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======================================================================
Please distribute this memo widely. Forward to family and friends in
California, or ask them to visit http://www.mpp.org/CA
======================================================================

TO:      California residents*

FROM:    Karen O'Keefe, MPP legislative analyst

DATE:    Saturday, March 27, 2004

SUBJECT: Sensible drug testing bill receives hearing

======================================================================

Isn't it time we stop treating our children as criminals and forcing
them to take drug tests without just cause?

A bill in the California Senate, S.B. 1386, would stop suspicionless
drug testing of students and put other sensible restrictions on
student drug testing. School officials would need a concrete, written
reason to suspect a student before testing him or her. And students
couldn't be singled out for testing based on their race, class,
gender, or sexual orientation.

On Tuesday, testimony was taken on S.B. 1386 in the Committee on
Education and Health and Human Services. The committee will complete
the hearing and vote on the bill on Wednesday, March 31. So this is
the perfect time for your legislators to hear from you: Please ask
them to support S.B. 1386.

Please take a few moments to visit http://www.mpp.org/CA/action.html .
After you choose your favorite pre-written letter and type in your
address, our site will automatically e-mail your letter to your
legislators ... all with the click of a few buttons. The whole process
takes less than two minutes, but it makes a world of difference. Also,
you can print the letters and send them to your legislators through
regular mail.

S.B. 1386, sponsored by Sen. John Vasconcellos (D-Senate District 13),
would also prohibit drug testing without a parent's prior written
consent. S.B. 1386 recognizes students' right to privacy, and it would
prevent wasteful and ineffective spending on random drug tests. For
the full text of the bill, see http://www.mpp.org/CA/bills_847.html .

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please tell
others about this site so that even more voices can speak out for
reform.

======================================================================

The Marijuana Policy Project hopes that each of the 65,000 subscribers
on this e-mail list will make at least one financial donation to MPP's
work in 2004. MPP will be able to tackle all of the projects in its
2004 strategic plan -- http://www.mpp.org/2004plan -- if you and other
allies are generous enough to donate the following sums in 2004:

TYPE OF DONOR ..... $ GOALS FOR 2004 ..... $ RAISED IN 2004
-----------------------------------------------------------
monthly pledgers ........ $60,000 ............ $12,250 ....
less than $1,000 ....... $583,000 ............ $40,456 ....
$1,000 to $1,999 ....... $200,000 ............ $11,000 ....
$2,000 to $24,999 ...... $300,000 ............ $12,227 ....
$25,000 to $99,999 ..... $400,000 ........... $135,000 ....
$100,000 and up ...... $1,100,000 ........... $130,000 ....
-----------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS ............... $2,643,000 ........... $340,933 ....

Please consider visiting http://www.mpp.org/MoneyForStates to make a
financial contribution now.

======================================================================
*If you live outside of California, please reply with your city and
state or zip code so that we can send you alerts that are of local
interest to you. To completely unsubscribe from MPP's lists, simply
e-mail us with the word REMOVE in the subject line. Thank you.

======================================================================
Please distribute this memo widely. Forward to family and friends in
the Bay Area, or ask them to visit http://mpp.org/CA/alerts_457.html
======================================================================

TO:      Bay Area residents*

FROM:    Karen O'Keefe, MPP legislative analyst

DATE:    Friday, March 19, 2004

SUBJECT: Oakland cannabis initiative petition kickoff -- March 21!

======================================================================

MPP is passing along the following message on behalf of the Oakland
Civil Liberties Alliance.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear friends,

The "war on cannabis" (marijuana) is costing all of us dearly -- not
only in tax dollars wasted arresting and imprisoning numerous
nonviolent cannabis consumers, but also in the human suffering caused
by this imprisonment (and, thus, the loss of the ability to get a job,
and, in some cases, the loss of the right to vote). On top of that,
government agencies are faced with drastic cuts in services like
education and health care due to inadequate government revenue --
while California's largest cash crop remains untaxed.

We have an opportunity to take a stand in support of sensible,
financially-sound, and equitable cannabis policy. Please join us!

The actual text of the initiative (and additional information) is
available at http://www.taxandregulate.org .

Please join us to collect signatures for the Oakland Cannabis
Regulation and Revenue Ordinance.

We need your help, and it's a fun thing to do!

   WHEN: Sunday, March 21, 2004

   TIME: Trainings/info sessions for volunteers will take place
         three times during the day: 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: 1601 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland
         (16th and Telegraph near the 19th Street BART)

Throughout the spring of 2004, volunteers will collect tens of
thousands of signatures to qualify the Oakland Cannabis Regulation and
Revenue Ordinance for the November ballot. (We need to collect 30,000
signatures by June 21.) Please help and support this campaign.

Quick facts about the Oakland cannabis initiative:

   (1) The initiative calls on the city to tax and regulate cannabis
       as soon as possible under state law.

   (2) It makes private, adult cannabis offenses Oakland's lowest law-
       enforcement priority, effective immediately.

   (3) It takes marijuana dealing off the streets and away from kids
       (by establishing a system to license businesses for sales to
       adults.)

   (4) It generates substantial revenue for vital city services like
       schools and libraries.

This effort is sponsored by the Oakland Civil Liberties Alliance
(OCLA).

   Petitioners: 510-967-3948
   Campaign Headquarters: 510-268-3227
   info@taxandregulate.org
   http://www.taxandregulate.org

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass
this information on so that even more voices for reform can be heard.

======================================================================

The Marijuana Policy Project hopes that each of the 62,000 subscribers
on this e-mail list will make at least one financial donation to MPP's
work in 2004. MPP will be able to tackle all of the projects in its
2004 strategic plan -- http://www.mpp.org/2004plan -- if you and other
allies are generous enough to donate the following sums in 2004:

TYPE OF DONOR ..... $ GOALS FOR 2004 ..... $ RAISED IN 2004
-----------------------------------------------------------
monthly pledgers ........ $60,000 ............ $12,250 ....
less than $1,000 ....... $583,000 ............ $39,925 ....
$1,000 to $1,999 ....... $200,000 ............ $11,000 ....
$2,000 to $24,999 ...... $300,000 ............ $12,227 ....
$25,000 to $99,999 ..... $400,000 ........... $135,000 ....
$100,000 and up ...... $1,100,000 ........... $130,000 ....
-----------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS ............... $2,643,000 ........... $340,402 ....

Please consider visiting http://www.mpp.org/MoneyForStates to make a
financial contribution now.

======================================================================
Please distribute this memo widely. Forward to family and friends in
California, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, North
Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Wisconsin -- or ask them to visit
http://www.mpp.org/stop_the_lies today.
======================================================================

TO:      Supporters in select states*

FROM:    Steve Fox, MPP director of government relations

DATE:    Monday, March 15, 2004

SUBJECT: Tell your U.S. senator to stop government lies about
         marijuana

======================================================================

How would you feel if you heard that the White House drug czar had
been given official permission to lie about marijuana? We hope that
you would be as outraged as we are, because this actually has
happened. And if you do not take action immediately, it is likely that
our nation's drug czar will retain this ability for the next five
years.

Please visit http://www.mpp.org/stop_the_lies to send a fax to a
targeted member of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. (Only
subscribers who live in states represented by senators on this
committee have received this alert.) In the near future, this
committee will be debating the Office of National Drug Control Policy
(ONDCP) Reauthorization Act (S. 1860), which sets guidelines for the
drug czar's office. This will be our last and best opportunity to
change the law so that government dishonesty about marijuana will be
prohibited.

Here is how the drug czar was granted the freedom to lie:

   * In the run-up to the November 2002 elections, ONDCP campaigned
     aggressively against state ballot measures to reform marijuana
     laws and other anti-drug policies. Part of this effort was a
     letter to local prosecutors from ONDCP Deputy Director Scott
     Burns making a number of false claims, including the declarations
     that no individuals are imprisoned for "smoking a joint,"
     "marijuana and violence are linked," and "no credible research
     suggests" that marijuana has medical uses.

   * The Marijuana Policy Project urged a number of members of
     Congress to take action in response to this outright false
     letter. As a result, in an April 2, 2003, letter (available at
     http://www.mpp.org/WarOnDrugCzar/complaints/gao_complaint.html ),
     U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) asked the General Accounting Office
     (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, to investigate whether
     the Burns letter violated the longstanding GAO position that "the
     government should not disseminate misleading information."

   * In its response to Congressman Paul released last week, the GAO
     declared, in essence, that the truth or falsity of ONDCP's
     statements is irrelevant. "ONDCP is specifically charged with the
     responsibility for 'taking such actions as necessary to oppose
     any attempt to legalize the use' of certain controlled substances
     such as marijuana," wrote GAO General Counsel Anthony Gamboa.
     "Given this role, we do not see a need to examine the accuracy of
     the Deputy Director's individual statements in detail." See the
     full GAO response: http://www.mpp.org/pdf/GAO_response_0304.pdf

Let me repeat that in case you missed it: "We do not see a need to
examine the accuracy of the ... statements in detail."

Please express your disgust with this decision today by sending a fax
to your U.S. senator at http://www.mpp.org/stop_the_lies . The fax we
have prepared for you to send to your senator (or two U.S. senators,
if you live in Wisconsin) explains this situation and calls for a
modification of current law so that lying is no longer an acceptable
action for ONDCP to take.

The GAO may have ruled that the truth doesn't matter in the so-called
"War on Drugs," but we believe the American public expects better from
their government.

If you agree, visit http://www.mpp.org/stop_the_lies to send a fax
today. In addition, please forward this alert to anyone who lives in
one of the states listed at the top of this e-mail.

Thank you for taking action.

======================================================================

The Marijuana Policy Project hopes that each of the 60,000 subscribers
on this e-mail list will make at least one financial donation to MPP's
work in 2004. MPP will be able to tackle all of the projects in its
2004 strategic plan -- http://www.mpp.org/2004plan -- if you and other
allies are generous enough to donate the following sums in 2004:

TYPE OF DONOR ..... $ GOALS FOR 2004 ..... $ RAISED IN 2004
-----------------------------------------------------------
monthly pledgers ........ $60,000 ............ $12,250 ....
less than $1,000 ....... $583,000 ............ $39,977 ....
$1,000 to $1,999 ....... $200,000 ............ $11,000 ....
$2,000 to $24,999 ...... $300,000 ............. $7,277 ....
$25,000 to $99,999 ..... $400,000 ............ $85,000 ....
$100,000 and up ...... $1,100,000 ........... $130,000 ....
-----------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS ............... $2,643,000 ........... $285,504 ....

Please consider visiting http://www.mpp.org/donate0916 to make a
financial contribution now.

======================================================================
*If do not live in California, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts,
New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont, or Wisconsin, please
reply with your city and state or zip code so that we can send you
alerts that are of local interest to you. To completely unsubscribe
from MPP's lists, simply e-mail us with the word REMOVE in the
subject line. Thank you.
======================================================================

======================================================================
Please distribute this memo widely. Forward to family and friends in
California, or ask them to visit http://www.mpp.org/CA
======================================================================

TO:      California residents*

FROM:    Karen O'Keefe, MPP legislative analyst

DATE:    Monday, March 1, 2004

SUBJECT: Pre-primary medical marijuana report card; support S.B. 131
         to downgrade marijuana possession

======================================================================

If your favorite candidate were elected president, would his
administration break down medical marijuana patients' doors and lock
them up for using their medicine?

Find out the answer before you vote tomorrow by taking a look at MPP's
voter guide! Here's an overview of the remaining candidates' positions
on medical marijuana and their grades:

   * U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) -- -- "A+"
     Kucinich pledged that he would stop the federal government's
     raids on medical marijuana patients and said he would "sign an
     executive order that would permit its use."

   * U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) -- "A-"
     Kerry pledged to stop the raids, if elected.

   * The Reverend Al Sharpton (D-NY) -- "B"
     Sharpton said, "I think that medical marijuana patients should
     not be arrested for using medical marijuana."

   * U.S. Senator John Edwards (D-NC) -- "F"
     Edwards refused to pledge to end the federal government's raids
     on medical marijuana patients, and he claimed that stopping them
     would be "irresponsible."

   * President George Bush (R-TX) -- "F"
     The Bush administration has arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned
     medical marijuana patients and raidedmedical marijuana patients'
     homes.

For the complete voter guide, including the candidates' stances and
histories on medical marijuana, see http://mpp.org/candidates/guide .

This year, California has another chance to remove all criminal
penalties for first-offense possession of up to an ounce of marijuana.
The California Senate passed S.B. 131 last year, and the Assembly came
only five votes shy of passing it. S.B. 131, sponsored by Sen. Byron
Sher (D-Stanford), would make the infraction a civil violation,
punishable by a $100 fine, eliminating the need for attorneys' fees
and court appearances. Only a few more votes are needed to tip the
scales! So, please, contact your Assembly member to ask him or her to
support S.B. 131.

Please take a few moments to visit http://www.mpp.org/CA/action.html .
After you choose your favorite pre-written letter and type in your
address, our site will automatically e-mail your letter to your
legislators ... all with the click of a few buttons. The whole process
takes less than two minutes, but it makes a world of difference. Also,
you can print the letters and send them to your legislators through
regular mail.

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass
this information on so that even more voices for reform can be heard.

======================================================================

HOW TO SUPPORT THE MARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT

MPP's state legislative alerts service is funded entirely by the
contributions of MPP allies and members nationwide. If you find MPP's
state legislative alerts service helpful, please consider making a
donation at: http://www.mpp.org/MoneyForStates

Because MPP devotes 100% of its efforts toward influencing public
policy, contributions are not tax-deductible. However, the above link
also provides a way to make a tax-deductible donation.

======================================================================
*If you live outside of California, please reply with your city and
state or zip code so that we can send you alerts that are of local
interest to you. To completely unsubscribe from MPP's lists, simply
e-mail us with the word REMOVE in the subject line. Thank you.

Dear Friend: 02 21 2004

Last month, the Marijuana Policy Project informed you via e-mail about
Congressman Ernest Istook's (R-OK) legislation to bar the display of
advertisements promoting marijuana policy reform on public
transportation systems across the nation.

At the time, we said that we would sue the government to overturn this
ban if it became law. Well, it recently became law, and we are now
suing.

The lawsuit -- ACLU, et al. v. Mineta, et al. -- seeks a court order
declaring the "Istook Amendment" unconstitutional because it violates
our First Amendment right to educate the public about the need for
marijuana policy reform.

Articles about our lawsuit appeared in yesterday's editions of The
Washington Post and The Washington Times, and stories were distributed
nationwide by the Associated Press, Reuters, and Scripps Howard wire
services. In the Reuters article, MPP's Steve Fox was quoted as
saying, "Apparently, the message that marijuana prohibition has failed
is so powerful that the federal government has resorted to silencing
those who wish to convey it."

Please see http://www.mpp.org/releases/nr021804.html for the news
release, press coverage thus far, and related documentation.

Two days ago, MPP, the ACLU, Change the Climate, and the Drug Policy
Alliance held a news conference at the National Press Club in D.C. to
announce our lawsuit against the federal government. Please consider
visiting http://www.mpp.org/donate0911 if you like the fact that MPP
is working in coalition on this project ... which means we'll have
more resources to spend elsewhere (such as in Nevada).

The language of the Istook Amendment, which was included in the
omnibus spending package for federal agencies for 2004, reads, "None
of the funds in this Act shall be available to any Federal transit
grantee after February 1, 2004, involved directly or indirectly, in
any activity that promotes the legalization or medical use of any
substance listed in schedule I of section 202 of the Controlled
Substances Act." Marijuana, which was the true target of this
amendment, is currently categorized as a schedule I drug.

Over the past six years, Congress has given the White House Office of
National Drug Control Policy approximately $1 billion of taxpayer
money to convey the message that "marijuana is bad and therefore must
be prohibited." But now that the marijuana policy reform movement has
the resources to occasionally promote an alternative viewpoint -- with
private money, no less -- marijuana prohibitionists in Congress are
trying to silence us. This is called "viewpoint discrimination," and
it violates the First Amendment of the Constitution.

Anticipating the need for a lawsuit, MPP delivered a letter -- please
see http://www.mpp.org/pdf/kampia_to_istook.pdf -- to Congressman
Istook and his colleagues prior to the final passage of the spending
bill. We warned that we would not only emerge victorious in this legal
battle, but that the lawsuit would generate favorable publicity for
the marijuana policy reform movement. This has already proved true.

This lawsuit is part of MPP's aggressive approach to force the federal
government -- through lobbying and litigation -- to end its
prohibitionist approach to marijuana ... and its hostility to free
speech. This aggressive new approach was launched in December 2002
when we initiated our "War on Drug Czar" campaign. In the coming
weeks, we will update you on the progress of this campaign on a number
of fronts.

