Voters in Oakland, California, will decide this month whether to create a new business tax aimed at the city's four medical marijuana dispensaries.

Talk about marijuana legalization is at a level never seen before this year, and nowhere is that more strongly the case than in California.

Dear Friends:

Yesterday, MPP's campaign committee, the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project (AMMPP), launched a signature drive to place a medical marijuana initiative on the ballot in Arizona.

The initiative would allow seriously ill patients who find relief from marijuana to use it with their doctors' approval, much like the laws in the other 13 medical marijuana states do. What's unique about the Arizona law is that it would permit qualifying patients or their caregivers to legally purchase marijuana from licensed dispensaries — so they wouldn't need to obtain it from the criminal market.

The importance of this can't be overstated. Although medical marijuana collectives exist in other states, state laws permitting them are a hodgepodge, leaving them largely unregulated and subject to legal challenges. In Arizona, our initiative would provide clear guidelines for state-regulated dispensaries, thus ensuring safe access for patients — meaning that Arizona would have the best medical marijuana law in the country.

But to get the initiative on the ballot, our campaign committee must collect 153,365 valid signatures from Arizona voters, which means about 250,000 gross signatures. We know from our past successful signature drives, like in Michigan, that it costs about $2 to collect every signature (because of the costs of paying canvassers, checking validity, and so forth), which means it will take $500,000 to fund this stage of the campaign.

Can you help?

As you can see at the bottom of this message, a major philanthropist is willing to match your donation dollar-for-dollar, so AMMPP only needs you and other MPP members to donate a total of $250,000. Arizona patients and I are grateful for anything you can do to help.

The chances of this initiative winning are strong. According to a February 2009 poll, 65% of Arizona voters support removing criminal penalties for the medical use of marijuana. And we've contracted with the best political consultants in the Arizona, who are building coalitions with organizations in the state … have hired an experienced campaign manager on the ground in Phoenix … and have already garnered the support of state opinion leaders.

Will you be part of this exciting campaign and help protect another state's medical marijuana patients from arrest and jail?  By donating to our campaign committee here, you can ensure the initiative wins.

Thank you,

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.

In 2006, South Dakota became the only state to defeat an initiative legalizing the medicinal use of marijuana, with proponents coming close, but ultimately short, with 48% of the vote.

As of last Saturday, legal medical marijuana has arrived in the Midwest.

In a true grassroots effort, a group of Floridians organized as People United for Medical Marijuana (PUFMM) has begun an effort to put a

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An EMC Research poll commissioned by Oaksterdam University and conducted between March 16 and 21 has found that Calif

Dear friends:

Fresh off our winning ballot initiative campaigns in Michigan and Massachusetts, the Marijuana Policy Project has just launched a campaign to pass a statewide medical marijuana ballot initiative campaign in Arizona.

If passed in November 2010, the initiative would protect Arizona patients from arrest and jail for using marijuana with their doctors' recommendation. This would make Arizona the 14th medical marijuana state (or possibly the 15th, 16th, or even 17th, depending on what successes we have between now and then).

We're feeling good about this campaign because in November we passed a similar initiative in Michigan with a whopping 63% of the vote — and we know we can do it again in Arizona.

But the first thing we need to do is get the initiative placed on the ballot. To do that, we must collect 153,365 valid signatures from Arizona voters, which means we need to collect about 250,000 gross signatures. We know from our past successful signature drives, like in Michigan, that it costs about $2 to collect every signature (because of the costs of paying canvassers, checking validity, and so forth), which means it will take $500,000 to fund this stage of the campaign.

Want to be part of this exciting campaign and help protect another state's medical marijuana patients from arrest and jail?  Please donate what you can here.

As you can see at the bottom of this message, a major philanthropist is willing to match your donation dollar-for-dollar, so we only need you and other MPP members to donate a total of $250,000. Arizona patients and I are grateful for anything you can do to help.

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.

Work is getting underway in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on getting an initiative making adult marijuana possession offenses the lowest law enforcement priority on the ballot, the

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Massachusetts cannabis connoisseurs will be able to enjoy a joint, a bowl of hashish, or even a few hits of hash oil without fear of arrest beginning today.

In the other feature article in this issue, we looked back at last year, examining the drug policy high and low

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
DECEMBER 10, 2008

Marijuana Penalty Reform to Begin Jan. 2Election Day Ballot Initiative to End Criminal Penalties for Small Marijuana Possession Was Supported by 65 Percent of Mass. Voters

CONTACT: Dan Bernath, MPP assistant director of communications, 202-462-5747 ext 2030

BOSTON — The Massachusetts voter initiative to replace criminal penalties for possession of an ounce or less of marijuana with a simple fine was officially certified Dec. 3, clearing the way to implement the new system by Jan. 2.

