Victory! Congress lifts ban on Washington, D.C.'s medical marijuana law

Dear friends:

The great news just keeps coming in.

Minutes ago, Congress voted to finally lift the 11-year ban on Washington, D.C.’s medical marijuana law.

The House voted 221-202 and the Senate voted 57-35 to approve the measure.

For the last 11 years, under a provision known as the Barr amendment, Congress has prevented Washington, D.C. from implementing the medical marijuana law passed by 69% of voters in 1998.

Repealing this amendment has been a primary focus of MPP's federal lobbying efforts for many years. In 2007, we even hired former Congressman Bob Barr (R-Ga.) — the original author of the amendment — to lobby to overturn it. And our lobbyists have worked directly with members of the House and Senate and their staff since 2006 to eliminate this democracy-unfriendly law.

In fact, senior appropriators in Congress sought out MPP staff to work through specifics and to help better understand D.C.'s medical marijuana law and the complicated legal maneuverings that led to the blocking of its implementation.  

MPP would like to thank Congressmen Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.), Dave Obey (D-Wis.), Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) for their strong and abiding support of allowing D.C. to implement its medical marijuana law.

I also want to thank MPP's 29,000 dues-paying members, whose support helped to make this win possible. If you'd like to see more of these kinds of successes, I hope you'll donate to MPP's federal lobbying efforts. We're turning supporters' donations into results, and we can't do it without you.

Today's vote represents a victory not just for medical marijuana patients, but for all Americans, who have the right to determine their own policies without federal meddling. We'll be celebrating this victory in D.C. at our anniversary gala on January 13, and I hope you'll join us.

Sincerely,

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

P.S. Time is running out on our matching campaign! A major philanthropist has committed to match the first $2.35 million that MPP can raise in 2009. Make twice the impact and donate today.