Again, please consider visiting http://www.mpp.org/donate0911 if you
support MPP's lawsuit and the other work we're doing to rein in an
out-of-control federal government. Thank you for your continued
interest and support.

Sincerely,

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

======================================================================

The Marijuana Policy Project hopes that each of the 44,000 subscribers
on this e-mail list will make at least one financial donation to MPP's
work in 2004. MPP will be able to tackle all of the projects in its
2004 strategic plan -- http://www.mpp.org/2004plan -- if you and other
allies are generous enough to donate the following sums in 2004:

TYPE OF DONOR ..... $ GOALS FOR 2004 ..... $ RAISED IN 2004
-----------------------------------------------------------
monthly pledgers ........ $60,000 ............. $8,140 ....
less than $1,000 ....... $583,000 ............ $25,355 ....
$1,000 to $1,999 ....... $200,000 ............. $4,000 ....
$2,000 to $24,999 ...... $300,000 ................. $0 ....
$25,000 to $99,999 ..... $400,000 ............ $85,000 ....
$100,000 and up ...... $1,100,000 ........... $130,000 ....
-----------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS ............... $2,643,000 ........... $252,495 ....

Please consider visiting http://www.mpp.org/donate0911 to make a
financial contribution now.

Dear Friend: 02 11 2004

The hemp food industry has just won a major victory, defeating the
DEA's attempts to ban all foods with even trace, insignificant
quantities of THC.

The Marijuana Policy Project supports the rights of food companies to
use nutritious hemp in their products. This victory represents one
more blow against the DEA and against the absolute prohibition of hemp
and marijuana.

After a two-and-a-half-year lawsuit, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals ruled in favor of the Hemp Industries Association and against
the DEA. As Judge Betty Fletcher wrote in the decision, "they [the
DEA] cannot regulate naturally-occurring THC not contained within or
derived from marijuana -- i.e. non-psychoactive hemp. ... The DEA has
no authority to regulate drugs that are not scheduled." Please visit
http://www.SaveHemp.org to read more about the issue and
http://www.SaveHemp.org/HIAvDEA_9th_final_decision.pdf to download the
decision in its entirety.

As the case closed, the DEA agreed that hemp foods have no abuse
potential. In his final arguments, DEA attorney Daniel Dormont stated,
"The DEA has never said, has never focused on the particular products,
and said anyone can get high from them, or that they pose a harm to
people." (To download the hearing transcript, please visit
http://www.SaveHemp.org/Oral_Arguments_HIAvDEA.pdf .) Despite this,
and in the face of widespread outrage over the DEA's proposal, the DEA
still attempted to ban hemp-based foods, claiming falsely that hemp-
based foods would interfere with drug tests.

The DEA was only able to justify its war on hemp because marijuana is
illegal. If marijuana were legally regulated, the DEA would not have
been able to claim that hemp products containing THC were also
illegal. To help MPP in its battles against the DEA -- and MPP's
effort to end the war on all marijuana users -- please consider
visiting http://www.mpp.org/donate0908 to make a donation.

Sincerely,

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

======================================================================

The Marijuana Policy Project hopes that each of the 43,000 subscribers
on this e-mail list will make at least one financial donation to MPP's
work in 2004. MPP will be able to tackle all of the projects in its
2004 strategic plan -- http://www.mpp.org/2004plan -- if you and other
allies are generous enough to donate the following sums in 2004:

TYPE OF DONOR ..... $ GOALS FOR 2004 ..... $ RAISED IN 2004
-----------------------------------------------------------
monthly pledgers ........ $60,000 ............. $8,140 ....
less than $1,000 ....... $583,000 ............ $20,373 ....
$1,000 donors .......... $300,000 ................. $0 ....
$1,001 to $25,000 ...... $200,000 ............. $5,000 ....
$25,001 to $100,000 .... $500,000 ............ $60,000 ....
$100,001 and up ...... $1,000,000 ................. $0 ....
-----------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS ............... $2,643,000 ........... $93,513 ....

Please consider visiting http://www.mpp.org/donate0908 to make a
financial contribution now.

Dear Friend: February 3rd, 2004

New Hampshire voters delivered a strong victory for the Marijuana
Policy Project and medical marijuana patients last week. U.S. Sen.
John Kerry (D-MA), the major candidate who is most supportive of
medical marijuana legislation, won the primary over former Gov. Howard
Dean (D-VT) by a double-digit margin.

MPP was very active in the primary. Granite Staters for Medical
Marijuana, MPP's grassroots organization in New Hampshire, attended
town hall meetings all over the state, peppering the candidates with
questions. MPP also called approximately 10,000 Democratic voters in
January, urging them to call Gov. Dean's campaign to ask him to pledge
to end the DEA's raids on medical marijuana patients and their
caregivers. And MPP leafleted the campaign events of candidates
opposed to medical marijuana, including Gov. Dean, U.S. Sen. John
Edwards (D-NC), and U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT).

In the past week, MPP escalated its effort to educate voters about the
candidates' positions on medical marijuana through 35,000 candidate
score cards and a TV commercial that highlighted those candidates who
refused to pledge to end federal attacks on patients. Please visit
http://www.mpp.org/NH/news_6003.html to read more about this campaign.

"Our goal was to change the political dialogue on medical marijuana,
and we succeeded beyond our wildest dreams," said MPP's Aaron Houston,
who coordinated the campaign since April from Manchester, New
Hampshire. Please consider visiting http://www.mpp.org/donate0906 to
help defray the costs that MPP incurred because of this campaign.

Medical marijuana proponents should be pleased with the results of the
New Hampshire primary. Not only did Kerry win, taking 39% of the vote
to Dean's 26%, but Wesley Clark (D-AR) -- also a medical marijuana
supporter -- took third place with 12% of the vote. Edwards and
Lieberman, both of whom support the DEA's raids on cancer patients,
finished in fourth and fifth places with 12% and 9%, respectively.

On the campaign trail, Kerry said he favored federal medical marijuana
legislation and pledged to end the DEA's raids on patients and
caregivers in states with medical marijuana laws. This stand earned
him an "A-" in MPP's voter guide. Dean, by contrast, killed MPP's
medical marijuana legislation when he was governor of Vermont and
failed to pledge a permanent end to the DEA raids. Dean earned a "D-"
for these positions.

Clark pledged to end the raids and received a "B+". MPP flunked
Sen. Edwards and Sen. Lieberman for their opposition to medical
marijuana. Go to http://www.GraniteStaters.com/guide to read more
about all the candidates' positions.

MPP's focused efforts over the past nine months likely affected the
outcome of the election by a few percentage points. And, more
importantly, our work vaulted the medical marijuana issue into the
realm of prominent campaign issues that the candidates had to address
day in and day out.

Of course, the presidential primary race isn't over, and MPP does not
have the resources to launch New Hampshire-style campaigns in other
states. If you live in a state other than Iowa or New Hampshire,
please attend the town hall forums that the various candidates are
staging in your state, being sure to ask them whether they would end
or continue the DEA's raids on medical marijuana patients and
providers. If you make contact with any of the presidential campaigns,
please e-mail MPP at mpp@mpp.org to let us know what happened.

If you like what MPP has been doing to influence the presidential
primaries, please visit http://www.mpp.org/donate0906 to make a
financial contribution. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

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

======================================================================

The Marijuana Policy Project hopes that each of the 42,000 subscribers
on this e-mail list will make at least one financial donation to MPP's
work in 2004. MPP will be able to tackle all of the projects in its
2004 strategic plan -- http://www.mpp.org/2004plan -- if you and other
allies are generous enough to donate the following sums in 2004:

TYPE OF DONOR ..... $ GOALS FOR 2004 ..... $ RAISED IN 2004
-----------------------------------------------------------
monthly pledgers ........ $60,000 ............. $4,380 ....
less than $1,000 ....... $583,000 ............ $19,316 ....
$1,000 donors .......... $300,000 ................. $0 ....
$1,001 to $25,000 ...... $200,000 ............. $5,000 ....
$25,001 to $100,000 .... $500,000 ............ $60,000 ....
$100,001 and up ...... $1,000,000 ........... $145,000 ....
-----------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS ............... $2,643,000 ........... $233,696 ....

Dear Friend: January 21st, 2003

The Marijuana Policy Project is releasing our second new TV ad in one
week -- this time in New Hampshire. The new ad follows on our
successful campaign in New Hampshire that resulted in four of the
eight Democratic presidential candidates' taking strong, positive
positions on medical marijuana.

Please see http://www.GraniteStaters.com/TVad to preview the
commercial. (Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana is MPP's grassroots
operation in New Hampshire.) The ad rotates through unflattering
stills of the four Democratic presidential candidates who have the
worst positions on medical marijuana ...

U.S. Sen. John Edwards (NC), U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt (MO), and U.S.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (CT) all refused to pledge to end the DEA's
raids on medical marijuana patients and their caregivers. And Howard
Dean, the former governor of Vermont, said he would put a moratorium
on the raids but left open the possibility that they would resume
after one year.

As the faces continue to rotate, the voice-over announces, "There was
a time when the federal government was arresting some very sick people
... and these men refused to say they would stop it." Then the year
"2004" flashes on the screen. The voice-over concludes, "There was a
time."

Please consider visiting http://www.mpp.org/donate0904 to donate to
MPP's campaign to influence Congress and the presidential candidates
to support our federal medical marijuana legislation.

MPP and GSMM have been preparing for New Hampshire's first-in-the-
nation primary election since April 2003. And on January 7 of this
year, GSMM released its final report card on the candidates' medical
marijuana positions. Edwards, Gephardt, and Lieberman all failed, as
there is no discernable difference between their positions and that of
Pres. George Bush (despite our best attempts to convince them
otherwise). And Dean received a D-, in part because he has bragged
about killing MPP's medical marijuana legislation in Vermont when he
was still governor in 2002.

The other five candidates scored much better. Topping the list with an
A+ is U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH), who not only supports an end to
marijuana prohibition, but also proudly links to GSMM's voter guide
from his Web site. (To see for yourself, please visit
http://www.kucinich.us/issues/medicalmarijuana.php .)

Thanks to GSMM's persistent questions at town hall meetings held by
all the candidates, and the report card itself, the medical marijuana
issue is now a legitimate part of the campaign dialogue.

Our new TV ad puts the four bad candidates on the defensive, forcing
them to defend their unwillingness to end the DEA's raids against
seriously ill people for taking their medicine. Please see
http://www.mpp.org/releases/nr011404gsmm.html for an example of how
poorly the Edwards campaign has handled the pressure. And visit
http://www.mpp.org/states/site/quicknews.cgi?key=6003 to see press
MPP's new ad is already generating.

The issue of medical marijuana -- and the cruelty of the DEA's raids
against seriously ill patients in states where medical marijuana is
legal -- has received extensive nationwide press coverage thanks to
GSMM's efforts. (See http://mpp.org/states/site/quicknews.cgi?key=5881
for one article that appeared in The Washington Post.)

With the Iowa caucuses yesterday, the presidential primary season has
truly begun. All attention now turns to New Hampshire, the first
national primary. This next week provides a crucial opportunity to
cement medical marijuana as one of the major issues of the 2004
presidential campaign.

Please help MPP do everything possible to support the new TV
commercial and our other efforts to keep medical marijuana on the
agenda throughout the 2004 presidential campaign. Consider visiting
http://www.mpp.org/donate0904 to make a contribution. Thank you for
your support.

Sincerely,

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

======================================================================

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) hopes that each of the 41,000
subscribers on this e-mail list will make at least one financial
donation to MPP's work in 2004. MPP will be able to tackle all of the
projects in its strategic plan if you and other allies are generous
enough to donate the following sums in 2004:

TYPE OF DONOR ..... $ GOALS FOR 2004 ..... $ RAISED IN 2004
-----------------------------------------------------------
monthly pledgers ........ $60,000 ............. $4,380 ....
less than $1,000 ....... $573,000 ................ 445 ....
$1,000 donors .......... $500,000 ................. $0 ....
$1,001 to $25,000 ...... $200,000 .............. 5,000 ....
$25,001 to $100,000 .... $600,000 ............. 60,000 ....
$100,001 and up ...... $1,000,000 ............ 145,000 ....
-----------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS ............... $2,933,000 ........... $214,825 ....

Dear Friend: January 9 2003

As you will see in the 2004 strategic plan below, this year will be
the most ambitious, bold, and expensive year ever for marijuana policy
reform in the United States.

Bigger than in 1977, when President Jimmy Carter pledged to
decriminalize marijuana. And bigger than in 1996, when California
became the first state to make it legal for patients to use and grow
medical marijuana.

Please expect to receive approximately two e-mail alerts per week
until Election Day in November. Each alert will keep you apprised of
different aspects of the Marijuana Policy Project's work across the
United States. In addition, each alert will contain a standard footer
that will update you on the overall progress of our fundraising
program, starting with this alert.

If you like what you see below, please consider visiting
http://www.mpp.org/donate0901 to donate early to our work.

======================================================================

REGULATING MARIJUANA SIMILARLY TO ALCOHOL

   1. ALASKA: The Alaska state government just announced that a ballot
      initiative to remove all penalties for adult marijuana use will
      appear on the November 2004 general election ballot. (Please see
      http://Alaska2004.org .) We have already hired three campaign
      staffers and opened an office in Anchorage to spearhead this
      high-profile campaign.

   2. NEVADA: For three weeks in November 2003, we ran TV ads (see
      http://StopTeenUse.com ) in the Reno media market which
      explained that 67% of Nevada teenagers have used marijuana under
      the current prohibitionist system, as compared to only 28% of
      their counterparts in Holland. According to our polling, this ad
      succeeded in boosting support for marijuana regulation. We will
      continue to run similar ads in Nevada until -- at some point in
      the future -- there is sufficient public support to pass a
      marijuana regulation initiative (similar to the one that failed
      in November 2002) in Nevada.

   3. "WAR ON DRUG CZAR" CAMPAIGN: Thanks to MPP's collaboration with
      Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), the White House drug czar's office
      is under investigation for illegally using taxpayer money to
      urge prosecutors across the country to lobby for harsher
      marijuana penalties. MPP is also about to sue the Nevada
      Secretary of State to force him to require Drug Czar John
      Walters to file campaign finance reports for the taxpayer money
      he spent to oppose our 2002 ballot initiative. And, of course,
      we are continuing to lobby Congress to eliminate all funding for
      the drug czar's deceptive $145,000,000 advertising campaign.

   4. ORGANIZING CELEBRITIES: MPP has just hired a full-time employee
      in Hollywood for the sole purpose of organizing celebrities to
      speak out in favor of ending marijuana prohibition. MPP will
      elaborate on this in a future e-mail alert.

   5. CONGRESSIONAL LEGISLATION: We will soon announce the
      introduction of a bipartisan bill in the U.S. House of
      Representatives that would end the federal government's war on
      marijuana entirely. Once this bill is introduced, we will ask
      you and other allies to lobby your three members of Congress to
      sponsor this legislation. After a few years of lobbying,
      committee hearings and votes, and a lively national debate, we
      intend for Congress to pass this legislation so that states will
      be allowed to implement their own marijuana laws without federal
      interference.

======================================================================

REMOVING CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA

   1. TWO STATE BALLOT INITIATIVES: Every state and national public
      opinion poll ever conducted shows that a clear majority of
      voters support the removal of criminal penalties for the medical
      use of marijuana. To increase the pressure on Congress to change
      federal law, MPP will be placing medical marijuana initiatives
      on the ballots of two states in November 2004.

   2. CONNECTICUT, ILLINOIS, NEW YORK, RHODE ISLAND, AND VERMONT: We
      are retaining professional lobbyists in the capitals of these
      five states for the purpose of passing our medical marijuana
      legislation through each state legislature, similar to how
      Hawaii and Maryland passed medical marijuana bills in 2000 and
      2003, respectively. The five state legislatures will debate and
      vote on our bills between now and this summer.

   3. NATIONAL COALITION OF PHYSICIANS: By sending a series of
      mailings to physicians nationwide, we are building a coalition
      of 15,000 supportive physicians who will lobby their state
      legislators and members of Congress, testify at committee
      hearings, and do media interviews in support of MPP's state and
      federal medical marijuana bills.

   4. CONGRESSIONAL LEGISLATION: We are working with U.S. Sen. Richard
      Durbin (D-IL) to gather co-sponsors for the first-ever medical
      marijuana bill in the Senate, which will be introduced this
      month. In the meantime, we are organizing grassroots supporters
      in the districts of 70 swing House members who -- when added to
      the 156 House members who are already supportive -- will take us
      past the 218 votes we need to pass medical marijuana legislation
      on the House floor. Our next House floor vote is expected in
      June or July.

   5. TARGETING TWO OR THREE U.S. HOUSE MEMBERS FOR DEFEAT: The
      outcome of the House floor vote this coming summer will
      determine the two or three House members we will be targeting
      for defeat in November 2004. We intend to demonstrate to members
      of Congress that their political futures depend, in part, on
      voting for MPP's medical marijuana legislation.