    Question 2, passed by 65 percent of Bay Staters, removes the threat of arrest for personal possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana, which included up to a $500 fine and six months in jail. After Election Day, Gov. Deval Patrick and leaders in the state Legislature announced their commitment to implementing Question 2.

    "The people have spoken and the election is certified. The campaign is over, and now it is time to implement the will of the voters," said Whitney A. Taylor, campaign manager for the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, which backed the initiative. "Possession of small amounts of marijuana is now a civil offense and not in the purview of the district attorneys."

    Under Question 2, persons caught possessing less than an ounce of marijuana will have the drug confiscated and be given a $100 citation. This process will be handled by the clerk magistrate system like any civil penalty in the commonwealth. Minors caught possessing marijuana will also have to complete community service and a drug awareness course, which will be authorized by the Department of Youth Services.

    "Claims by some that Question 2 will be difficult to implement are simply not true. As long as public and elected officials remain true to the will of the voters, Question 2 will be a success," Taylor said. "Eleven other states have implemented this law with no difficulty, and we are confident that Massachusetts can implement this sensible policy successfully as well."

    The Secretary of Public Safety’s office will spearhead implementation of Question 2. Proponents of the initiative said they are working diligently to support the secretary and his staff to ensure a smooth transition to the new system, which was designed to fit easily into current civil offense procedures.

    Under the old law, an arrest for even a single marijuana cigarette used to generate a Criminal Offender Record Information report (CORI), bringing lifelong punishment to 7,500 offenders a year. These often-unintended punishments included losing access to student loans and creating barriers to employment, housing and other basic needs. In addition, under the old system, Massachusetts taxpayers spent $29.5 million a year on arrest, booking and preliminary court costs for these small marijuana offenders.

    With more than 25,000 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 www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.

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Voters in Switzerland Sunday gave overwhelming approval to a proposal to make the country's pioneering heroin prescription program legal, but at the same time rejected an initiative that would have

Voters in Massachusetts have overwhelmingly voted to stop small-time marijuana arrests, but the law-enforcement community doesn’t understand what that means:

BOSTON - Amid confusion among police and prosecutors, a voter-approved law to decriminalize the possession of marijuana goes into effect on Jan. 2, according to a spokeswoman for the state attorney general.
…
Agawam Police Chief Robert D. Campbell said there is a tremendous amount of confusion about the law.
…
"Somebody has to come up with a mechanism," the chief said.

Geline W. Williams, executive director of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association, said there are some "very, very significant" problems with putting the law into effect. [The Republican]

Fortunately, an apparent super-genius named Terence J. Franklin has come up with a theory:

Amherst Town Meeting member Terence J. Franklin, who supports Question 2, said the new law should be easy to put in place.

"Why not just leave people alone?" Franklin added. "What's the big deal? That will solve all the worries."

Now that’s what I’m talking about. Maybe we should let this guy write the ballot language from now on.

Seriously though, it’s understandable that police are entering into some new territory here. Still, there’s no question what the voters have in mind. Most people don’t think possessing marijuana should get you arrested and charged with a crime. There may be some details to iron out, but it’s really pretty silly to act like this is gonna turn the criminal justice system upside down. To even argue that is basically to admit that marijuana enforcement rules your world.

Opponents of Question 2 campaigned tirelessly to convince voters that marijuana enforcement was a low priority and that penalties were lenient. If there was even a shred of truth to any of that, then implementing decrim should be simple.

This month's national elections are over, but marijuana reformers in Colorado are taking no breaks.

Jim Carnell of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association has come completely unhinged in the aftermath of the decisive victory for marijuana decrim in Massachusetts. Just listen to him trashing Massachusetts voters in The Boston Herald:

Many starry-eyed nitwits wearing rose-colored glasses, who obviously comprise the majority of our electorate, fell hook, line and sinker for this.

Sir, you work for these people. If you hate the community, then quit your job as a public servant. Seriously, it is not everyday that one sees police in the newspaper just talking shit about everybody. It’s ugly and inappropriate, but perfectly illustrative of the enemy mentality our marijuana laws have nurtured between police and almost everyone else.

