Celebrities

Dear friends:

MPP's John Berry made this 30-second video about Michael Phelps and the hypocrisy surrounding the reaction to the photo of him smoking marijuana. Take a look, and please forward it to your friends.

And if you haven't already signed MPP's petition pledging to boycott Kellogg's products until the company changes its decision to drop Phelps as an endorser, please visit MPP's action center here and fill out the easy online form. You can also call Kellogg's at (800) 962-1413.

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.

Dear friends:

As you probably know, cereal giant Kellogg's has announced that it won't renew Olympic swim champion Michael Phelps' endorsement contract because he was photographed smoking marijuana.

If Phelps had been photographed hoisting a Budweiser, no one would have said a word. In fact, Phelps was arrested for drunk driving in 2004 — which could have resulted in someone being hurt or killed — and Kellogg's never took issue with that. Alcohol is far more toxic and addictive than marijuana and tends to make users reckless, aggressive, and violent.

Would you take a minute to speak out against this hypocrisy, by adding your voice to the hundreds of thousands of people who are pledging to boycott Kellogg's products until the company changes its decision? Just visit MPP's action center here and fill out the easy online form.

Meanwhile, MPP has been all over the news to point out the hypocrisy of the situation.
For instance, check out this video of MPP's Bruce Mirken discussing the issue on CNN last week.

Please join me in rejecting the farce of the condemnation of marijuana users — one that has already long been abandoned by the general public.

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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
FEBRUARY 9, 2009

MPP to Boycott Kellogg's Over Dismissal of Phelps
Policy Reformers Accuse Cereal Giant of Hypocrisy

CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications ............... 415-585-6404 or 202-215-4205

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Joining a growing coalition of individuals and organizations, the Marijuana Policy Project today lent its support to the burgeoning boycott of cereal giant Kellogg's over its treatment of Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps. Kellogg's announced last week that it would not renew its endorsement contract with Phelps in light of a published photo of the swimmer inhaling from a bong, saying his behavior is "not consistent with the image of Kellogg."

    "Kellogg's dismissal of Phelps is hypocritical and disgusting, and our members are angrier than I've ever seen them," said MPP executive director Rob Kampia. "Kellogg's had no problem signing up Phelps when he had a conviction for drunk driving, an illegal act that could actually have killed someone. To drop him for choosing to relax with a substance that's safer than beer is an outrage, and it sends a dangerous message to young people."

    MPP noted that compared to alcohol, marijuana is scientifically documented to be less addictive and far less toxic. While alcohol is a well-documented contributor to violent, aggressive and reckless behavior, marijuana "reduces the likelihood of violence during intoxication," according to the journal Addictive Behaviors. Organizations endorsing the boycott include the Drug Policy Alliance, Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

    "Kellogg's is telling young people that drunk driving is okay, but using a social relaxant that's safer than beer gets you fired," Kampia said. "That's not just outrageous, it's potentially lethal. We all know that boycotts are difficult to pull off, but the 100 million Americans who've made marijuana this nation's number one cash crop represent a lot of buying power -- buying power that Kellogg's may wish it hadn't alienated."

    On Saturday, the Huffington Post reported that the company is getting so many complaints that it had set up a special line to handle them all -- with the line for comments about Phelps actually listed ahead of one for concerns or questions about the recall of salmonella-tainted peanut butter.

    With more than 26,000 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 http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.

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Dear friends,

By now you're probably aware that Olympic hero Michael Phelps was photographed lighting an orphanage on fire, and has now been suspended from competing and is getting dropped by a major sponsor.

Oh, wait. Actually, he was photographed lighting marijuana on fire, not an orphanage.

Smoking marijuana is hardly unusual behavior for a 23 year old. In fact, Phelps is being crucified for something that more than half the adult American population has done at some point in their lives.

Yet, Phelps is facing suspension from competing in the Olympics and Kellogg's cereal has decided to drop their sponsorship of the athlete, claiming "Michael's most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg."

Kellogg's needs to hear from the public that their decision will hurt their company far more than Phelps's marijuana use.  Please contact Kellogg's today and tell them that you will boycott all of their products until they reverse their decision on Phelps's sponsorship (you can find a list of Kellogg's products at the bottom of this e-mail).  You can contact Kellogg's by visiting http://www2.kelloggs.com/ContactUs.aspx

Just cut and paste the following message into the webform on the Kellogg's website (or edit it if you like):

I am deeply disappointed by your decision to drop your sponsorship of Michael Phelps simply because he was photographed smoking marijuana. Over half of all adult Americans, including our last three presidents, have smoked marijuana during their lives. It is outrageous that Kellogg's would hold Michael Phelps to such an unreasonable standard, rather than standing by a 23 year old who has brought more inspiration and joy to millions of Americans than most will accomplish in a lifetime.  Until you reverse your decision to drop Michael Phelps' sponsorship, I will be boycotting all Kellogg's products.