======================================================================

Please consider visiting http://www.mpp.org/donate0901 if you support
this strategic plan for 2004.

By supporting our work, you will also be empowering us to engage in
the day-to-day battles that come up, including (1) debating White
House officials on national television, (2) filing a complaint with
the FCC against Comcast to overturn Comcast's current ban on all
marijuana policy reform ads, and (3) lobbying Congress to defeat
Congressman Ernest Istook's (R-OK) amendment that would prohibit all
local transit systems that receive federal money from running any
marijuana policy ads reform ... and, if we fail in Congress, then
suing to overturn the Istook amendment in court.

As you can see, we're busy, and we can't do this without your help.
Thank you, as always, for your support.

Sincerely,

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

P.S. Donations to MPP are not tax-deductible. To make a tax-deductible
     donation, please direct it to MPP Foundation instead. The mailing
     address for both organizations is P.O. Box 77492, Washington,
     D.C. 20013.

======================================================================

MPP hopes that each of the 41,000 subscribers on this e-mail list will
make at least one financial donation to MPP's work in 2004. MPP will
be able to tackle all of the projects in its strategic plan if you and
other allies are generous enough to donate the following sums in 2004:

TYPE OF DONOR ..... $ GOALS FOR 2004 ..... $ RAISED IN 2004
-----------------------------------------------------------
monthly pledgers ........ $60,000 ............. $4,380 ....
less than $1,000 ....... $573,000 ................. $0 ....
$1,000 donors .......... $500,000 ................. $0 ....
$1,001 to $25,000 ...... $200,000 ................. $0 ....
$25,001 to $100,000 .... $600,000 ................. $0 ....
$100,001 and up ...... $1,000,000 ................. $0 ....
-----------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS ............... $2,933,000 ............. $4,380 ....

Dear Friend: 1 6 2003

The Marijuana Policy Project's campaign to influence the presidential
candidates in New Hampshire was covered three days in a row last week
by major news outlets.

On December 30, CNN's "Inside Politics" covered our campaign to
pressure the nine Democratic candidates to adopt good medical
marijuana positions. Then, on December 31, The Washington Post
published an article that started with this:

    KEENE, N.H. -- At a retirement home here on a recent Monday
    morning, a young man asked presidential candidate Sen. John
    Edwards (D-N.C.) about federal drug raids on people smoking
    marijuana for medical purposes.

    Two hours later and 80 miles away on the campaign trail, another
    concerned citizen waited patiently to ask former Vermont governor
    Howard Dean that same question at a town meeting in Exeter.

    That evening in Concord, the state capital, 10 protesters picketed
    the local Comcast cable television office because the company
    refused their ads outlining each presidential candidate's position
    on marijuana issues.

    An uninitiated observer could be forgiven for thinking a full-
    blown marijuana movement had sprung up in famously conservative
    New Hampshire. And that, said activist Aaron Houston of the
    Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project, was the point.
    "Everyone is paying attention now, and it gives us the opportunity
    to get our message out," he said.

    As the Jan. 27 presidential primary here nears, Houston's crew has
    plenty of company along New Hampshire's other campaign trail.
    Capitalizing on media attention -- and the unrivaled access to
    candidates the political culture here affords -- interest groups
    are waging a parallel drive to push their issues to the top of the
    national political agenda.

(See http://www.mpp.org/states/site/quicknews.cgi?key=5881 for the full article.)

And, on January 1, The Washington Post ran another story --
http://www.mpp.org/NH/news_5882.html -- this time on how the
presidential campaigns and MPP are using auto-calls to educate
New Hampshire voters on the candidates' positions. "At least one
interest group campaigning in the state -- the Washington-based
Marijuana Policy Project -- has also adopted the technique" of calling
mass numbers of voters, the Post reported.

Media coverage isn't the goal, however. It is but one tool that MPP
uses to increase its credibility with the presidential campaigns. And
it is working.

A few weeks ago, MPP notified all nine campaigns that we would be
assigning final grades to the nine Democratic candidates on January 1,
saying that any candidate who did not pledge to end the DEA's raids on
medical marijuana patients would receive an "F" -- the same grade as
President Bush. As late as 8:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve, we were still
negotiating with one of the campaigns to improve the position of their
candidate.

Please visit http://www.GraniteStaters.com to view the candidates'
final grades. Between now and January 27 -- when New Hampshire will
hold its first-in-the-nation presidential primary election -- we will
be using TV ads and mass literature drops to educate Democratic and
independent voters about the candidates' positions on medical
marijuana.

When we launched this campaign in April 2003, we underestimated the
amount of attention and credibility our campaign would be able to
garner in just eight months. Incredibly, MPP has persuaded six of the
nine candidates to adopt positive positions on medical marijuana, to
varying degrees.

A+ - Dennis Kucinich: On May 29, Kucinich was quoted in the San
       Francisco Chronicle as supporting medical marijuana "without
       reservation" and indicated that as president he would be
       willing to sign an executive order permitting its use.

A - Carol Moseley Braun: When asked at a campaign stop in Durham on
       November 3 if she would sign legislation allowing seriously ill
       people to use medical marijuana with their doctors' approval,
       Moseley Braun responded, "Yes ... You don't have to record me,
       I'm already on record on this."

A- - John Kerry: During a town hall meeting in Henniker on Sept. 20,
       an MPP staffer asked Kerry, "Would you stop the raids, as
       president?" Kerry responded by saying simply, "Yes."

B+ - Wesley Clark: During a November 13 town hall meeting in
       Portsmouth, a volunteer for MPP's campaign asked Clark if, as
       president, he would stop the DEA's raids on seriously ill
       medical marijuana patients in the nine states that have removed
       the threat of jail for medical marijuana patients. Clark
       replied, "In a simple yes-or-no answer: Yes."

B - Al Sharpton: When an MPP volunteer asked Sharpton on December 9
       if, as president, he would stop the DEA's raids on medical
       marijuana patients, he replied, "I think that medical marijuana
       patients should not be arrested for using medical marijuana. I
       think that's something that I wouldn't do."

D- - Howard Dean: At a town hall meeting in Hampton on November 13,
       an MPP volunteer asked Dean if he would promise to permanently
       stop raids on medical marijuana patients in the states that
       have reduced or eliminated criminal penalties for the medicinal
       use of marijuana. Dean responded, "I don't believe in what
       Ashcroft's doing about medical -- putting people in prison who
       are, who have AIDS. Let me tell you what we have to do on
       medical marijuana. I stopped a medical marijuana bill in my
       legislature, and I'll tell you why. Because I'm a doctor, I
       think substances taken into your body have to be treated the
       same if they're meant to be medicines, no matter what they are.
       And I don't like people -- for the same reason I'm pro-choice
       -- I don't like people who are not in a position to make
       decisions about people's lives, like politicians particularly
       ... In the meantime, you know, I'm not in favor of legalizing
       marijuana -- I mean, maybe for medicinal use ... And so I'm not
       in favor of the kinds of raids that John Ashcroft is doing in
       those states where people have decided that medical marijuana
       is okay. I don't agree with the way it came about from a
       political process, but I'm not in favor of locking people up
       for medical marijuana like John Ashcroft is doing." Dean has
       called for a one-year moratorium on the DEA's raids; the notion
       of restarting the raids after one year, in combination with his
       actions as governor, have earned him a D- grade.

F - George Bush, John Edwards, Richard Gephardt, and Joe Lieberman:
       We tried our best, but Edwards, Gephardt, and Lieberman simply
       would not pledge to end the DEA's raids on patients. Edwards is
       particularly hypocritical, given that he admitted to having
       smoked marijuana recreationally.

Yours truly,

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

P.S. Please visit http://www.mpp.org/donate if you want to make a
     donation to MPP's work. Or you can send a check to MPP at
     P.O. Box 77492, Washington, D.C. 20013. Thank you ...

Dear Friend: December 17, 2003

Marijuana Legalization under attack

Comcast, the largest cable TV provider in the nation, has told the
Marijuana Policy Project that it will not run any kind of marijuana
policy reform ads, including medical marijuana ads. This national
policy, which Comcast refuses to put in writing, was brought about by
MPP's campaign in New Hampshire.

Call Comcast and tell them your concern on this issue!!!

MPP was seeking to spend approximately $10,000 on "issue ads" in mid-
January to pressure the presidential candidates to strengthen their
medical marijuana positions before they leave the state on January 27
(the date of New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primary
election).

We are fighting back. As a short-term solution, a congressional
candidate in New Hampshire said he is willing to run MPP's medical
marijuana message in his own TV ads. (Under federal law, TV networks
and cable TV providers cannot refuse advertising money from federal
candidates!)

As a long-term solution, however, MPP must sue Comcast. Would you
please visit http://www.mpp.org/donate to help get this unexpected
lawsuit off the ground? If you so choose, your donation can be tax-
deductible.

For the long-term health of MPP and the marijuana policy reform
movement, it is absolutely crucial that we change Comcast's policy. If
we do not, we will not be able to purchase the necessary airtime to
pass ballot initiatives, pressure elected officials, and educate the
public about the need to end marijuana prohibition.

This year alone, the White House drug czar's office is spending
$145,000,000 of taxpayer money to run anti-marijuana scare ads. And,
in the meantime, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America is receiving
$50,000,000 worth of free airtime to run its own untruthful TV ads.
Yes, that's right ...

To add insult to injury, Comcast recently announced it is donating
$50,000,000 worth of free airtime to PDFA. Please see
http://www.mpp.org/releases/nr122203gsmm.html for MPP's news release,
which features our protest outside of Comcast's Manchester office on
December 22.

We have been researching our legal options, and it's pretty clear that
the case law makes it very hard for us to win a broad-based lawsuit
against Comcast.

However, we have a fighting chance in court if (1) Comcast has a
virtual monopoly in a geographic region, and (2) this monopoly has
been granted by a local or state government (as opposed to a voluntary
lack of competition by other companies). In addition, in order to
strengthen our First Amendment argument, we plan to sue Comcast in a
state where a marijuana policy reform initiative is likely to appear
on an upcoming ballot.

Please consider visiting http://www.mpp.org/donate to help pay for the
MPP staff time and legal fees associated with this lawsuit. Given
what's at stake, we absolutely must file this lawsuit -- and soon.

One added benefit of this lawsuit is that it is sure to generate a
substantial amount of free media coverage. This media coverage will be
enormously positive for MPP and the forces of medical marijuana.
Newspaper editorial boards across the nation -- which almost
universally oppose censorship and support a free and open political
debate -- will run editorials against Comcast and in favor of MPP.

We are playing to win in court. But, even if we lose in court, we
might be able to cause Comcast to buckle because all of this free
media coverage will (1) be bad for their business, and (2) help
promote a political cause they oppose.

To supplement this barrage of publicity, MPP is now also calling for a
nationwide boycott of Comcast. The boycott starts with me, as I will
be signing up with Starpower at home instead of Comcast in a couple of
days.

Please visit http://www.mpp.org/donate to fight Comcast's censorship
of the marijuana policy reform perspective.

Comcast's ban is particularly chilling when one considers that
Congress is poised to enact a law banning all marijuana policy reform
advertising on public transit systems that receive federal money
(which is almost all of them). See http://mpp.org/DC/news_5704.html
for details.

If you are one of the 31,500 people on this e-mail list who have never
donated to our work, your donation to the lawsuit will automatically
make you an MPP member. If you are one of the 8,800 supporters who
have let their MPP memberships lapse, your donation today will renew
your membership.

If you are one of MPP's 5,000 current members ... which includes 158
Lifetime Members who have donated $1,000 or more in one calendar year
... as well as 515 people who make automatic credit card donations
each month ... thank you, thank you, thank you.

Would you please make a year-end donation at http://www.mpp.org/donate
so that we can launch our lawsuit against Comcast as soon as possible?
Thank you in advance for considering this request.

Sincerely,

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

P.S. To mail in a check, please direct it to "MPP" or "MPP Foundation"
     at P.O. Box 77492, Washington, D.C. 20013. Donations to MPP are
     not tax-deductible, while donations to MPP Foundation are tax-
     deductible.

Dear Friend: December 17, 2003

The federal government's war on medical marijuana users is crumbling.

Yesterday, the largest federal appeals court in the country ruled that
federal laws against marijuana may not apply to sick people who use
medical marijuana with the approval of their physicians in states
where medical marijuana is legal. (Please see http://www.mpp.org for
MPP's news release and various news articles.)

As a result, Angel Raich and Diane Monson -- the two California
patients who originally sued the U.S. Justice Department on October 9,
2002 -- are now legally allowed to use, possess, and grow their own
marijuana. The DEA and John Ashcroft's thugs are now prohibited from
arresting or harassing Raich and Monson unless a future court ruling
overturns yesterday's court victory.

Yesterday's ruling falls on the heels of our October 14 victory with
the U.S. Supreme Court, which decided not to hear the U.S. Justice
Department's appeal to criminalize physicians who recommend the
medical use of marijuana. (See http://mpp.org/releases/nr101403.html
for details.)

The MPP grants program has been the primary funder of this litigation,
but the courts are not what concern me. Congressman Mark Souder (R-IN)
has announced his intention to introduce legislation to impose
mandatory minimum prison sentences for patients who grow a few dozen
marijuana plants, and Congressman Ernest Istook (R-OK) is responsible
for legislation that will soon ban any marijuana policy advertising --
including privately funded medical marijuana ads -- on public transit
systems in most U.S. cities.

Please donate today at http://www.mpp.org/donate so that MPP can
afford to fight the monumental battle of preventing Congress from
nullifying yesterday's court victory.

Randy Barnett, the Boston University constitutional law professor who
successfully argued the case for Raich and Monson, is saying this case
sets a new precedent. "It's the first time there's been a ruling that
the application of the Controlled Substances Act to the application of
cultivation of medical cannabis is unconstitutional," he said.

The California court drew on major court decisions that in recent
years have limited the federal government's authority to control guns,
pornography, and domestic violence. As with those matters, the court
yesterday ruled that attempts to regulate purely intrastate medical
marijuana activity fall outside the federal government's reach.

The U.S. Justice Department will surely appeal yesterday's ruling.
Sometime next year, the courts will decide whether yesterday's ruling
will protect patients in all western states that have medical
marijuana laws (which would include Alaska, California, Hawaii,
Nevada, Oregon, and Washington), all medical marijuana states in the
nation (which would also include Colorado and Maine) or -- if
yesterday's decision is overturned -- no states at all.

As the end of the year approaches, please consider donating to MPP's
work at http://www.mpp.org/donate so that we will have the resources
to lobby on Capitol Hill, generate grassroots pressure on Congress,
and stimulate positive news coverage to preserve yesterday's court
victory.

In short, the court ruled that Congress likely doesn't have the
constitutional authority to ban the following activities: "The class
of activities at issue in this case can properly be defined as the
intrastate, noncommercial cultivation, possession and use of marijuana
for personal medical purposes on the advice of a physician and in
accordance with state law. This class of activities does not involve
sale, exchange, or distribution." (page 14)

Below my signature line is the court's description of Raich's and
Monson's medical conditions. When you read it, please keep in mind
that the Bush administration's Justice Department was litigating -- at
taxpayer expense -- that these two women should be prevented from
using their medicine. And, should they use their medicine, they should
be arrested and put in prison.

Sincerely,

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

P.S. The court wrote the following on pages 5-6 of its opinion:

     "Angel McClary Raich and Diane Monson (the "patient-appellants")
      are California citizens who currently use marijuana as a medical
      treatment. Appellant Raich has been diagnosed with more than ten
      serious medical conditions, including an inoperable brain tumor,
      life-threatening weight loss, a seizure disorder, nausea, and
      several chronic pain disorders. Appellant Monson suffers from
      severe chronic back pain and constant, painful muscle spasms.
      Her doctor states that these symptoms are caused by a
      degenerative disease of the spine.

     "Raich has been using marijuana as a medication for over five
      years, every two waking hours of every day. Her doctor contends
      that Raich has tried essentially all other legal alternatives
      and all are either ineffective or result in intolerable side
      effects; her doctor has provided a list of thirty-five
      medications that fall into the latter category alone. Raich's
      doctor states that foregoing marijuana treatment may be fatal."

Dear Friend: December 17, 2003

As 2003 comes to a close, would you please consider visiting
https://secure.mpp.org/donate/ann_index.php?ref=792 to join the
Marijuana Policy Project? Without the financial support of our 14,000
dues-paying members, MPP would not be able to continue our campaign to
end the government's war on marijuana users.

If you so choose, your donation can be tax-deductible. And if you
donate $40 or more -- or pledge just $5 per month on your credit card
-- we will send you our new MPP t-shirt or the new video, "BUSTED",
which explains how to use your Fourth Amendment rights to refuse
police searches. The t-shirt and video make for perfect gifts for your
family and friends.

