The Oakland-based activists behind the Tax and Regulate Cannabis 2010 California marijuana legalization initiative Thursday handed in more th

A pair of marijuana reform bills before the Washington state legislature were voted down by a House committee Wednesday.

In 2006, voters in South Dakota become the first -- and the only -- in the nation to reject a state initiative legalizing medical marijuana, defeating it by a margin of 52% to 48%.

If early signature-gathering results are any indication, Oregon residents will be voting in November on an initiative that would authorize the establishment of a medical marijuana dispensary system

If San Francisco City Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi has his way, voters there will go to the polls in June to decide whether the city should tax and regulate marijuana growing and distribution.

It's been a busy week for marijuana in Washington state.

Organizers of an initiative that would tax and regulate marijuana in Nevada filed it with the secretary of state's office in Carson City Wednesday.

Dave Schwartz, the campaign manager for Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws, will discuss the details of a 2012 ballot initiative to establish a taxed and regulated marijuana market for adults 21 yea

MEDIA ADVISORY                                                                                                                                               

January 4, 2010

Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws to Unveil 2012 Ballot Initiative to Tax and Regulate Marijuana in Nevada on Wednesday

Press conference on steps of State Capitol building will discuss the most far-reaching proposal in history to regulate marijuana

CONTACT: Dave Schwartz, NSML Campaign Manager ……………702-727-1081 or dschwartz@mpp.org

CARSON CITY, NEVADA — On Wednesday, Jan. 6, on the steps of the Nevada State Capitol building in Carson City, Dave Schwartz, the campaign manager for Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws, will discuss the details of a 2012 ballot initiative to establish a taxed and regulated marijuana market for adults 21 years of age and older in the state of Nevada. The press conference will occur immediately after Schwartz submits the initiative petition to the Secretary of State. Submission to the Secretary of State is a prerequisite to circulating the petition throughout the state.  The campaign will need to collect 97.002 signatures by November 2010 in order to qualify for the November 2012 ballot. Schwartz will also unveil the campaign’s Web site, which will serve as a key educational and organizing tool over coming years.

         “We are excited to be launching this historic campaign,” Schwartz said prior to the press conference. “We have literally spent months drafting this initiative and believe it is the best marijuana-related initiative ever proposed. We are fully confident that we will qualify for the ballot and will garner majority support in 2012.  As we embark on our signature drive, we are determined to use every interaction with Nevada residents to educate them about one simple fact: Marijuana, by every objective measure, is a safer substance than alcohol. We will encourage voters to consider this fact and decide for themselves whether it makes sense to allow adults to use alcohol freely, but punish them if they choose to use a less harmful substance, marijuana.”   

         WHO: Dave Schwartz, campaign manager, Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws

         WHAT: Press conference to discuss NSML’s 2012 ballot initiative      

         WHERE: The steps of the Nevada State Capitol, 101 N. Carson Street, Carson City, NV

         WHEN: Wednesday, January 6, at 1:00 p.m.

Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws is a ballot advocacy group formed in Nevada to support a 2012 ballot initiative to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol in the state.

As 2009 prepares to become history, we look back at the past year's domestic drug policy developments.

Eleven years after District of Columbia voters approved a medical marijuana initiative with 69% of the vote, Congress has finally stepped aside and will allow DC to implement the will of the people

For the first time, a national public opinion poll has reported majority support for marijuana legalization.

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                                                                                   

DECEMBER 9, 2009

MPP of Nevada Announces Formation of Ballot Advocacy Group – Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws

Following unsuccessful ballot initiatives to tax and regulate marijuana in 2002 and 2006, group prepares for victory in November 2012

CONTACT: Dave Schwartz, MPP-NV Manager……………………………………………702-727-1081

LAS VEGAS — Today, Dave Schwartz, manager of the Marijuana Policy Project of Nevada (MPP-NV), announced that he has filed documents with the Nevada Secretary of State establishing a Ballot Advocacy Group to support a ballot initiative to create a legal, regulated market for marijuana for persons 21 years of age or older.  The name of the committee is Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws, and it has been organized with the goal of conducting a successful signature drive in 2010 that will place an initiative on the ballot in November 2012.  The committee plans to file the language of the initiative with the state in January.

