive media coverage nationwide.

4. NATIONAL POLLING HIGHEST EVER: Between January 11 and February 14, three different national polls indicated that either 40%, 41%, or 44% of the American people now support ending marijuana prohibition. This is the highest level of support since marijuana was first prohibited in 1937, with support having risen by 1% a year since 1995.

5. REVOLT IN LATIN AMERICA: On February 12, a commission led by three former presidents from Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico released a long-awaited report that blasted the U.S. drug war and called for the decriminalization of marijuana.

6. ENDING THE DEA's RAIDS IN CALIFORNIA: On February 25, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the DEA would no longer be raiding medical marijuana clinics in California and the 12 other states where medical marijuana is legal.

7. MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILLS MOVING: MPP's medical marijuana bills are moving through the Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and New York Legislatures, and the Drug Policy Alliance's similar legislation is moving in New Jersey. We have a real chance of making medical marijuana legal in four of these six states this year and — in the meantime — it's very possible that Montana and Rhode Island will expand their existing medical marijuana laws, too.

8. BROADER MARIJUANA BILLS MOVING: California shook the nation when a bill to tax and regulate marijuana was introduced on February 23. And even before that happened, the Hawaii, Montana, Vermont, and Washington Legislatures had already begun considering bills to decriminalize marijuana.

9. MPP DOMINATING ON YOUTUBE: As of today, MPP's channel on YouTube.com is the 10th most subscribed of all nonprofit channels, and MPP's videos are consistently in the top 10 most-viewed of all nonprofit videos in any given week. (And our 65,000 friends on MySpace.com places MPP among the top 10 most popular nonprofit organizations there, too.)

10. ONGOING MEDIA EXPLOSION: According to the weekly reports we get from Google, MPP has been getting its message into the news in the last month at 10 times the volume of previous months. And four different national TV specials are tentatively scheduled to look at marijuana over just a two-month span: CNBC looked at the marijuana industry in northern California on January 22, NBC's "Dateline" covered the Rachel Hoffman tragedy in Florida on January 23, ABC's "20/20" with John Stossel will be looking at medical marijuana on March 13, and MSNBC with Al Roker will be looking at the multi-billion-dollar marijuana industry on March 15.

Thank you for anything and everything you've done to help bring all this attention and success to our movement.

Sincerely,

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

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

N.Y.: Ask your state senator to co-sponsor groundbreaking medical marijuana bill.

N.Y.: Ask your state senator to co-sponsor groundbreaking medical marijuana bill!

Dear New Yorker:

For the first time, "same as" (or identical) medical marijuana bills are being introduced by members of the majority party in both the Assembly, by Health Committee chair and longtime sponsor Asm. Richard Gottfried (D), and the Senate, by Health Committee chair Sen. Tom Duane (D). While the New York Assembly has passed medical marijuana legislation twice in the last two years, the bills died in the Senate. With new Senate leadership, this could finally be the year New York protects medical marijuana patients. Help us make sure this opportunity doesn't slip away.

Please call to urge your state senator to co-sponsor Sen. Duane's bill. Then, ask your friends and family to do the same. The bill will be introduced by the middle of next week, so don't delay!

If you are a patient with a serious medical condition, a physician, or a clergy member, please e-mail me at NMamber@mpp.org if you would be willing to speak out.

Numerous studies show that medical marijuana can be an effective treatment for patients with serious illnesses like cancer, multiple sclerosis, and AIDS. 76% of New Yorkers support allowing medical marijuana, as does the vast majority of the state's medical community. Yet, thousands of patients continue to suffer, living in fear of arrest, and sometimes facing prosecution and conviction. Others will not break state law and suffer needlessly because the medicine they know would work best is not allowed in their state. You can read and, in some cases, watch 17 New York patients' stories.

In this year of change, please call to urge your senator to join the growing national consensus and co-sponsor this legislation so that medical marijuana patients from Buffalo to Montauk can live their lives without fear of prison.

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. And please pass this on to friends and family in New York so that even more voices for compassion can be heard.

Sincerely,

Noah Mamber
Legislative Analyst
Marijuana Policy Project

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do! Live your values. Love your country. And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Beck & Kampia Discuss CA's "Going to Pot" on Fox News

February 26, 2009.

Dear Folks,

As you know, on Monday, a California state legislator introduced historic legislation that would end marijuana prohibition in California. The bill — authored by Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) — would eliminate criminal penalties for responsible marijuana use and set up a system to regulate and tax marijuana sales similarly to alcohol.

Last night, I appeared on "Glenn Beck" on the Fox News Channel to discuss the legislation (see above).

As the nation's largest state, California's serious consideration of ending marijuana prohibition is making huge waves. Within hours of the bill's introduction, it made national headlines and has since generated media coverage across the country, including the Associated Press, USA Today, Washington Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, MSNBC, CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News, and much more. MPP has already been featured in at least 20 TV, radio, and print stories about the bill. For instance, one of California's most respected political columnists, Dan Walters, opined in support of the bill in his Tuesday column, quoting MPP's Aaron Smith.

While the legislation isn't likely to become law this year, it's a strong signal that we're making tremendous strides. And California has a reputation for leading the way for other states. When I co-founded MPP in 1995, most people thought medical marijuana wasn't going to become legal anytime soon, but a year later California approved the nation's first medical marijuana law, and since then a dozen other states have followed suit.

MPP is the leading organization working on this and other efforts to end the government's war on marijuana users.

Sincerely,

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

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

New Jersey Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill.

February 24, 2009.

Dear fellow Americans:

Yesterday, the New Jersey Senate voted 22-16 in favor of S119, the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act.

Please take a moment now to thank your senator if he or she voted in favor of the bill. Our system will automatically determine if your senator voted correctly or not. However, it won't allow you to take action if your senator voted against the bill.

MPP would like to thank the Drug Policy Alliance for all the work they've done on the bill so far. We'd also like to thank all of the patients and medical professionals who have testified at hearings in support of medical marijuana. Your bravery is truly inspirational. And, of course, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to contact your state legislators. The Senate needed only 15 minutes of debate before passing this compassionate bill. This historic vote would not have happened without your help.

A companion bill, A804, is currently in the assembly health committee. This committee held informational hearings on the bill last May, but it has not called it for a vote yet. We will let you know more soon about how you can help influence the assembly.

If the assembly passes the legislation, Gov. Jon Corzine (D) has promised to sign it into law, which would make New Jersey the 14th state to enact a medical marijuana law.

Thank you for supporting MPP and our allies. With your help, we can make sure New Jersey's seriously ill patients have access to the medicine they need.

Sincerely,

Zane Hurst
Legislative Analyst
Marijuana Policy Project

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.