The need to understand our constitutional rights has never been
greater, as American police agencies and the U.S. government edge
closer and closer toward authoritarianism ...

On November 5, police raided a high school in Goose Creek, South
Carolina, in an effort to purge the school of drugs. After rounding up
the students and searching their lockers, no drugs were found and no
charges have been filed. Throughout much of the search, police pointed
guns at the students' heads.

According to "The New York Times" on December 9, two-thirds of the 107
students caught up in the sweep were black, even though black students
comprise less than one-quarter of the student body.

Please visit http://www.mpp.org to see the photo from the school's
surveillance tape, which shows police drawing guns on the students,
handcuffing them, and making them lie on the floor or kneel with their
faces to the wall.

"I assumed that they were trying to protect us, that it was like
Columbine, that somebody got in the school that was crazy or
dangerous," one student said. "But then a police officer pointed a gun
at me. It was really scary."

A local prosecutor has asked the state attorney general and the
U.S. attorney's office to decide whether the students' rights
were violated.

And a coalition of 17 students has filed a class action lawsuit
against the school district and the police department for an
unspecified amount of money, an injunction against another such raid,
and a declaration that their constitutional rights had been violated.
The suit also levels charges of assault, battery, and false arrest.

In response to the police's Gestapo tactics, "The Augusta Chronicle"
in Georgia wrote the following as part of a stinging editorial, which
you can read at http://www.mpp.org:

    "Let's talk about what these frightening tactics say. They say
    that our children are all presumed guilty. That law enforcement
    can do whatever it wants to search for drugs. That fishing with a
    net, rather than a hook, is a good way to catch drug dealers. That
    lazy police work can carry the day. And that our children have
    more to fear from police than from the bad guys. This raid was
    un-American. We do not want to live in a country in which storm
    troopers are liable to swoop down on us at any time to demand we
    prove our innocence."

As we all know, the war on drugs is mostly a war on marijuana users.
If and when MPP succeeds in our goal of regulating marijuana similarly
to alcohol, dangerous and un-American police raids like the one in
South Carolina will become things of the past. (While alcohol remains
illegal for young people, police officers are not pointing guns at the
heads of adolescents who are caught with beer.)

Please visit https://secure.mpp.org/donate/ann_index.php?ref=792 to
make your most generous donation to MPP today.

And Congress is also doing its best to subvert the American ideal of
freedom ...

On December 8, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that
prohibits any local transit system that receives federal funding from
running privately funded ads that call for marijuana policy reform.
Worse yet, the bill also gives the White House drug czar's office
$145,000,000 of taxpayer money to run anti-marijuana propaganda ads.

That's right. Congress wants to run anti-marijuana ads with your tax
money, while at the same time banning you from using your own money to
run ads in support of marijuana policy reform, including ads about
medical marijuana.

In three or four weeks, MPP will e-mail you an update to advise you on
what you can do to fight this legislation, which the U.S. Senate will
debate and vote on in late January. In the meantime, please visit
https://secure.mpp.org/donate/ann_index.php?ref=792 to make a donation
to MPP, which will be working over the holidays to lobby Congress and
generate media coverage to oppose this outrageous legislation.

For more details, please visit http://www.mpp.org to read the "Oakland
Tribune" and "The Washington Post" articles on this controversy.

And while you're there, would you please visit
https://secure.mpp.org/donate/ann_index.php?ref=792 to fund MPP's
efforts to oppose this terrible federal legislation?

Thanks again for anything you can do to help.

Sincerely,

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

P.S. Again, by donating $40 or more -- or pledging just $5 per month
     on your credit card -- we will send you our new MPP t-shirt or
     the new video, "BUSTED", which explains how to use your Fourth
     Amendment rights to refuse police searches. Thank you ...

======================================================================

TO:      Marijuana policy reform advocates

FROM:    Steve Fox, MPP director of government relations

DATE:    Thursday, November 20, 2003

SUBJECT: Take action -- New bill in Congress would increase penalties
         for marijuana-related offenses and increase harms to
         marijuana users

======================================================================

Can you imagine a bill that intentionally forces marijuana users to
inhale a greater amount of tar and carbon monoxide? What about a bill
that dramatically increases penalties on medical marijuana providers
who develop high-quality strains of marijuana for seriously ill
patients?

The Drug Sentencing Reform Act, scheduled to be introduced by
U.S. Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) within the next few days, would
accomplish these "goals." Please call your U.S. representative today
and urge him or her not to cosponsor this bill. See below for details
about how to do this.

While the most prominent objective of this bill is to ensure that
individuals convicted of drug-related offenses in federal court
receive the longest possible prison sentences, the bill would also --
for the first time in history -- increase penalties for marijuana
producers based on THC levels. For example, under the provisions of
this bill, a medical marijuana provider in California convicted in
federal court for possession of just 33 plants with a THC content of
between 13 and 25 percent would be sentenced "to a term of
imprisonment which may not be less than 5 years." Previously, a 5-year
mandatory minimum applied to the possession of more than 100 plants.

By dramatically increasing penalties on the distribution of marijuana
with higher THC content, this bill would ensure that lower-quality
marijuana is sold to children (and adults, of course). This will not
decrease the number of Americans smoking marijuana; it will simply
increase the amount of tar and carbon monoxide inhaled by Americans
while they are smoking.

Members of Congress must understand that their constituents support
harm reduction policies, not harm exacerbation policies.

Please call your U.S. representative toll-free by using the Capitol
Switchboard at 800-839-5276. This switchboard operates 24 hours a day.
So if you are inspired to call after normal business hours, the
operator will transfer you to your U.S. representative's office and
you can leave a voice mail message. Of course, calling during business
hours is preferable.

Here is a sample script for you to use when you call:

   "Hello, my name is ______________ and I live in ______________.
    I am calling to urge Representative __________________ not to
    cosponsor the Drug Sentencing Reform Act being introduced by
    Representative Souder [rhymes with powder]. This bill would
    dramatically increase penalties on individuals growing medical
    marijuana in accordance with state law. It would also ensure that
    smoking marijuana is even more harmful to children than it is
    under current law. This is not a bill that Representative ________
    should support."

If you are not certain who your U.S. representative is, go to
http://www.house.gov/writerep , enter your state and zip code (your
five-digit zip should work), and click the "Contact My Representative"
button. The name of your U.S. representative should appear on the next
page.

As noted above, this bill is also designed to limit the ability of
federal judges to reduce prison sentences for defendants convicted of
drug-related offenses. For example, under the provisions of this bill,
a judge would be prohibited from reducing a defendant's sentence based
on family or community ties -- factors that could still be considered
in non-drug-related cases.

The Marijuana Policy Project will be working with many other
individuals and organizations to fight this bill. It will not be
passed without a major fight. Thank you for doing your part to stop
it.

======================================================================

Please visit http://www.mpp.org/USA/donate.html or write to MPP,
P.O. Box 77492, Washington, D.C. 20013 to donate to our lobbying work
on Capitol Hill.

Dear Friends October 16, 2003

In an historic victory for medical marijuana patients and doctors, the
U.S. Supreme Court today declined to hear "Conant v. Walters", letting
stand an appellate court ruling barring the federal government from
punishing physicians who recommend medical marijuana to patients. The
ACLU was instrumental in this victory.

Today (Tuesday) at 6:37 p.m. Eastern time, MPP's Rob Kampia will
debate a spokesperson from the White House drug czar's office on PBS's
"NewsHour with Jim Lehrer". (The debate will take place live at 6:37,
but the program may not air live in your area -- please check local
listings at http://www.pbs.org .) The drug czar's office, whose
official name is the White House Office of National Drug Control
Policy, will be represented by Andrea Barthwell, M.D. The debate will
last nine minutes.

Please see ...
* http://www.mpp.org/releases/nr101403.html for MPP's news release
* http://www.mpp.org/states/site/quicknews.cgi?key=5167 for the
    AP article

By deciding not to hear this case, the U.S. Supreme Court has
eliminated any doubt that states have the right to protect medical
marijuana patients under state law, and that physicians have the right
to give patients honest advice and recommendations, whether the
federal government approves or not.

At issue in "Conant" was the right of physicians to recommend
marijuana to patients when they believe its use would be beneficial.
After California voters passed the state's medical marijuana law,
Proposition 215, in 1996, the federal government threatened to revoke
the DEA registrations of physicians who recommend marijuana -- taking
away their right to prescribe any controlled substance and effectively
putting them out of business.

A group of California physicians and patients, led by AIDS specialist
Marcus Conant, M.D., sued in federal court, arguing that physicians
have a First Amendment right to freely discuss any potentially
beneficial treatment with patients. The doctors and patients won on
both the district court and appellate levels, winning a unanimous
ruling in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The U.S. Justice
Department, led by Attorney General John Ashcroft, asked the
U.S. Supreme Court to review the 9th Circuit ruling. Today, the
U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case, thereby letting the
9th Circuit court victory stand.

Our phones are ringing off the hook, so you might see or hear other
MPP representatives in the news over the next 24 hours. For instance,
I'll be on the national "Here and Now" radio show tomorrow (Wednesday)
at noon Eastern time; the show airs on 45 NPR affiliates nationwide.

Sincerely,

Bruce Mirken
Director of Communications
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

P.S. To join MPP or otherwise donate to our work, please visit
     http://www.mpp.org/donate or mail your contribution to MPP at
     P.O. Box 77492, Washington, DC 20013. Thank you for your support.

======================================================================

TO:      Opponents of the federal government's current anti-drug media
         campaign

FROM:    Steve Fox, director of government relations

DATE:    Monday, September 29, 2003

SUBJECT: Immediate action is needed to prevent the U.S. House of
         Representatives from approving $1 billion for the drug czar's
         media campaign

======================================================================

Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 30, the U.S. House of Representatives is
scheduled to vote on the Office of National Drug Control Policy
(ONDCP) Reauthorization Act of 2003. This bill authorizes the drug
czar to spend more than $1 billion dollars over the next five years
for the continued funding of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media
Campaign. If you do not call your U.S. representative immediately,
this bill -- along with the media campaign funding -- will almost
certainly be approved.

Please call your U.S. representative toll-free by using the Capitol
Switchboard at 800-839-5276. This switchboard operates 24 hours a day.
So if you are inspired to call after normal business hours in D.C.,
the operator will transfer you to your representative's office and you
can leave a voice mail message. Of course, calling during business
hours would be preferable, if possible.

Here is a sample script for you to use when you call:

   "Hello, my name is ________________ and I live in ________________.
    I am calling to urge Representative __________________ to oppose
    the ONDCP Reauthorization Act. I do not believe that the federal
    government should be spending an additional one billion dollars on
    the anti-drug media campaign when it is actually causing an
    increase in teen drug use. I will be watching to see how
    Representative __________________ votes on H.R. 2086. Thank you."

If you are not certain who your U.S. representative is, go to
http://www.house.gov/writerep , enter your state and zip code (your
five-digit zip should work), and click the "Contact My Representative"
button. The name of your representative should appear on the next
page.

The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign has been a staggering
failure. Not only is it ineffective, but it is actually leading to
increased drug use among teens. The most recent PRIDE Survey, which
measures youth illegal drug use and was released on September 3,
reported a dramatic (51%) rise in past-month marijuana use among
junior high students and a slight increase in past-month marijuana use
by senior high students. More distressingly, the PRIDE Survey also
reported similar increases in past-month cocaine and heroin use among
all students surveyed (up 40% and 50%, respectively).

Until our government is prepared to produce serious ads that provide
honest information about harm reduction, this media campaign must be
ended. Thank you for taking action to help accomplish this goal.

======================================================================

Please visit http://www.mpp.org/USA/donate.html or write to MPP,
P.O. Box 77492, Washington, D.C. 20013 to donate to our lobbying work
on Capitol Hill.

======================================================================
Please distribute this memo widely. Forward to family and friends who
live in California, or ask them to visit http://www.mpp.org/CA
======================================================================

TO:      California residents*

FROM:    Larry Sandell, MPP assistant director of state policies

DATE:    Tuesday, September 23, 2003

SUBJECT: Help protect California's medical marijuana patients from
         arrest

======================================================================

Gov. Gray Davis (D) has been given a golden opportunity to strengthen
California's medical marijuana law, and he should use this opportunity
to prove himself to the marijuana policy reform community before the
recall vote.

S.B. 420 is a comprehensive medical marijuana bill that -- among other
improvements -- formally recognizes patient cooperatives and
collectives. Importantly, it creates an optional statewide medical
marijuana ID card system, which would thoroughly protect its
participants from arrest or harassment by police.

Please take a few moments to visit http://www.mpp.org/CA/action.html
now. After you choose your favorite pre-written letter and type in
your address, our site will automatically fax your letter to
Gov. Davis ... all with the click of a few buttons. The whole process
takes less than two minutes, but it makes a world of difference. Also,
you can print the letters and send them to the governor through
regular mail.

Let Gov. Davis know that you support S.B. 420 and are carefully
watching his actions on this bill -- especially with the impending
recall vote. If Gov. Davis neither signs nor vetoes this legislation
by October 12, it will become law without his signature.

S.B. 420 specifically allows cooperative and collective patient-run
gardens and the exchange of money for incurred expenses and services
performed by caregivers, as long as it is not for profit.

It mandates the creation of a state medical marijuana registry and
the distribution of state medical marijuana ID cards. The ID cards,
which would be optional for both patients and caregivers, would
guarantee cardholders protection from arrest. This is an improvement
over current law, which simply guarantees an affirmative defense and
affords significant protection from prosecution. Importantly, the
information contained in the registry would be confidential and,
under S.B. 420, sharing this information -- even with the federal
government -- would carry criminal penalties.

S.B. 420 allows for intrastate travel with medicine, which is not
protected under Proposition 215.

S.B. 420 sets a default limit of eight ounces of dried marijuana and
six mature plants or 12 immature plants per patient. MPP is aware that
some activists may feel that these limits would make life more
difficult for some patients who grow for themselves. However, this
bill creates a floor, not a ceiling; counties and municipalities are
permitted to raise -- but they cannot lower -- the limits. S.B. 420
will not overturn existing local guidelines. Moreover, any individual
patient who requires greater amounts of medicine will be allowed to
possess more with a recommendation from his or her doctor. This
feature of the bill is intended to specifically protect patients who
are growing medicine in "less tolerant" areas of California.

Finally, S.B. 420 invokes the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,
asserting that the use and intrastate distribution of medical
marijuana is a power reserved for the state of California and its
people, and it should be free from federal interference.

For the text of the bill, see http://www.mpp.org/CA/bills_621.html .

Please fax Gov. Davis today. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana
Policy Project. Please forward this e-mail to your family and friends
so that even more voices can speak out for reform.

======================================================================

HOW TO SUPPORT THE MARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT

MPP's state legislative alerts service is funded entirely by the
contributions of MPP allies and members nationwide. If you find MPP's
state legislative alerts service helpful, please consider making a
donation at: http://www.mpp.org/MoneyForStates

Because MPP devotes 100% of its efforts toward influencing public
policy, contributions are not tax-deductible. However, the above link
also provides a way to make a tax-deductible donation.

======================================================================
*If you live outside of California, please reply with your city and
state or zip code so that we can send you alerts that are of local
interest. To completely unsubscribe from MPP's lists, simply e-mail
us with the word REMOVE in the subject line. Thank you.

======================================================================
Please distribute this memo widely. Forward to family and friends who
live in California, or ask them to visit http://www.mpp.org/CA
======================================================================

TO:      California residents*

FROM:    Larry Sandell, MPP assistant director of state policies

DATE:    Monday, September 15, 2003

SUBJECT: Two medical marijuana bills sent to Gov. Davis

======================================================================

After some last-minute amendments, medical marijuana bill S.B. 420
passed the California Assembly on Wednesday, September 10, by a 42 to
32 vote. Two days later, the Senate approved these changes by a margin
of 24 to 14, sending the bill to Governor Gray Davis' (D) desk.
Gov. Davis now has until October 12 to sign or veto this medical
marijuana bill. If no action is taken, the bill will become law.

S.B. 420 modifies California's medical marijuana law by specifically
allowing co-operative and collective patient gardens and the exchange
of money for incurred expenses and services performed by caregivers,
as long as it is not-for-profit. It mandates the creation of a state
registry and the distribution of state medical marijuana ID cards,
which would be optional for both patients and caregivers. The bill
sets a default limit of eight ounces of dried marijuana and six mature
plants or 12 immature plants per patient. Counties and municipalities
are permitted to raise -- but cannot lower -- these limits. Moreover,
an individual patient who requires greater amounts of medicine will be
allowed to possess more with a recommendation from his or her doctor.
Finally, this final version of S.B. 420 invokes the 10th Amendment to
the U.S. Constitution, asserting that the use and intrastate
distribution of medical marijuana is a power reserved for the state of
California and its people, and it should be free from federal
interference.