         “As a long-time resident of Nevada, I am excited to be a part of this campaign,” said Schwartz, who will serve as chairman of Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws.  “Over the next three years, we will be meeting with and talking to voters all across the state about the harms caused by our current marijuana laws.  We will talk about lost revenues, wasted law enforcement resources, and the fact that keeping marijuana illegal actually steers kids into an illicit market where they are exposed to far more dangerous drugs.  Most of all, we will ask Nevadans to think about how we are actually steering adults toward a far more harmful substance – alcohol – by threatening to punish them if they choose to use marijuana instead.  In so many ways, our current laws simply don’t make sense.  We need sensible marijuana laws, and that is what our initiative will produce.”

         MPP of Nevada is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating Nevadans about the true nature of marijuana and about the harms caused by marijuana prohibition in the state. For more information about MPP of Nevada, please visit http://www.mppnv.org. 

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MEDIA ADVISORY                                                                                                                                               

DECEMBER 7, 2009

MPP of Nevada to Make Major Announcement About Electoral Plans on Wednesday

Following ballot initiatives to tax and regulate marijuana in the state in 2002 and 2006, MPP prepares for next step in fight to make marijuana legal in Nevada

CONTACT: Dave Schwartz,  MPP-NV Manager……………………………………………702-727-1081

LAS VEGAS — On Wednesday, December 9, the Marijuana Policy Project of Nevada (MPP-NV) will make a major announcement about its intentions in the state in the coming years.  Dave Schwartz, manager of MPP-NV, will make the announcement at a press conference in front of the Clark County Government Center at 11:00 am. While the specific details of the organization’s plan will not be revealed until Wednesday, Schwartz has hinted that a ballot measure to tax and regulate may be in the stars.

“Residents of this great state know we have been pushing for more sensible marijuana laws in this state for some time now,” said Schwartz prior to the press conference. “We are excited to be launching the next step in this journey and look forward to working with supporters all across Nevada.  For too long, we have accepted laws that allow adults to use alcohol freely, but punish them if the choose to use a less harmful substance, marijuana.  Our marijuana laws simply don’t make sense and it is time to enact a new system.”

Who:     Dave Schwartz, manager, Marijuana Policy Project of Nevada

What:    Press conference to discuss organization’s future plans

When:   Wednesday, December 9 at 11:00 am.

Where:  Clark County Government Center, 500 South Grand Central Parkway

         MPP of Nevada is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating Nevadans about the true nature of marijuana and about the harms caused by marijuana prohibition in the state. For more information about MPP of Nevada, please visit http://www.mppnv.org. 

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The Tax and Regulate Cannabis 2010 initiative, sponsored by Oakland medical marijuana entrepreneur Richard Lee, has laid off its paid signatu

The Tax and Regulate Cannabis 2010 initiative, sponsored by Oakland medical marijuana entrepreneur Richard Lee, has laid off its paid signature gatherers, saying they already have sufficient signatures to qualify for the November 2010 ballot.

Lee told the Chronicle this afternoon that more than 650,000 signatures have been turned in, and that he expects an additional 50,000 or so to dribble in in the coming weeks. Precisely 433,971 valid signatures of registered California voters are required for an initiative to be approved for the ballot. That leaves Lee and the initiative a substantial cushion of about a quarter-million signatures to make up for any invalid signatures.

The campaign will wait to turn in signatures until January 15. If they were turned in this month, the initiative would appear on the June ballot, not the November ballot. Lee wants the initiative on the latter.

Lee's initiative, which would allow individuals up to 25 square feet to grow their own and would allow counties and municipalities to opt to tax and regulate marijuana sales on a local basis, is controversial. Some national figures believe it is premature and risks going down in flames at the polls, thus setting the movement back, while some California activists believe it does not go far enough and does not entice voters with potential revenues for the crisis-ridden state budget.

But it will be on the November 2010 ballot, provided the signatures are certified by election officials in February. It may not be the only legalization initiative on the ballot. At least two other signature-gathering campaigns for competing initiatives are under way.

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 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.

Residents of the Colorado ski town of Breckenridge overwhelmingly voted to legalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana Tuesday. The measure passed with 73% of the vote.

A poll released this week suggests backers of California marijuana legalization initiatives have their work cut out for them.

Voters in Maine Tuesday approved Question 5, the Maine Medical Marijuana Act, an initiative instru