Meanwhile, USA Swimming, the governing body of American swimming events, has suspended Phelps for three months for his use of marijuana.  While this will not cause him to miss any major competitions, he still faces a potential four-year suspension from the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency.  If you have a Facebook account, please join thousands of others in signing a petition demanding that the IOC and WADA not suspend Phelps from international competition. http://apps.facebook.com/causes/petitions/62

Have a great weekend, and please keep an eye out for further action on this next week. We're working with a coalition of organizations to send a strong message to the media that a single bong hit should never ruin a person's career.

Regards,

Kris Krane, Executive Director
Students for Sensible Drug Policy

P.S.  If you support SSDP's work to bring sanity and reason back to the national discussion around drug policy, please consider investing in our work with a tax deductible donation to SSDP today at http://www.ssdp.org/donate

P.P.S.  Below is the list of Kellogg's products that we hope you consider boycotting until they reverse their decision to drop Michael Phelps as a sponsor:

Kellogg's
All-Bran(R)
Apple Jacks(R)
Complete(R)
Kellogg's Corn Flakes(R)
Cracklin' Oat Bran(R)
Crispix(R)
Crunch™
Crunchy Blends(R)
Eggo(R) Cereal
Froot Loops(R)
Frosted Flakes(R)
Frosted Mini-Wheats(R)
Fruit Harvest(R)
Honey Smacks(R)
Pops(R)
Product 19(R)
Kellogg's Raisin Bran(R)
Rice Krispies(R)
Smart Start(R)
Special K(R)


Kashi
GOLEAN(R)
Organic Promise(R)
Good Friends(R)
Mighty BitesTM
Heart to Heart(R)
7 Whole Grains

Pop-Tarts(R)
Pop-Tarts(R) Toaster Pastries
Kellogg's Go-Tarts!™

Snack Bars
Kashi(R) Chewy Granola Bars
Kashi(R) GOLEAN(R) Bars
Kellogg's(R) Crunch™ Bars
Kellogg's(R) Crunchy Nut™
Sweet & Salty Bars
Kellogg's(R) Granola Munch'ems
Rice Krispies Treats(R) Squares
Special K(R) Bars

Breakfast Bars
All-Bran™ Bars
Nutri-Grain(R) Cereal Bars
Nutri-Grain(R) Muffin Bars
Nutri-Grain(R) Yogurt Bars

Fruit Flavored Snacks
Fruit Steamers™
Fruit Twistables™
Kellogg's™ Yogos™

Fruit Leather
Stretch Island(R) Fruit Leather

On-the-Go Snacks
Gripz(R)
Rite BitesTM

Keebler(R) Cookies
Keebler(R) Cookies
Chips Deluxe(R) Cookies
E.L. Fudge(R) Cookies
Fudge Shoppe(R) Cookies
Golden Vanilla Wafers(R) Cookies
Sandies(R) Cookies
Soft Batch(R) Cookies
Vienna Fingers(R) Cookies

Carr's(R)
Carr's(R) Cookies

Famous Amos(R)
Famous Amos(R) Cookies

Murray(R)
Murray(R) Cookies
Murray(R) Sugar Free Cookies

Keebler(R) Crackers
Club(R) Crackers
Gripz(R)
Keebler(R) Grahams
Munch'ems(R) Baked Snacks
Town House(R) Crackers
Wheatables(R) Crackers
Toasteds(R) Crackers
Zesta(R) Crackers

Austin(R)
Austin(R) Crackers

Carr's(R)
Carr's(R) Crackers

SunshineTM
Cheez-It(R) Crackers
Sunshine Krispy(R) Crackers

Kashi(R)
Kashi(R) TLCTM Crackers

Natural
Worthington(R)
Loma Linda(R)

Organic
Morningstar Farms(R) Organic

Frozen
Eggo(R)
Kashi GOLEAN Waffles
Morningstar Farms(R)

Keebler(R) Graham Crackers Crumbs
Keebler(R) Cones
Ready Crust(R) Pie Crust
Kellogg's(R) Stuffing Mix
Kellogg's(R) Corn Flake Crumbs

[Courtesy of MPP] 

Meet MPP advisory board member Jim Hightower tomorrow in Washington, D.C.

The Marijuana Policy Project invites you to attend a reception for radio host and MPP VIP advisory board member Jim Hightower, who will be giving a talk about his new book, Swim Against the Current, tomorrow, March 18, at the Carnegie Institution building.

To watch a short video about Jim Hightower's views regarding marijuana policy reform, please click here, or to read a print version, click here.

The talk is from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., and the cost $20 per person. Admission for students and senior citizens is $15, and children under 16 are free. The event also features a VIP reception from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., which costs $50 per person or $80 per couple and includes a copy of Hightower's new book and admittance to the talk.

What: Jim Hightower VIP reception, book talk, and book signing
When: Tuesday, March 18, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 pm (VIP reception), 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (talk and book signing)
Where: Carnegie Institution building, 1530 P Street NW, Washington, D.C.
Cost: $50/person or $80/couple (VIP reception, book talk and signing, and copy of book); or $20/person (talk and book signing only); or $15/person (student and senior citizens).

Proceeds from the event will benefit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a national alliance of local state and federal resource professionals.