S.B. 295, the bill that authorized the continuation of the California
Marijuana Research Program, is also awaiting the signature of
Gov. Davis. This legislation passed the Assembly on September 4 by a
vote of 49 to 27. And on September 9, the California Senate approved
minor changes to this research bill by a vote of 24 to 12, passing the
bill out of the legislature and onto the governor's desk.

MPP will keep you posted on the governor's actions on these bills.

S.B. 131, needing a majority vote of 41, failed by a 36 to 36 Assembly
vote on September 11. The bill would have lowered the classification
of marijuana possession (less than one ounce) from a misdemeanor to a
criminal infraction. If you had contacted legislators in hopes of
having the bill reconsidered last Friday, September 12, thank you.
Unfortunately, the bill did not receive enough support for another
Assembly vote to be called. However, S.B. 131 will still be eligible
for reconsideration when the two-year legislative session resumes in
January 2004.

And just a reminder, if you want to vote in the recall election but
are not yet registered, you must register 15 days before the election.
Visit http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/votereg1.html to register on-line
and then visit http://www.mpp.org/CA_survey2003 to see the
gubernatorial candidates' opinions on marijuana policy.

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please tell
others about this site so that even more voices can speak out for
reform.

======================================================================

HOW TO SUPPORT THE MARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT

MPP's state legislative alerts service is funded entirely by the
contributions of MPP allies and members nationwide. If you find MPP's
state legislative alerts service helpful, please consider making a
donation at: http://www.mpp.org/MoneyForStates

Because MPP devotes 100% of its efforts toward influencing public
policy, contributions are not tax-deductible. However, the above link
also provides a way to make a tax-deductible donation.

======================================================================
*If you live outside of California, please reply with your city and
state or zip code so that we can send you alerts that are of local
interest. To completely unsubscribe from MPP's lists, simply e-mail
us with the word REMOVE in the subject line. Thank you.

Dear Friend: 9 11 2003

The campaign leading up to the October 7 vote on whether to recall
California Gov. Gray Davis (D) shows that the medical marijuana issue
is truly mainstream. Indeed, support for California's medical
marijuana law is literally the only issue that six major candidates
agree on.

On September 3, in a debate between five of the most visible
gubernatorial candidates in California -- State Sen. Tom McClintock
(R), Peter Camejo (Green), Peter Ueberroth (R), Lt. Gov. Cruz
Bustamante (D), and Arianna Huffington (I) -- all expressed support
for Proposition 215, the 1996 ballot measure that made California the
first state to have legal medical marijuana.

Noted conservative Sen. McClintock took his support for medical
marijuana a step further, stating, "the federal government has no
right to intervene." And liberal political pundit Huffington pledged
that she "would actually fight the Bush administration's efforts ...
to try to circumvent the will of the people of California."

Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) did not participate in the debate, but his
support for California's medical marijuana patients was documented in
The New York Times on August 27.

Additionally, MPP sent surveys on marijuana policy to all 135
registered California gubernatorial candidates. Survey answers from
the 35 candidates who have returned them (as of September 9) are
available at http://www.mpp.org/CA_survey2003 . Amazingly, every one
of them is favorable to medical marijuana.

One particularly interesting response was from MPP member Jonathan
Miller (D) who, as governor, might consider moving medical marijuana
"dispensing locations onto state government property where it would be
more difficult for federal agents to enter and apprehend providers and
patients."

Unfortunately, support for medical marijuana is far from unanimous
among candidates in the presidential election. To see where these
candidates stand today, please visit http://www.GraniteStaters.com .
Perhaps, in just a few short years, political leaders across the
nation will learn from the sensible and compassionate example set by
their peers in California.

Sincerely,

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

P.S. To join MPP or otherwise donate to our work, please visit
http://www.mpp.org/donate or mail your contribution to MPP at
P.O. Box 77492, Washington, DC 20013. Thank you for your support.

Dear Friend: 9 4 2003

In an historic decision on Friday, August 29, the Alaska Court of
Appeals ruled that the privacy clause of the Alaska Constitution
protects personal possession of marijuana. This ruling -- which
overturned the conviction of a North Pole man charged with marijuana
possession -- re-legalizes the possession and/or cultivation of up to
four ounces of marijuana in one's home anywhere in Alaska.

The Alaska state government has vowed to appeal the case to the Alaska
Supreme Court, which will presumably rule on the matter sometime next
year. Please visit http://www.mpp.org to read two news articles about
the decision.

In 1975, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in "Ravin v. State of Alaska"
that a fundamental constitutional right to privacy protects personal
marijuana possession. Because of "Ravin," an individual could legally
possess up to four ounces of marijuana for personal use after 1975.

In 1990, a voter initiative changed state law to make possession of
any amount of marijuana illegal, even in one's own home.

The appellate court decision on Friday deemed the 1990 voter
initiative unconstitutional, on the grounds that a popular voter
initiative cannot overturn a core constitutional principle. Please
visit http://www.mpp.org/pdf/AK_decision_082903.pdf to read the court
ruling.

When this case is decided by the Alaska Supreme Court, Alaska could
serve as a model for states to allow responsible adult use of
marijuana without the fear of arrest or imprisonment.

Sincerely,

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

P.S. To join MPP or otherwise donate to our work, please visit
http://www.mpp.org/donate or mail your contribution to MPP,
P.O. Box 77492, Washington, DC 20013. Thank you for your support.

======================================================================
SAVE THE DATE: September 22-24, 2003, will be days of remembrance and
lobbying for Cheryl Miller and all those who have died before they
could legally access their medicine. For more information, please
visit http://www.cheryldcmemorial.org .
======================================================================

TO:      Marijuana policy reform advocates

FROM:    Alexis Baden-Mayer, MPP national field director

DATE:    Wednesday, August 20, 2003

SUBJECT: Take action in Cheryl Miller's memory to pass the federal
         medical marijuana legislation for which she fought

======================================================================

Too many Americans suffering from conditions for which marijuana can
be beneficial -- or can make their suffering more bearable -- die
without ever being able to legally access it. Sadly, Cheryl Miller
(May 21, 1946 - June 7, 2003), who lived with multiple sclerosis for
32 years, is now among them. While she was alive, Cheryl openly defied
state and federal laws to claim her right to use marijuana, the only
medicine that reduced the pain and spasticity of her degenerative
condition.

Please write to Congress in her memory and ask your elected officials
to pass the bill she advocated, H.R. 2233, the States' Rights to
Medical Marijuana Act. You can fax a pre-written letter from MPP's Web
site by visiting http://www.mpp.org/Remember_Cheryl . This link will
take you directly to a page where you will enter your address. You
then just need to click send when the letter appears (although you
should feel free to edit it first).

Cheryl Miller risked her health and freedom countless times to share
her personal experiences with politicians and the public. This is a
risk that few medical marijuana patients living outside the law are
willing to take. Cheryl not only admitted that she used medical
marijuana; she had the courage to take a public stand. After getting
arrested for eating marijuana in a congressional office, Cheryl
explained, "Every day, I live in fear that my husband and I will be
arrested and imprisoned. I was arrested today so that some day, other
patients will not have to be."

Please take action to help realize Cheryl's goal of freeing medical
marijuana patients from the fear of arrest by visiting
http://www.mpp.org/Remember_Cheryl . Cheryl devoted 10 of the most
difficult years of her life to this cause. It takes only two minutes
to honor her memory by sending a pre-written letter to Congress.
======================================================================

Please visit http://www.mpp.org/USA/donate.html or write to MPP,
P.O. Box 77492, Washington, D.C. 20013 to donate to our lobbying work
on Capitol Hill.

Dear Friend July 23rd 2003

Today, July 23, the U.S. House of Representatives surprised the nation
by voting 152-273 on an amendment that would have prevented the DEA
and the U.S. Justice Department from spending any more money to raid
and prosecute medical marijuana patients and providers. This is the
first time in the history of the country that the full House or Senate
has voted on legislation to end the federal government's war on
medical marijuana.

Today's vote was closer than anyone had expected, in large part
because of the letters that members and allies of the Marijuana Policy
Project have been faxing to their U.S. representatives. MPP -- in
conjunction with the American Liberty Foundation, Americans for Safe
Access, Change the Climate, Drug Policy Alliance, Drug Reform
Coordination Network, and the Libertarian Party -- generated tens of
thousands of faxes, e-mails, and phone calls to Capitol Hill in the
past few days, showing U.S. House members for the first time the
collective strength of the medical marijuana grassroots movement.

I want to publicly thank U.S. Reps. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Dana
Rohrabacher (R-CA), Ron Paul (R-TX), and Sam Farr (D-CA) for
sponsoring the amendment and giving strong speeches on the House floor
yesterday in support of today's vote.

Would you please do two things right now to help MPP follow up on
today's vote?

* Please visit http://www.mpp.org/USA/donate.html to donate to MPP's
    congressional lobbying efforts, which are severely underfunded.

* Please visit http://www.mpp.org/DefundDEA to fax a pre-written
    letter of praise or "punishment" to your U.S. House member.

======================================================================

Please visit http://www.mpp.org/USA/donate.html to donate to MPP's
congressional lobbying efforts.

   For months leading up to today's vote, the MPP staff has spent
   hundreds of hours (1) lobbying on Capitol Hill, (2) working with
   numerous U.S. representatives to send letters of support to their
   colleagues, (3) lining up congressional sponsors and news coverage
   on H.R. 1717, the "Truth in Trials Act," currently pending in the
   U.S. House, (4) generating votes and publicity on medical marijuana
   amendments in committee that built momentum for today's vote in the
   full House, and (5) keeping you informed of all these congressional
   developments through MPP's e-mail alerts.

   In addition, MPP worked with the Drug Policy Alliance and the
   American Civil Liberties Union to take out a full-page ad in
   today's issue of "Roll Call," which all members of Congress and
   their staff read. Please see http://www.mpp.org/DefundDEA/ad for
   the ad.

   Of the 32,000 subscribers on this e-mail list, approximately 6,000
   are current dues-paying members, 3,000 are people who have let
   their memberships in MPP expire, and 1,000 are people whose
   memberships will be expiring within the next month. To determine
   your membership expiration date, please check your membership card
   that we mailed you a couple weeks ago, which was included with our
   annual report. If you did not receive that mailing, then you are
   one of the 22,000 people on this e-mail list who have never donated
   to MPP.

   We need to continue turning up the heat on Congress to ensure that
   our next vote is even stronger than today's vote, which will take
   more time and money. Unfortunately, MPP's members are donating less
   money to our work this year than they did last year, despite the
   fact that MPP has more victories to speak of, including the
   enactment of our medical marijuana bill in Maryland on May 22 --
   the first time a Republican governor has signed such medical
   marijuana legislation.

   Would you please consider using this opportunity to visit
   http://www.mpp.org/USA/donate.html to renew your membership, make a
   special donation, or join MPP for the first time?

======================================================================

Please visit http://www.mpp.org/DefundDEA to fax a letter of praise or
"punishment" to your U.S. House member.

   As I mentioned above, faxes from individuals across the country had
   a significant impact on this vote. I am now hoping that you will
   continue to make Congress aware of the widespread support for
   medical marijuana by responding to your U.S. representative's vote.
   If we hope to have greater success in the future, it is critically
   important that members of Congress receive feedback from their
   constituents after casting votes on marijuana policy reform.

   Visit http://www.mpp.org/house2003 to see how your U.S.
   representative voted. You will then be able to select the
   appropriate Take Action item, depending on whether your U.S.
   representative voted "yes" or "no" on the amendment.

   In either case, you will simply need to enter your address, click
   to choose a sample letter, and then hit send when the letter
   appears. The entire process will take only two minutes. Of course,
   you should feel free to edit the letter as you like.

======================================================================

What is MPP's analysis of today's vote and our plan for the future?

   Although we lost today, the vote was an impressive showing when one
   considers that (1) fully 67% of House Democrats voted for the
   amendment, which is about the same percentage of the American
   people who support medical marijuana, and (2) a surprising 15 House
   Republicans bucked their hostile congressional leaders and the
   White House to vote "yes" for our amendment.

   Of the 10 House members who weren't present for today's vote, four
   verifiably would have voted for our amendment, which means we now
   have 156 of the 218 votes that are needed to achieve the ultimate
   victory on the House floor. Or, to look at it another way, of the
   279 House members who either voted "no" or weren't present today,
   we need to persuade only 62 to come to our side in order to attain
   a 218-vote majority.

   The medical marijuana movement has come a long way since 1998, when
   we lost a House floor vote on a non-binding medical marijuana
   resolution by a substantial 311-94 margin. (The 1998 vote was the
   only other roll-call vote on any kind of medical marijuana
   legislation on the House or Senate floor in history.) Today's vote
   was much closer, and it was on a binding, strong piece of
   legislation that would have ended the federal government's war on
   medical marijuana.

   We are now within striking distance of victory, and we expect
   another vote on the Hinchey/Rohrabacher amendment on next year's
   U.S. Justice Department spending bill, which would take place in
   the summer of 2004. Between now and then, MPP will be organizing
   supportive constituents in the congressional districts of the 62 or
   more House members who did not vote "yes" today -- but whom we have
   identified as the most persuadable on our issue.

To achieve this majority support in the House, we need you to
(1) donate to MPP today, and (2) use our on-line fax system to
praise or punish your House member for how he or she voted today.

Thank you in advance if you are willing to take action in these
two ways.

Sincerely,

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

P.S. In the meantime, we have been working with supportive U.S.
     senators to introduce a medical marijuana bill in the Senate
     later this year. We'll update you on our progress on the Senate
     side this fall.

P.P.S. Please visit http://www.mpp.org/USA/donate.html or write to
       MPP, P.O. Box 77492, Washington, D.C. 20013 to donate to our
       lobbying work on Capitol Hill.

======================================================================
Please distribute this memo widely. Forward to family and friends, or
ask them to visit http://www.mpp.org/DefundDEA immediately.
======================================================================

TO:      Marijuana policy reform advocates

FROM:    Alexis Baden-Mayer, MPP national field director

DATE:    Monday, July 21, 2003

SUBJECT: Act now to defund government's war on medical marijuana

======================================================================

If you take two minutes now to contact your U.S. House member, you
will play an important part in ending the DEA's raids and the federal
government's war on medical marijuana patients and providers. Like
never before, the Marijuana Policy Project needs you to take action
now.

On Wednesday or Thursday of this week, the full U.S. House of
Representatives is scheduled to vote on the issue of medical marijuana
the first time in five years!

U.S. Reps. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), with
the support of Reps. Ron Paul (R-TX), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and many
other House members, are planning to propose a medical marijuana
amendment to the Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations bill. Quite
simply, the amendment would prevent the DEA and the Justice Department
from spending any money to investigate or raid medical marijuana
patients and providers in the states where medical marijuana is legal.
It is urgent that you let your U.S. representative know -- today or
Tuesday -- that you want him or her to vote for the Hinchey/
Rohrabacher amendment. Here's how:

FAX ...

The easiest thing to do is to fax your U.S. representative a pre-
written letter from our Web site at http://www.mpp.org/DefundDEA .
The entire process takes only two minutes. After you enter your
address, you will see links to a selection of sample letters; please
choose a letter, edit it if you like, and then fax it to your U.S.
representative with one final click.

If you are feeling inspired, we strongly encourage you to personalize
your letter. (But whatever you do, please make sure that the letter
clearly asks your U.S. representative to vote for the Hinchey/
Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment to the Commerce-Justice-State
Appropriations bill on the House floor.)

PHONE ...

You can also call your U.S. representative's office through the
Capitol switchboard. If you don't know the name of your U.S.
representative, you can give the switchboard operator your city or zip
code and he or she will connect you to your U.S. representative's
office:

   877-762-8762 (toll-free)
   800-648-3516 (toll-free)
   202-225-3121

Sample phone script:

   "Hi, my name is ____________, and I vote in _____________ (city).
    I'm calling to ask Representative _________________ to vote for
    the Hinchey/Rohrabacher amendment to the Commerce-Justice-State
    Appropriations bill. This amendment would stop the federal
    government's raids on medical marijuana patients and providers in
    California and the other eight states where medical marijuana is
    legal."

AND SPREAD THE WORD ...

Please forward this e-mail message to your friends and family, ideally
with a short introduction from you that personally asks them to take
action. Or, if you prefer, you can use the "Tell a Friend" function on
our Web site at http://www.mpp.org/DefundDEA/friend .

The importance of the pending vote on the House floor cannot be
overstated. It is literally the most important vote on marijuana
policy in Congress in decades. Please help us achieve victory by
visiting http://www.mpp.org/DefundDEA immediately. Thank you in
advance for contacting your U.S. representative on this urgent matter.