Carnell goes on to claim that the new law effectively legalizes smoking pot in the streets, because the rules of search and seizure will be turned on their head (and everyone knows police would never circumvent those rules). And he concludes by urging the people of Massachusetts to choke on the miserable smoldering hell they’ve built for themselves.

The great irony of all this is that, while Jim Carnell insists that it’s now legal to smoke marijuana in the streets of Massachusetts, he sounds more than a little inclined to punch you in the face if he sees you doing it.

The Marijuana Policy Project is seeking a Campaign Manager for MPP's Arizona ballot initiative campaign to legalize the possession and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana for patients who have a doctor's recommendation.

The overarching goal of the Campaign Manager is to successfully implement the campaign strategy from the campaign’s inception through Election Day and ensure that every possible measure is taken to win the campaign. All aspects of the campaign will be overseen by MPP’s Director of State Campaigns, with the Campaign Manager playing a key supporting role to the Director of State Campaigns and the campaign consultants. This position is based in Arizona and runs through November 2010. The Campaign Manager’s salary is $50,000 to $60,000, plus full health insurance and a modest retirement plan.
[Courtesy of MPP]

Qualifications include a minimum of two years of statewide campaign experience in a senior management position, though five or more years are preferred. The ideal candidate will be a goal-oriented, fastidious, hands-on manager. The Campaign Manager must be hardworking, get along well with people, and have excellent communication and management skills. Applicants who have ties to the Arizona political community will be given priority, although such ties are not a requirement.

Responsibilities include overseeing and successfully completing the signature drive to place the initiative on the November 2010 statewide ballot; managing all day-to-day campaign operations; acting as first point of contact for the general public and the local activist community; ensuring that the local activist community is happy and engaged; identifying, training, and successfully managing and utilizing regional volunteer spokespeople; overseeing the distribution of all written campaign materials, such as campaign literature, Web site updates, etc.; working closely with MPP’s State Campaigns office in Las Vegas to ensure that the campaign complies with all applicable campaign laws and successfully files all campaign finance reports; working closely with the campaign’s in-state consultants; conducting fundraising meetings with potentially major donors; assisting in-state, paid consultants with coalition-building efforts as requested, resulting in a substantial number of community leaders and organizations publicly backing the campaign; and assisting the consultants with media operations, as requested.

To apply, please see http://www.mpp.org/jobs/process.html and follow the instructions there. Interviews are being conducted on a rolling basis, so interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Barack Obama wasn't the only big winner in Tuesday elections; marijuana polled just as well, if not better.

Tough on crime can still trump smart on crime, if Tuesday's elections results on sentencing initiatives in two of the nation's most progressive states are any indication.

Election 2008

Dear friends,

Maybe you’re delighted by yesterday's election results; maybe you’re disappointed. Either way, you hold the key to overturning our country’s punitive drug policies. Part of what makes the Drug Policy Alliance special is the fact that our members span the political spectrum and sometimes agree on nothing more than a shared commitment to ending the disastrous drug war.

While President-elect Obama is not going to make ending the drug war his #1 priority, he has said that America should start treating drug use as a health issue instead of a criminal justice issue. He supports repealing the federal syringe ban and ending the DEA's raids on medical marijuana patients. He is also co-sponsor of Senator Biden's bill to eliminate the 100-to-1 crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity.
 
Moreover, many Democrats in leadership positions in Congress support drug policy reform, ranging from Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Representative Dana Rohrabacher.

In the months ahead, President-elect Obama will choose a new Drug Czar for our nation, and members of Congress will put together legislation to overhaul his agency. We have an opportunity to re-shape drug policy for a generation.

My enthusiasm is tempered, though, by the defeat of Proposition 5 in California.  We knew from early polling that a substantial majority of Californians favored this major reform of the state's prisons and drug sentencing policies. But a sordid coalition of the prison guards' union, the beer distributors' association, gambling interests, fanatical anti-drug groups and craven politicians raised $3.5 million in the last few weeks of the campaign to run deceitful TV ads across the state. Ultimately we could not compete with their lies and scare tactics.

But I know from experience that there’s opportunity to be found in every defeat.  We built new coalitions and found new allies, injected new perspectives into the public debate, and increased our stature and ability to shape future policies.  We also won respect throughout the state and the nation for taking on the Goliath of the prison-industrial complex.

I feel energized like never before, and so do my colleagues at the Drug Policy Alliance and our many allies in the growing movement to end the drug war. I hope you do, too.

Ethan Nadelmann
Executive Director
Drug Policy Alliance