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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                 

MAY 28, 2010

Mayor Rybak, Let’s Be Honest About Marijuana

Marijuana’s Prohibition—and the Elected Officials Who Support It—Is to Blame For Fueling Gang Violence, Not Marijuana’s Consumers

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

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA —Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has recently taken to Minnesota’s airwaves in a misguided attempt to blame violence at the hands of criminal gangs on consumers of marijuana. “When you pay for marijuana, you are paying for the bullet that goes into the head of someone on the streets,” he told the Star Tribune, in one instance. But the mayor’s logic is tragically flawed. By trying to blame violence entirely on marijuana’s consumers, Mayor Rybak is conveniently ignoring the central role in gang violence played by marijuana prohibition and the politicians who support it.

         “The only reason criminals make their money from marijuana is because our current policies allow them to,” said Steve Fox, director of state campaigns for the Marijuana Policy Project. “Like alcohol prohibition in the last century, marijuana prohibition has helped to fuel violent crime in Minnesota and across the country. Mayor Rybak is out of touch with reality if he does not recognize that prohibition—and any elected official who supports it—is to blame for giving criminals a virtual monopoly on marijuana’s lucrative trade. It is unrealistic to assume we can somehow magically remove the demand for marijuana. The only true solution is to regulate marijuana, and bring its sale under the rule of law, the same way we ended the criminal violence that stemmed from alcohol prohibition.”

         Even Mayor Rybak’s own deputy police chief, Rob Allen, stated that violence in the marijuana trade is caused by its prohibition. “It is illegal to distribute marijuana, so the people distributing marijuana are criminal syndicates that are engaged in very violent activity to protect their turf,” Allen told station KARE 11. 

         In a recent statement about this topic on a CityPages comment thread, Mayor Rybak wrote that “it’s time we finally got honest with each other.”

         The Marijuana Policy Project couldn’t agree more. “If the mayor wants to end violence associated with marijuana, he too needs to be honest, and join the growing ranks of those calling for an end to prohibition and the failed policies that drive money into the hands of criminals, and yes, bullets into people’s heads,” Fox said.   

         With more than 124,000 members and supporters 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.mpp.org.

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Dear friends,

After an exhaustive three-month search, I'm thrilled to announce that Aaron Houston will be SSDP's next executive director.  Aaron has worked for the Marijuana Policy Project for the past seven years, serving as their national field director and director of government relations. He led the way to numerous victories, including the Department of Justice's memo on medical marijuana last year.  His notoriety in DC can be measured by his many television appearances, including a universally coveted guest spot on The Colbert Report.

In addition to his work in drug policy, Aaron has experience in student organizing, serving as the executive director for the Colorado Student Association in Denver.  Next week Aaron begins what we hope will be the longest ED tenure in SSDP history.

It's thanks to SSDP's explosive growth over the past years and its many local successes that a veteran like Aaron has decided to take the helm.  But despite our growth in numbers, our budget has remained relatively unchanged.

We can't take SSDP to the next level without your help.

Ensure SSDP's continued growth and efficacy by making a donation online RIGHT NOW!

Sincerely, 

Matthew Palevsky

Acting Executive Director

Students for Sensible Drug Policy 

http://www.ssdp.org/donate