======================================================================

Please visit http://www.mpp.org/USA/donate.html or write to MPP,
P.O. Box 77492, Washington, D.C. 20013 to donate to our lobbying work
on Capitol Hill.

Dear Friend July 12th 2003

This is a busy time in the nation's capital. Congress is currently
considering a number of bills and a nomination related to marijuana
policy. As a result, the Marijuana Policy Project has sent many
requests for action to its e-mail subscribers. You will be pleased to
know that in this alert you will not be asked to do anything.

The purpose of this alert is to describe a very encouraging event that
occurred in Congress this week. On Wednesday, the U.S. House Judiciary
Committee considered the Office of National Drug Control Policy
(ONDCP) Reauthorization Act of 2003. The Democrats on the committee
did not rubberstamp this bill; instead, they used the hearing as an
opportunity to attack not only the Bush administration's medical
marijuana policy, but also the war on drugs in its entirety.

U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) pressed the medical marijuana issue.
First, he proposed an amendment that would have ended the drug czar's
practice of interfering in state efforts to pass medical marijuana
legislation. Then, he proposed another amendment that would have
prevented the drug czar from approving the budget of any agency that
used funds to arrest medical marijuana patients. All Democrats in
attendance supported the latter amendment. (There was not a roll call
vote on the first amendment.)

More surprising was the vehemence with which the Democrats denounced
the war on drugs. The spark that lit the fuse for this explosion was
an amendment proposed by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), which would
have deleted the entire reauthorization bill. Saying that the bill was
"not worth the paper it is printed on," Rep. Waters declared that
ONDCP is "wasteful, ineffective and unworthy." U.S. Rep. Melvin Watt
(D-NC) called the war on drugs a "dismal failure" and said that there
is nothing he is more embarrassed about than the federal government's
drug policy.

Nadler and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) also had harsh words
for the war on drugs, while the committee's ranking member, U.S. Rep.
John Conyers (D-MI), decried the growing number of prisoners in this
country serving time for nonviolent drug offenses. In the end, 10 of
11 Democrats in attendance voted in favor of deleting the entire bill.

The momentum for marijuana policy reform is clearly building. You can
almost feel the once-seemingly impenetrable wall of the war on drugs
starting to crumble. MPP is excited to be involved in this fight and
looks forward to keeping you posted about future developments.

Sincerely,

Steve Fox
Director of Government Relations
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

P.S. Please visit http://www.mpp.org/USA/donate.html or write to
MPP, P.O. Box 77492, Washington, D.C. 20013 to donate to our
lobbying work on Capitol Hill.

======================================================================
7 11 2003
TO:      Marijuana policy reform advocates

FROM:    Alexis Baden-Mayer, MPP national field director

DATE:    Thursday, July 10, 2003

SUBJECT: Senator Durbin says he'll vote against DEA nominee; encourage
         your U.S. senators to do the same

======================================================================

President Bush's nominee for DEA administrator, Karen Tandy, has
promised to continue the raids on state-approved medical marijuana
patients and providers if she is confirmed. Please write to your U.S.
senators to tell them, "Don't confirm the raids! Don't confirm Karen
Tandy!" Visit http://DontConfirm.org/take_action.html to fax a pre-
written letter now.

The Marijuana Policy Project's "Don't Confirm the Raids" campaign is
gaining momentum. Today, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Richard
Durbin (D-IL), and the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee's ranking
member, Patrick Leahy (D-VT), all spoke out against Tandy's refusal to
stop the DEA raids on state-approved medical marijuana patients and
providers. Senator Durbin even said he would vote against Tandy!
(Please visit http://DontConfirm.org/durbin.html to see Tandy's
answers to Sen. Durbin's questions on medical marijuana, then visit
http://DontConfirm.org/senators.html to see a summary of the senators'
statements from today's committee hearing.)

The full Senate will vote on Tandy's confirmation as early as next
week. Visit http://DontConfirm.org/take_action.html now. The entire
process only takes two minutes. After you enter your address, you will
see links to a selection of sample letters; choose one, edit it if you
like, and then fax it to your senators with one final click.

Thank you for helping us show the Senate how strong the movement for
marijuana policy reform is. The Senate cannot ignore the will of the
80 percent of Americans who oppose the DEA's raids on medical
marijuana patients.

======================================================================
To show your support for this campaign with a financial contribution,
please visit http://DontConfirm/support .
======================================================================

======================================================================

TO:      Interested persons

FROM:    Alexis Baden-Mayer, MPP national field director

DATE:    Thursday, June 26, 2003

SUBJECT: DEA nominee put on the spot by the Marijuana Policy Project

======================================================================

It appears that between three and five U.S. senators, including
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), will be submitting written questions
about medical marijuana to Karen Tandy, President Bush's nominee for
DEA administrator. This is a major achievement for MPP's "Don't
Confirm the Raids" campaign, a grassroots and direct lobbying effort
aimed at making medical marijuana the focus of the DEA confirmation
hearings. (Please see http://DontConfirm.org .)

As an added bonus, MPP, with the help of Suzanne Pfeil, a medical
marijuana patient with post-polio syndrome, has revealed Karen Tandy
to be nothing more than a coward. After Tandy's hearing before the
Senate Judiciary Committee, Pfeil waited patiently to hand her a
letter. Instead of approaching Pfeil, Tandy tried to sneak away
through a back door. Undeterred, Pfeil actually chased Tandy down the
halls of Congress -- in her wheelchair -- to hand-deliver her letter.
(To read about -- and see pictures of -- Pfeil's adventure, please see
http://DontConfirm.org/confront.html .)

Without the work of the campaign, Karen Tandy could have been
confirmed as DEA administrator without ever revealing her position on
medical marijuana. Now, her position will likely be made public. If
she doesn't signal an intention to stop Asa Hutchinson's policy of
raiding the homes and cooperatives of patients and providers acting in
accordance with California's medical marijuana laws, MPP will call for
senators to oppose Karen Tandy's confirmation.

Sen. Feinstein's decision to submit questions represents a milestone
for medical marijuana activism. This is her first official action to
reform the DEA's policy of aggressively targeting patients. Her past
silence had only emboldened the DEA.

======================================================================

Sen. Feinstein's small step toward developing a medical marijuana
policy consistent with the laws of her state and the views of her
constituents came only after stories of the DEA raids were personally
delivered to her office by the people who have had their hands cuffed,
their medicine confiscated, guns pointed at their heads, and their
loved ones imprisoned -- all at the hands of the DEA.

In April, MPP brought Valerie Corral and Ashley Epis to Washington --
accompanied by Steph Sherer, executive director of Americans for Safe
Access (ASA) -- to share their experiences with Sen. Feinstein's
staff. Corral, who uses marijuana to treat her epilepsy, is the
director of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM), a
Santa Cruz cooperative that was raided by the DEA last September.
Ashley Epis is the eight-year-old daughter of Bryan Epis, a medical
marijuana patient and caregiver currently serving a 10-year federal
prison sentence for conspiring to grow marijuana for the Chico Medical
Marijuana Caregivers and to treat his own pain and disabilities
sustained in a near-fatal car accident.

Within the last week, a number of additional actions increased the
pressure on Sen. Feinstein:

* On Tuesday, ASA held a press conference in front of
    Sen. Feinstein's San Francisco office featuring California-
    approved patients, providers, and families who have suffered
    from DEA raids on their homes and cooperatives. Twenty-three
    of the people most directly affected signed and delivered a
    letter to the senator requesting that she take action on
    Wednesday to protect them from further DEA attacks. (See
    http://DontConfirm.org/feinstein_letter.html .)

* In Washington, D.C., MPP sponsored the visit of the above-
    mentioned Suzanne Pfeil, an active member of the WAMM
    cooperative. Suzanne, who uses marijuana to treat muscle
    spasticity and the pain of nerve degeneration, traveled
    3,000 miles to educate the D.C. media about Sen. Feinstein's
    refusal to support California patients.

* Valerie Corral followed up her April visit with an open
    letter to Sen. Feinstein that she delivered on Monday.
    (An Oakland Tribune article describing this letter is posted
    at http://www.mpp.org/CA/news_4468.html .)

The day before Tandy's hearing -- in the midst of all this activity --
Sen. Feinstein's office called MPP and ASA to say that the senator
would submit written questions about medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana supporters should be encouraged by these events.
They demonstrate that even our most ardent opponents can be swayed by
personal stories and public pressure. If you have ever considered
lobbying your member of Congress, you should know that one or two
people can make a difference.

MPP is indebted to Valerie Corral, Ashley Epis, Suzanne Pfeil, and
Steph Sherer for traveling to D.C. to share their stories with
policymakers.

======================================================================
Please distribute this memo widely. Forward to family and friends
who live in California, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York,
North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont, or Wisconsin.
======================================================================

TO:      Constituents of U.S. senators on the Judiciary Committee*

FROM:    Alexis Baden-Mayer, MPP national field director

DATE:    Wednesday, June 18, 2003

SUBJECT: Take action to stop DEA raids

======================================================================

On June 24, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will consider
President Bush's nominee for administrator of the Drug Enforcement
Administration, Karen Tandy. (See http://DontConfirm.org/nominee.html
to learn more.) Tandy has made a career of enforcing federal marijuana
laws, first as a prosecutor and most recently as Associate Deputy
Attorney General and Director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement
Task Force.

You have received this alert because at least one of your senators is
on the Judiciary Committee. During the confirmation hearing, the
Marijuana Policy Project's goal is to have Karen Tandy put on notice
that her predecessor Asa Hutchinson's policy of raiding and
intimidating medical marijuana patients and providers acting legally
under state laws is unacceptable.

We need your help. Urge your senator to raise the medical marijuana
issue at this hearing by visiting http://DontConfirm.org/fax to send a
pre-written letter from our "Don't Confirm The Raids" Web site. Once
you fill in your name and address and select a letter, the system will
direct the letter to the appropriate senator (or senators, if you live
in Wisconsin).

As DEA administrator, Asa Hutchinson oversaw a series of DEA raids
against patients and providers. He even allowed the DEA to tear up the
six-plant medical marijuana garden of Diane Monson, a woman with a
doctor's recommendation to smoke marijuana for relief of chronic back
spasms -- even after Butte County (CA) District Attorney Mike Ramsey
made a plea to the DEA to leave her plants alone. Will Karen Tandy
continue this policy of invading the homes and cooperatives of doctor-
approved medical marijuana patients in defiance of local law
enforcement? The senators should find out before approving her
nomination.

Please urge your senator to ask Karen Tandy this and other questions
relevant to DEA law-enforcement priorities in the medical marijuana
states by visiting http://DontConfirm.org/fax . Sending a pre-written
fax to your senator from our Web site will take only two minutes.

If you live in California, please take the additional step of sending
a letter to the editor of your local newspaper directed at Sen. Dianne
Feinstein by visiting http://DontConfirm.org/lte_ca.html . As everyone
knows, California has been barraged by a series of unwanted DEA
actions directed at state-approved medical marijuana patients and
providers. Letters-to-the-editor will put more pressure on Senator
Feinstein to defend the people in her state.

As you may know, without a senate medical marijuana bill, there are
few opportunities to urge senators to take a stand on medical
marijuana, and we need to make the most of each of them. Thank you for
helping the Marijuana Policy Project use the DEA confirmation process
to move the medical marijuana issue in the senate.

*If you don't live in California, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts,
New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont, or Wisconsin, please
reply with your city and state or zip code so that we can stop
sending you alerts that are of local interest only. To completely
unsubscribe from MPP's lists, simply reply with the word REMOVE in
the subject line. Removal may take up to 48 hours. Thank you.

TO:      Interested persons

FROM:    Steve Fox, MPP director of government relations

DATE:    Monday, June 9, 2003

SUBJECT: Urge your U.S. representative to support three important
         amendments to the Office of National Drug Control Policy
         Reauthorization Act of 2003 (H.R. 2086)

Last Thursday, June 5, the Marijuana Policy Project, working in
conjunction with the Drug Policy Alliance, scored a remarkable victory
in Congress when the House Government Reform Committee placed strong
(and new) restrictions on the use of the National Youth Anti-Drug
Media Campaign for political purposes. Coverage of this victory, along
with mentions of MPP, appeared in today's edition of Roll Call --
see http://www.mpp.org/states/site/quicknews.cgi?key=4387 .

This victory would not have been possible without the help of
thousands of subscribers like you who sent faxes to members of
Congress through our Web site. As we enter the next phase of this
battle, we need your assistance again.

Please take two minutes to send a fax to your U.S. representative,
urging him or her to support three important amendments when the bill
reaches the House floor as early as next week. These amendments are
detailed below. (See http://www.mpp.org/3ONDCPamendments to fax now.)

As noted in my last memo on May 23, the Marijuana Policy Project's
"War on Drug Czar" -- http://www.mpp.org/WarOnDrugCzar -- has
significantly altered the strategies of congressional drug zealots and
has pressured them into making serious tactical errors. This was
confirmed during the committee debate over the politicization of the
Media Campaign. One of the leading Democrats on the committee said
that the intent of the provision that stirred the controversy over the
Media Campaign was to clarify that the ads "do not constitute partisan
political activity -- as has been alleged in unsuccessful lawsuits
brought by an opponent of the campaign." Lead zealot U.S. Rep. Mark
Souder (R-IN), who was clearly agitated, blamed the controversy on
"extremists" for whom marijuana is "their ideology."

Now that we have prevented the Media Campaign from being used to
defeat initiatives and legislation, we have our sights set on three
additional reforms to the Media Campaign and the drug czar's
activities:

   1. Require the drug czar to use at least 50 percent of the Media
      Campaign advertising budget to educate children about the harms
      posed by drugs other than marijuana. As part of MPP's fight to
      reduce the harm associated with marijuana, we believe that teens
      and children must receive factual information about the relative
      dangers posed by all drugs. A Media Campaign that focuses solely
      on marijuana does nothing to prevent young marijuana users from
      moving on to harder drugs.

   2. End the statutory requirement upon the drug czar to oppose
      medical marijuana initiatives and legislation. Currently, the
      drug czar is required to oppose all efforts to legalize any
      Schedule I drug, such as marijuana. This amendment, while far
      less than ideal, would at least give future drug czars the
      option of not opposing medical marijuana initiatives. Moreover,
      there appears to be broad support for this kind of incremental
      change in the law in Congress.

   3. Prohibit the drug czar from using federal taxpayer dollars to
      bribe or coerce treatment providers and state officials to
      oppose initiatives or legislation. Surprisingly, a May 7 ruling
      by the federal Office of Special Counsel in response to a
      complaint MPP filed gave the drug czar permission to use federal
      funds for these purposes. Obviously, the law must be changed so
      that he cannot. (Please see this and other complaints and
      rulings at http://www.mpp.org/WarOnDrugCzar/complaints.html .)

These amendments will not pass if members of Congress do not hear from
their constituents. Please take action now to raise awareness on
Capitol Hill. Simply go to http://www.mpp.org/3ONDCPamendments , enter
your address, select a letter, and click a button to send it to your
representative. And, of course, feel free to forward this e-mail to
anyone you think might be interested in taking action on this issue.

As always, MPP thanks you for your participation. The tide is turning
in the battle over this nation's marijuana laws, and individuals like
you are playing a major role.

Dear Friend 6 6 2003:

As incredible as it may seem, U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer
sentenced medical marijuana activist Ed Rosenthal to only one day in
prison yesterday, allowing him to walk free because of credit for time
already served.

Back in January, an Oakland jury convicted Ed of growing more than 100
marijuana plants, which should have landed him in prison for a
mandatory minimum of five years -- and possibly as many as 40 years.

Ed grew marijuana for seriously ill people who are allowed to use it
under California's medical marijuana law, doing so with the express
authorization of the Oakland city government. But Judge Breyer
prohibited Ed from presenting any evidence involving medical marijuana
to the jury, which convicted him because they thought he was a large-
scale marijuana distributor. When the jury learned that all medical
marijuana facts had been withheld from them, a majority of jurors
publicly repudiated their verdict and apologized to Rosenthal.

When a jury publicly rejects its own verdict, and a federal judge
subverts Congress' system of mandatory minimum sentences to let a
marijuana grower go free, it is clear we have reached a turning point.
Today marks the beginning of the end of the federal war on medical
marijuana patients.

There are three things you can do to help the Marijuana Policy Project
use this victory to help change federal law:

   1. Please visit http://www.mpp.org/USA to fax a pre-written letter
      to your three members of Congress, asking them to support
      legislation that would let other medical marijuana growers go
      free, just like Ed did yesterday.

   2. Please forward this message to your family and friends and urge
      them to visit http://www.mpp.org/USA so that they, too, can add
      their voices to our cause.

   3. If you are really motivated, please visit http://www.mpp.org/USA
      to grab a pre-written letter-to-the-editor about Ed's sentencing
      to submit as your own to your local newspapers.

Now is the time to act. The "Truth in Trials" medical marijuana bill
(H.R. 1717 -- http://www.mpp.org/USA/bills_690.html ) in Congress
already has 34 sponsors, and we estimate we could have more than 50
sponsors almost immediately if you and MPP's other 31,000 e-mail
subscribers use our Web system to fax letters to your members of
Congress. In addition, a wave of faxes to Capitol Hill right now will
strengthen our case that Congress should hold a first-ever hearing for
medical marijuana legislation this summer.

Medical marijuana patients and supporters marked Rosenthal's
sentencing yesterday by protesting in front of the local district
offices of 25 members of the U.S. House of Representatives who
represent states with medical marijuana laws but who have not yet
cosponsored H.R. 1717.

The chief of staff for one of these House members called us yesterday
afternoon, angry that MPP supporters were distributing flyers that
said the representative "thinks that medical marijuana patients should
be sent to federal prison" -- right outside of her congressional
office. We told the chief of staff that the protests would end when
her boss co-sponsors our legislation.

Ed Rosenthal's sentencing and the wave of 25 protests generated
national media coverage. A large story on page two of The Washington
Post quoted MPP Director of Communications Bruce Mirken, who was also
quoted in The New York Times. I was quoted in the San Francisco
Chronicle, while Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse
wire stories about the verdict ran in newspapers all over the world.

Please see http://www.mpp.org/USA for the news articles and to take
action today. Thank you ...

Sincerely,

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

P.S. Please visit http://www.mpp.org/USA/donate.html to donate to our
     lobbying work on Capitol Hill.

Dear Friend 6 5 2003:

Yesterday, the Marijuana Policy Project debuted to the national news
media our new Web site which grades all nine Democratic presidential
candidates and President Bush on the medical marijuana issue. (We will
add the Libertarian, Green, and other presidential candidates at a
later date.)

I think we all agree that Bush deserves an F, but how would you grade
the nine Democratic candidates? Do you agree with MPP's rankings? We
gave one candidate a "?" and another an A, and the remaining seven
ranked from C to F+.

Please visit the "voter guide" link at http://www.GraniteStaters.com
and see for yourself. If you have any marijuana-related information on
any of the 10 candidates that does not appear on our Web site, please
reply to this e-mail message to tell us what you know.

The release of this Web site is the public debut of the behind-the-
scenes work we've been doing for the past three months in New
Hampshire, the first state to hold a presidential primary. The stated
goal of this project is to maximize the number of Democratic
presidential candidates who take public positions in favor of medical
marijuana by the time of the New Hampshire primary, which will be
held on January 27, 2004.

Our efforts have already begun to pay off: On May 27, partly in
response to MPP's lobbying, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio became
the first presidential contender to publicly call for an end to the
war on medical marijuana patients. Please read MPP's news release
about Kucinich's stand at http://mpp.org/releases/nr052803.html .

Two days later in The San Francisco Chronicle, Congressman Kucinich
said that as president, "I'd sign an executive order that would permit
its use." See http://www.mpp.org/states/site/quicknews.cgi?key=4267
for the full story, which also quotes me as saying, "This is a natural
issue for the Democrats: The Bush administration is completely out of
step with the public, which doesn't want to see sick people hauled off
to jail for taking their medicine."

We are focusing on New Hampshire because it is the site of the first
state presidential primary. New Hampshire is a small state with a
tradition of "retail politics" that presents a great opportunity for
ordinary citizens to make an impact. MPP already has a full-time
staffer on the ground in Manchester -- the state's largest city --
where he is organizing medical marijuana patients and supporters under
the name Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana. The coalition we are
putting together will be an unstoppable force all along the campaign
trail, at debates and candidate forums as well as in local newspapers,
pressing the candidates to take a stand on behalf of patients -- and
turning up the heat on those who refuse.

Please visit http://www.GraniteStaters.com for a complete list of
contact information for all 10 campaigns. Please consider calling and
e-mailing each campaign office to let them know your views. Our Web
site will be updated regularly as the campaign progresses, so please
check back frequently.

We hope that our work in New Hampshire over the next few months will
inspire a majority of Democratic candidates to take a positive
position on medical marijuana, so that this may happen ...

   It is October 2004, and the major party presidential candidates are
   debating on national TV. The Democratic nominee holds up an elderly
   woman's picture.

   "Mr. President," the Democratic candidate says, "this is Suzanne
    Pfeil. She's a paraplegic, disabled by polio. Two years ago your
    Justice Department sent armed federal agents to storm the hospice
    where she was staying in California. They woke her up, pointed
    automatic rifles at her, and demanded that she stand up. When she
    couldn't, they handcuffed her to the bed, leaving her there for
    over an hour while they took away her medical marijuana.
    Mr. President, Suzanne Pfeil is just one of hundreds of seriously
    ill medical marijuana patients whom your administration has
    persecuted. If I am elected, I will stop this cruel war on the
    sick and dying."

Impossible? I don't think so.

Most of the candidates have yet to take positions, so now is the time
to flex our strength in New Hampshire, where each candidate will be
visiting again and again until the primary election in January 2004.

MPP's New Hampshire project, which I predict will cost $120,000 --
including staff time, public opinion polling, paid advertising,
billboards, and office expenses, all in New Hampshire -- is completely
unfunded. I was unable to persuade any major funders to support this
project. But we are persevering anyway, because I don't want to wake
up in December wishing MPP would have done something to make medical
marijuana a prominent issue in presidential politics.

If you support our New Hampshire plan, I would very much appreciate
your financial support -- see http://www.GraniteStaters.com/donate --
so that MPP does not run a deficit because of this campaign. Thank you
in advance for anything you can do to help.

Sincerely,

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

P.S. Please visit http://www.GraniteStaters.com/donate to make a
     financial donation to MPP's New Hampshire campaign. Thanks again
     for considering this request.

======================================================================
Please distribute this memo widely. Forward to family and friends who
live in California, or ask them to visit http://www.mpp.org/CA
======================================================================

TO:      California residents*

FROM:    Larry Sandell, MPP assistant director of state policies

DATE:    Wednesday, May 28, 2003

SUBJECT: Five important marijuana bills pending in California
         Legislature

======================================================================

This is an exciting year for marijuana policy reform in California. If
all goes well, by this September, California will have improved its
medical marijuana law, legalized "paraphernalia" for medical purposes,
downgraded the classification for marijuana possession from a
misdemeanor to a civil infraction, demanded that the federal
government accept Proposition 215, and continued funding the
University of California's Marijuana Research Program. There is a lot
of work to be done, both before and after these bills reach Gov. Gray
Davis' (D) desk, and we need your help.

Introduced by Sen. John Vasconcellos (D-Senate District 13), S.B. 420
expands and clarifies California's medical marijuana law. Among other
improvements, this bill mandates the creation of a state registry and
the distribution of state medical marijuana ID cards. Registration
would be optional, but it would ensure that medical marijuana patients
in less "tolerant" areas of California are protected from arrest. This
legislation passed the Senate Committee on Public Safety by a vote of
5-1 and the Senate Committee on Appropriations by a vote of 7-5. The
Senate vote may take place as soon as tomorrow, and you have the power
to help pass this bill into law.

Please take a few moments to visit http://www.mpp.org/CA/action.html .
After you choose your favorite pre-written letter and type in your
address, our site will automatically e-mail your letter to your
assembly member and your senator ... all with the click of a few
buttons. The whole process takes less than two minutes, but it makes a
world of difference. Also, you can print the letters and send them to
your legislators through regular mail.

On May 14, Assemblyman Marco Antonio Firebaugh (D-50th Assembly
District) amended A.B. 1534 into a drug paraphernalia bill. This bill
explicitly allows devices used for the inhalation of medical marijuana
(including distribution -- see http://www.mpp.org/CA/bills_697.html ),
granting additional protections to medical marijuana patients.
Further, it could help to legally protect and restore the industries
within California that provide such devices.

The California Senate passed S.B. 131 by a commanding 21-13 vote on
May 8. This legislation, introduced by Sen. Byron Sher (D-Senate
District 11), would change the classification of possession of less
than one ounce of marijuana from a misdemeanor to a civil violation.
While the penalty of a $100 fine would not change, marijuana offenders
would no longer be given a criminal record. Students caught possessing
small amounts of marijuana would no longer be subject to losing
scholarships under the Higher Education Act. Amazingly, more than
2,400 letters supporting S.B. 131 have already been sent to
legislators through the MPP Web site. There is no doubt that your
efforts here helped to push the bill though the Senate. If you have
not already sent letters in support of S.B. 131 to your legislators,
please take a few minutes to visit http://www.mpp.org/CA/action.html .

Through A.J.R. 13, the California Legislature asks the U.S. Congress
and President George W. Bush (R) to acknowledge marijuana's medical
benefits under federal law. After its introduction by Assemblyman Mark
Leno (D-13th Assembly District), this resolution passed the California
Assembly by a vote of 42-32 on April 24 and is now in the Senate
Committee on Health and Human Services. It is an important declaration
of California's state's rights. Passing this resolution would show the
federal government that California will stand by its medical marijuana
patients and caregivers, even as the DEA continues to harass and
intimidate them.

Another bill introduced by Sen. Vasconcellos, S.B. 295, would
eliminate the three-year limit on the California Marijuana Research
Program. The important research conducted at the University of
California under this program cannot continue without S.B. 295's
passage. Currently, the bill has passed the Senate by a vote of 26-12
and is awaiting a committee referral in the Assembly.

MPP will keep you updated as these five bills continue to make their
way through the legislative process. Thank you for your activism in
changing California's marijuana laws, and please pass this message on
to other interested California residents. For the full text of these
bills, see http://www.mpp.org/CA/bills.html .

======================================================================

HOW TO SUPPORT THE MARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT

MPP's state legislative alerts service is funded entirely by the
contributions of MPP allies and members nationwide. If you find MPP's
state legislative alerts service helpful, please consider making a
donation at: http://www.mpp.org/MoneyForStates

Because MPP devotes 100% of its efforts toward influencing public
policy, contributions are not tax-deductible. However, the above link
also provides a way to make a tax-deductible donation.

======================================================================
*If you live outside of California, please reply with your city and
state or zip code so that we can stop sending you alerts that are of
local interest only. To completely unsubscribe from MPP's lists,
simply e-mail us with the word REMOVE in the subject line. Thank you.

Please distribute this memo widely. Forward to family and friends who
live in any of the eight states listed below.

TO:      MPP subscribers in the medical marijuana states*

FROM:    Alexis Baden-Mayer, MPP national field director

DATE:    Wednesday, May 28, 2003

SUBJECT: Grassroots activity needed to get federal medical marijuana
         legislation passed!

Wednesday, June 4, 2003, Ed Rosenthal will be sentenced in federal
court for the crime of growing marijuana for sick and dying patients.
Rosenthal had been acting in accordance with "Prop. 215," California's
Compassionate Use Act, and with the express consent of the City of
Oakland.

On the day of Rosenthal's sentencing, hundreds of medical marijuana
supporters across the country will be going to the home-state offices
of their U.S. representatives to demand that Congress pass federal
legislation that would keep law-abiding citizens like Ed Rosenthal out
of federal prison.

Please help us with our grassroots lobbying campaign. Reply to this
e-mail or call me at 202-462-5747, ext. 114, today to learn what the
Marijuana Policy Project is doing in your congressional district to
push your federal legislator to sponsor federal medical marijuana
legislation.

Please look below to see if your U.S. representative is on our target
list of federal legislators who have failed to support their states'
medical marijuana laws. If you don't know who represents you in
Congress, please take a moment to find out by entering your zip code
at http://www.congress.org .

Thank you in advance for taking action in support of medical marijuana
patients and providers in your state.

======================================================================

    U.S. Representatives Who Have Failed To Support Their States'
                 Medical Marijuana Laws in Congress:

ALASKA
Don Young (R-At Large)

CALIFORNIA
Joe Baca (D-42)
Xavier Becerra (D-30)
Mary Bono (R-45)
Kevin Calvert (R-44)
Dennis Cardoza (D-18)
Christopher Cox (R-48)
Duke Cunningham (R-50)
Susan Davis (D-53)
Calvin Dooley (D-20)
John Doolittle (R-04)
David Dreier (R-26)
Elton Gallegly (R-24)
Jane Harman (D-36)
Wally Herger (R-02)
Duncan Hunter (R-52)
Darrell Issa (R-49)
Jerry Lewis (R-41)
Robert Matsui (D-05)
Buck McKeon (R-25)
Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-37)
Gary Miller (R-42)
Grace Napolitano (D-38)
Devin Nunes (R-21)
Doug Ose (R-03)
Richard Pombo (R-11)
George Radanovich (R-19)
Ed Royce (R-40)
Loretta Sanchez (D-47)
Bill Thomas (R-22)

COLORADO
Bob Beauprez (R-07)
Diana DeGette (D-01)
Joel Hefley (R-05)
Scott McInnis (R-03)
Marilyn Musgrave (R-04)
Thomas Tancredo (R-06)

HAWAI`I
Neil Abercrombie (D-01)

MAINE
Thomas Allen (D-01)
Mike Michaud (D-02)

NEVADA
Jim Gibbons (R-02)
Jon Porter, Sr. (R-03)

OREGON
Darlene Hooley (D-05)
Greg Walden (R-02)
David Wu (D-01)

WASHINGTON
Brian Baird (D-03)
Norman Dicks (D-06)
Jennifer Dunn (R-08)
Doc Hastings (R-04)
Jay Inslee (D-01)
Rick Larsen (D-02)
George Nethercutt (R-05)
Adam Smith (D-09)

*If you don't live in Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawai`i, Maine,
Nevada, Oregon, or Washington, please reply with your city and state
or zip code so that we can stop sending you alerts that are of local
interest only. To completely unsubscribe from MPP's lists, simply
reply with the word REMOVE in the subject line. Removal may take up
to 48 hours. Thank you.

TO:      Interested persons

FROM:    Steve Fox, MPP director of government relations

DATE:    Friday, May 23, 2003

SUBJECT: MPP Scores Victory in Congress

Yesterday, the Marijuana Policy Project, in conjunction with the Drug
Policy Alliance (DPA), scored a major victory in Congress. Due
primarily to the efforts of these two organizations, Republicans in
control of the U.S. House Government Reform Committee were forced to
postpone the vote on the "Office of National Drug Control Policy
Reauthorization Act of 2003" (H.R. 2086).

Subscribers such as yourself deserve a great deal of credit for this
victory. From the time we e-mailed you our alert last Friday until the
day before the committee hearing -- a span of only six days -- more
than 3,500 faxes were sent to Congress through our Web site. If you
were one of the thousands to respond, thank you. (MPP would also like
to thank organizations such as the ACLU and Working Assets for
inspiring their members and supporters to take action in this
grassroots lobbying effort.)

At issue was a provision that would have made the National Youth Anti-
Drug Media Campaign available to the drug czar for political purposes.
Under this new provision, the drug czar would have been able to spend
up to $1 billion over the next five years on ads designed to defeat
ballot initiatives or candidates who support drug policy reform
legislation.

This provision very likely would have quietly passed through the
committee, if not for the work of MPP and DPA. Instead, the issue
ended up on the cover of Roll Call, a must-read newspaper on Capitol
Hill ( http://www.mpp.org/states/site/quicknews.cgi?key=4221 ), and
inspired some great editorial coverage in the Orange County Register
( http://www.mpp.org/states/site/quicknews.cgi?key=4206 ) and the
Baltimore Sun ( http://www.mpp.org/states/site/quicknews.cgi?key=4232 ).

Now, all of Congress is questioning whether the ultimate purpose of
the Media Campaign is prevention or politics. Moreover, the Democrats
now appear to be unified against the drug czar's use of taxpayer
dollars to oppose ballot initiatives.

In no uncertain terms, this incredible turn of events in Washington is
the direct result of MPP's "War on Drug Czar." Here is how we reached
the current situation:

* On December 4, in the aftermath of the Nevada ballot initiative
    loss, MPP launched its "War on Drug Czar" by filing a complaint
    with the federal Office of Special Counsel, accusing the drug czar
    of violating the Hatch Act by using his official authority and
    influence to affect the outcome of an election. MPP also sent a
    letter to the Nevada Secretary of State, requesting an
    investigation into the drug czar's failure to file campaign
    finance reports after clearly advocating the defeat of the
    initiative. The drug czar's office said that our complaints were
    "a Cheech and Chong interpretation of the law" and "a cheap
    political stunt."

* On April 2, at the urging of MPP, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) filed
    a complaint with the General Accounting Office (GAO), requesting
    an investigation into a letter sent by ONDCP to prosecutors across
    the country. This letter encouraged prosecutors to work with their
    state legislators to oppose marijuana policy reform legislation.
    MPP believes -- and the GAO has held -- that using federal funds
    to inspire grassroots lobbying is illegal.

* While these complaints have yet to result in actual charges
    against the drug czar, they have clearly had an impact. The new
    bad provision in the ONDCP reauthorization bill, according to a
    Democratic committee staffer, was drafted in response to our
    actions against the drug czar. It was an attempt to immunize the
    drug czar, and apparently the advertising campaign, from further
    legal actions. A Republican committee aide was quoted in Roll
    Call as saying, "What we are simply trying to clarify is that the
    regular operation of the media campaign, when it gets into things
    that *some people* want to claim and construe as political, is not
    political."

When MPP launched its "War on Drug Czar," even some of our supporters
questioned the wisdom and the appropriateness of such a campaign. But
MPP believed then, and clearly still believes, that passivity in the
face of attack will lead to certain failure. The drug war was once
one-sided. Those days are over.

Thank you again for assisting MPP in this battle. With your help,
together we will win this war.

Steve Fox
Director of Government Relations
Marijuana Policy Project

P.S. Please visit http://www.mpp.org/WarOnDrugCzar/donate.html to make
     a donation to MPP's "War on Drug Czar" campaign.

Dear Friend 5 24 2003

The passage of the Marijuana Policy Project's medical marijuana bill
in Maryland yesterday is receiving national news coverage. Today, the
Baltimore Sun, Washington Post, and USA Today all ran stories.

An Associated Press wire story -- which was likely published in
hundreds of local newspapers today -- prominently features MPP. The AP
article, available on-line at http://www.mpp.org/MD/news_4235.html ,
begins as follows:

   Refusing to bend to pressure from the Bush administration,
   Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich signed a bill Thursday that reduces
   criminal penalties for seriously ill people who smoke marijuana.

   Ehrlich is the first GOP governor to sign a bill protecting medical
   marijuana patients from jail, according to the Marijuana Policy
   Project. The Bush administration had pressed him to veto the
   measure.

   "Governor Ehrlich's courageous action in the face of a hostile
   White House shows that our campaign to protect medical marijuana
   patients is truly nonpartisan," said executive director Robert
   Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in
   Washington.

   "These are people who are suffering. They're dying. It will help
   those people," said Delegate Dan Morhaim, D-Baltimore County, a
   sponsor of the bill and an emergency room doctor at Sinai Hospital
   in Baltimore.

The front page of today's The Sun in Baltimore showed a full-color
photo of Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R) taken immediately before he
signed the medical marijuana bill into law. Sitting to the left is
Sen. President Mike Miller (D), a strong supporter of medical
marijuana, and standing behind Ehrlich and Miller are six medical
marijuana supporters, including MPP's Rob Kampia and Larry Sandell.
Please see http://www.mpp.org/MD/news_4228.html for the full story.

In response to the White House drug czar's obsessive war on medical
marijuana patients, The Sun also published a stinging editorial
entitled "Propaganda czar." For the newspaper's opinion on medical
marijuana, please see http://www.mpp.org/MD/news_4232.html .

On the front page of today's Washington Post, an article entitled
"Ehrlich Signs Marijuana Bill" -- available on-line at
http://www.mpp.org/MD/news_4229.html -- reads, in part, as follows:

   Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. yesterday became the nation's
   first Republican governor to sign into law a measure that relaxes
   criminal punishment for seriously ill people who use marijuana to
   relieve pain and other symptoms.

   "These are not easy issues, not easy bills," Ehrlich said of the
   measures he has signed and vetoed over the past two days.

   He was particularly firm in his support for the marijuana measure.
   It does not legalize the drug but provides that seriously ill
   people caught using marijuana for medical purposes cannot be jailed
   or be fined more than $100. The White House and some conservative
   supporters urged the governor to reject the bill, but Ehrlich cited
   his long-time support for the issue.

   "If you look at my views over the years, there are clearly two
   wings of the party on social issues," he said. "One is more
   conservative, and one is more libertarian. I belong to the latter,
   and I always have."

   Although he had declined for weeks to say whether he would sign the
   medical marijuana bill, Ehrlich had supported such measures in
   principle during his eight years in Congress and during last year's
   gubernatorial race.

   "I don't agree with him on that philosophy, but I wasn't
   surprised," said Senate Minority Leader J. Lowell Stolzfus
   (R-Somerset), who argued vehemently against the bill. "The
   Republican Party is maturing. Most people on the conservative side
   realize we're not getting everything we want, but we're satisfied."

Also in The Washington Post today, the front page of the Metro section
carried this story: "A Medical Marijuana Break: Use Will Remain
Illegal, but Bill Signed by Ehrlich Cuts Patients' Penalties." Please
see http://www.mpp.org/MD/news_4230.html for the story.

MPP's lobbying campaign in Maryland -- which spanned the 2000, 2001,
2002, and 2003 legislative sessions -- would not have been possible
without the donations of MPP members everywhere, as well as the strong
grassroots support of our members in Maryland. Thanks to everyone who
made this victory possible.

Sincerely,

Bruce Mirken
Director of Communications
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

P.S. Please consider visiting http://www.mpp.org/MFS_donate to donate
     to MPP's ongoing lobbying efforts in other states.

Dear Friend 5 23 2003

For the past many weeks, the Marijuana Policy Project has been
publicly battling Drug Czar John Walters in Maryland, who had been
pressuring Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R) to veto MPP's medical marijuana bill.
This controversy and uncertainty about whether the governor would side
with MPP or the White House drug czar has been playing out in the
news, including most local TV stations in Maryland last night.

Today, to the surprise of many, Gov. Ehrlich became the first
Republican governor to sign a medical marijuana bill!

A slew of TV cameras and photographers captured the bill-signing
ceremony, with the governor sitting at a table flanked by the House
Speaker and Senate President, while the following supporters stood
behind the governor:

* Shay Putman, widow of Darrell Putman (cancer patient after whom
    the bill is named)

* Don Murphy (R), the lead House sponsor of the bill in 2000, 2001,
    and 2002, and his wife Gloria

* Sen. David Brinkley (R), the lead advocate for the bill in the
    Senate this year

* Crohn's patient Erin Hildebrandt and her baby

* cancer patient Larry Silberman

* Gil Genn, MPP's professional lobbyist in Annapolis

* MPP's Rob Kampia and Larry Sandell

We were also mobbed by TV cameras and reporters after the bill-signing
ceremony. All reporters and legislators agreed that our medical
marijuana bill is one of the two biggest stories in Maryland. (And
approximately 150 bills were signed into law today!) Please see
http://www.mpp.org/MD/news.html for all print media coverage, which
should be fully available by 1:00 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow (Friday).

Please see http://www.mpp.org/releases/nr052203md.html for MPP's news
release.

After the bill takes effect later this year, patients who are unlucky
enough to be arrested on marijuana charges in Maryland will be able to
avoid jail time if they can show the court that they have a medical
need for marijuana.

Immediately after the photo op with the governor, the MPP team began
planning how to move forward in Maryland later this year for the
purpose of passing a second bill during the 2004 legislative session
to finish the job -- a bill to remove the threat of arrest.

A total of nine states (including Maryland) have now removed the
threat of jail for medical marijuana patients, while eight states (not
Maryland) have removed the threat of arrest.

If you appreciate MPP's focused lobbying and success in Maryland --
which cost us $40,000 this year alone -- please visit
http://www.mpp.org/MFS_donate to make a donation today.

======================================================================

Also, in Connecticut yesterday, the House of Representatives killed
MPP's medical marijuana bill by a 79 to 64 vote. Medical marijuana
legislation had been languishing in Connecticut for the past six or
seven years, but this year MPP invested approximately $25,000 in
Connecticut, working with the national Drug Policy Alliance and the
state-based A Better Way to push the medical marijuana bill through
two House committees -- and nearly through the House floor. MPP will
be working this summer to change eight "no" votes to "yes" votes,
which will bring us to the majority we need to pass our bill during
the 2004 legislative session.

Please see http://www.mpp.org/CT/news.html for Connecticut news
coverage, and please see http://www.mpp.org/releases/nr052103ct.html
for MPP's news release.

Again, if you like MPP's aggressive lobbying efforts in the state
legislatures, please visit http://www.mpp.org/MFS_donate to make a
donation today. Thank you for anything you can do to help.

Sincerely,

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

P.S. We just received word that the Vermont House will not be taking
     up MPP's medical marijuana bill until early 2004. Earlier this
     year, we scored a crushing victory in the Vermont Senate --
     please see http://www.mpp.org/VT/news_3560.html for the full
     story. And we fully expect the House -- which had passed a
     similar bill in 2002 -- to pass the Senate bill in 2004. (The
     Vermont legislature has two-year sessions.) If the Republican
     House and Republican governor enact our bill into law next year,
     Vermont would become the ninth state to remove all penalties for
     medical marijuana patients. Please donate to our state lobbying
     efforts today by visiting http://www.mpp.org/MFS_donate . I want
     to thank you in advance if you can help in this way.

TO:      Interested persons

FROM:    Steve Fox, MPP director of government relations

DATE:    Tuesday, May 20, 2003

SUBJECT: Urge your U.S. representative to support states' rights bill

The States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act is being re-introduced by
U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) this Thursday, May 22. Please take a
couple of minutes to call your U.S. representative and ask him or her
to become an original sponsor of this legislation.

This is the fifth consecutive session of Congress in which Rep. Frank
has introduced medical marijuana legislation. The states' rights bill
would give states the freedom to enact comprehensive medical marijuana
laws without the fear of federal interference. This bill is all the
more necessary given the callousness of the federal government's raids
on medical marijuana patients and providers, primarily in California,
over the past two years.

To contact your U.S. representative, call the U.S. Capitol switchboard
at 202-225-3121 and ask for your representative. When you are
connected to your representative's office, leave a message asking him
or her to cosponsor Barney Frank's States' Rights to Medical Marijuana
Act. (Because the bill has not been introduced, it does not have a
bill number.) You can add that you are calling on behalf of the
80 percent of the American people who support medical marijuana.

The States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act is one of two medical
marijuana bills in Congress this session. The other bill, the Truth in
Trials Act, was introduced last month by U.S. Reps. Sam Farr (D-CA),
Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), and 26 other original cosponsors. This bill
would address two of the federal government's most objectionable acts
in opposition to medical marijuana -- the gagging of medical marijuana
defendants in federal court and the resulting imprisonment of
individuals who had complied with state medical marijuana laws.

These are not competing bills; they are simply two ways to address
unconscionable attacks on medical marijuana patients and providers by
the federal government. Please show your support for seriously ill
individuals by contacting your U.S. representative at 202-225-3121.

Dear: Friends 4 2 2003

The following message is being sent by the Marijuana Policy Project as
part of a message exchange agreement with the Drug Policy Alliance.
MPP will never sell, rent, or give your e-mail address to any other
organization or person.

***Proposed Laws Threaten Marijuana Reform
***Action Needed to Stop Drug War Bills That Could Put You and Your Family In Jail

Congress may soon give Attorney General John Ashcroft the power to
take away more of your rights, including your right to free speech --
unless you act right now.

Three American heroes are being forced to plead guilty to relieving
the suffering of others by providing medical marijuana to AIDS and
cancer patients in California. They face up to twenty years in federal
prison for their acts of compassion -- and you could be next!

Scott Imler, Jeff Yablan and Jeffrey Farrington were accused of
violating the federal "crack house statute", a law designed to
imprison people operating crack houses but which is now being used by
the Bush Administration to prosecute people caring for medical
marijuana patients. As if this is not bad enough, Congress is now
considering two proposed laws -- the RAVE Act (HR 718) and the Illicit
Drug Anti-Proliferation Act (S.226) -- that would further expand the
federal "crack house law" to apply to more people, including home
owners and organizers of marijuana rallies. A third proposed law, the
CLEAN-UP Act (HR 834), would make it a federal crime -- punishable by
up to nine years in prison -- to promote any entertainment event in
which drug offenses might occur, such as hemp festivals and music
concerts.

These proposed laws will make it easier to put more people in jail --
including the families of medical marijuana patients, organizers of
hemp rallies, and anyone who hosts a party or barbecue in which even
one person smokes marijuana. You could even be jailed for crimes that
you take no part in -- that's how much power Congress wants to give
John Ashcroft. (More information below)

Don't let Congress give even greater power to John Ashcroft.
Take action today!

ACTIONS TO TAKE

(1) Urge your Representative to oppose the RAVE Act (HR 718) and Section 305 in the CLEAN-UP Act (HR 834) by faxing him or her for free at http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=1516

(2) Urge your Senators to oppose the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act (S. 226) by faxing them for free at http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=1448

(3) Forward this alert to your friends, family members, and co-workers. It is vital that thousands of Americans speak out.

(4) Join fellow reformers at Drug Policy Alliance's 2003 Biennial conference, November 5-8 (more information at the end of this e-mail).

MORE INFORMATION

If enacted the RAVE Act (HR 718) and the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act (S. 226) would:

***Give the federal government the power to imprison you for up to twenty years if you smoke marijuana***

Among other things, the proposed laws would amend the federal "crack
house statute" to make it a federal crime to temporarily use any place
for the purpose of taking any illegal drug, including marijuana. If
you smoked marijuana anywhere -- including your own home -- you could
be found guilty of "operating a crack house" and fined up to $500,000
and imprisoned for up to twenty years. Your home could be deemed the
equivalent of a "crack house" and seized under federal asset
forfeiture laws -- throwing your family out on to the street.

***Give the federal government the power to shut down hemp festivals, marijuana rallies and other events and imprison property owners and activists that host or promote them***

Both the RAVE Act and the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act expand
the federal "crack house law" to apply to temporary outdoor events
such as marijuana rallies and music concerts. If even one person
smoked marijuana at an event, organizers and promoters of the event
could be jailed for up to twenty years. The owner of the land could
also be imprisoned. If these bills become law, people will become too
afraid to hold hemp festivals, marijuana rallies and other events that
federal officials don't like -- effectively suppressing free speech
and silencing all those that oppose the war on marijuana.

***Give the federal government the power to imprison you if someone smokes marijuana in your home or other property or at any concert, rally or other event you organize -- even if you take no part in their marijuana smoking and try to discourage it***

Recent federal court decisions have ruled that the "crack house law"
can be applied to people who are not even involved in drugs, even
those that oppose drug use and are working to discourage people from
using drugs on their property or at their events. If these bills
become law, it will be easier for the federal government to punish
people for the crimes of others. Concert and other event organizers
could be imprisoned and fined if people smoke marijuana at their
events. Homeowners could be fined and imprisoned if even one person
smokes marijuana at their party.

***Give the federal government further power to trample on state medical marijuana laws -- including the power to punish family members of medical marijuana patients and landlords that rent to them***

New civil penalties will allow federal prosecutors to fine (and
bankrupt) anyone that provides space for medical marijuana patients
including landlords and family members. Even allowing a medical
marijuana patient to use marijuana in your home could get you fined up
to $250,000 -- and possibly imprisoned for up to twenty years.

If enacted, the CLEAN-UP Act (HR 834) would make it impossible to hold
hemp festivals and music concerts. At first glance it is a seemingly
harmless bill that provides more money and training for the clean up
of illegal methamphetamine laboratories. Buried within it, however,
are provisions (Section 305) that would make it a federal crime --
punishable by up to nine years in prison -- to promote for commercial
purposes "any rave, dance, music or other entertainment event" that
might attract some attendees that would use or sell drugs -- even if
promoters work to prevent drug offenses at their events. Under the
provision, any concert promoter, nightclub owner and arena or stadium
owner could be fined and jailed, since a reasonable person would know
some people use drugs at musical events. Hemp festivals would likely
be targeted by federal law-enforcement agencies with the hopes of
stomping them out of existence and putting their organizers in prison.

It is important that you contact your Members of Congress today and
forward this alert to everyone you know. Even as you read this e-mail,
politicians in Washington, DC are plotting to quickly pass these laws.
They will succeed, unless you ACT NOW.

Fax your Representative at http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=1516

Fax your Senators at http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=1448

Drug Policy Alliance led a successful campaign last year to stop these
bills, which not only threaten marijuana reform advocates, but bar and
nightclub owners, all-night dance parties, circuit parties, and any
establishment and event that federal officials do not like. For more
information on these bills and what you can do about them, see:
http://www.nomoredrugwar.org/music/rave_act.htm

Do you think the war on drugs is doing more harm than good? Want to
learn more about drug policies and your rights? If so, then join
fellow reformers at the Drug Policy Alliance's 2003 Biennial
Conference, November 5-8, at the New Jersey Meadowlands. The biennial
event is the world's principal gathering of people who believe the war
on drugs is doing more harm than good. No better opportunity exists to
learn about drugs and drug policy, and to strategize and mobilize for
reform. Registration materials will be available in May. For more
information email conference@drugpolicy.org.

This message was sent by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) as part of
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All written word is "The Opinion" of Thomas A. unless otherwise noted...

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