There is no cure for Chronic Pain, but there is Pain
Suppression if your State is not Florida or Georgia...
Click my Name. Thomas A Sutor for anyone who wants to join me on facebook!
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There is no cure for Chronic Pain, but there is Pain
Suppression if your State is not Florida or Georgia... Click my Name. Thomas A Sutor for anyone who wants to join me on facebook! |
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| Medical News Marijuana 2007 Signature drives completed in Massachusetts and Michigan! Dear Tom Sutor: Last week, the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy (CSMP) and MPP's Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care (MCCC) both completed their signature drives to place marijuana-related initiatives on the November 2008 ballot in Massachusetts and Michigan, respectively.
On Tuesday — after six months of petitioning — MCCC turned in nearly 500,000 signatures to qualify a medical marijuana measure for the November 2008 ballot in Michigan. On the same day — after only two months of petitioning — CSMP turned in more than 100,000 signatures to qualify a marijuana decriminalization initiative for the November 2008 ballot in Massachusetts.
I'd like to thank all the hard-working petitioners in Michigan and Massachusetts who helped MCCC and CSMP realize these achievements.
Would you please consider making a contribution to the campaigns in Michigan and Massachusetts to ensure passage of both measures next year?
Both initiatives are crucial to advancing marijuana policy reform in this country. Passage of MPP's Michigan initiative would mean that almost one-quarter of the nation would live in states with medical marijuana laws. Michigan would become the 13th medical marijuana state — joining Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington — and the first medical marijuana state in the Midwest.
In Massachusetts, turning in this first round of signatures means we are one step closer to the first time in history that an initiative to decriminalize marijuana will be placed on any statewide ballot. In the spring, if the state legislature does not enact the initiative into law itself, CSMP will have to collect an additional 11,099 valid signatures in order to place the decriminalization initiative on the November 2008 ballot. But that will be relatively easy compared to the first — much larger — round of signature-gathering that was just completed in Massachusetts.
MPP is currently working closely with MCCC and CSMP to pass both ballot initiatives, and we need your help. Will you please visit www.StopArrestingPatients.org or www.SensibleMarijuanaPolicy.org to donate $10 or more today?
Thanks for your help in making these exciting initiatives a reality.
Sincerely,
Michigan medical marijuana initiative turns in nearly half a million signatures to qualify for ballot After six months of gathering signatures from Michigan voters, MPP's campaign committee, the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, submitted nearly half
a million signatures to the state yesterday to qualify the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act for the 2008 ballot. This signature drive was a huge undertaking. Thank you to everyone who volunteered to collect signatures, signed the petition, and donated to the campaign. We could not have come this far without you, and we will need your support as we move forward!
Monday: Massachusetts legislative hearing on whether to continue jailing marijuana users Do you think Massachusetts should find better uses of your tax dollars than prosecuting and incarcerating adults for possessing small amounts of marijuana? On Monday, the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse will hold a hearing on the issue. Please turn out to the hearing to support sensible marijuana policies. Where: Room A-2, Statehouse, Boston, MA 02133 When: Monday, November 5, 1:00 p.m. (Please be prepared to devote several hours to the hearing because other bills could be called first.) What: Hearing on Senate Bill 1121, which would reduce the maximum penalty for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana from up to six months in jail, a $500 fine, or both to a $250 civil fine. (Please dress professionally.) Arresting and jailing adults for using marijuana has completely failed as a public policy. Despite more than 750,000 marijuana arrests annually, roughly 41% of Americans have tried marijuana. This massive policy failure hasn't come cheaply either. In addition to destroying otherwise law abiding citizens' lives, marijuana prohibition costs $7.7 billion each year, according to Harvard University professor Jeffrey Miron's report — endorsed by 500 economists, including Milton Friedman. This is an important opportunity to raise awareness of the need to reform Massachusetts' marijuana policies and show state legislators that Massachusetts voters are ready for a change. Another way you can help is to sign up to gather signatures to bring the issue to voters. The Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy is collecting signatures for a November 2008 ballot measure that would change the penalty for up to an ounce of marijuana to a $100 fine. If you'd like to get involved, contact them at info@sensiblemarijuanapolicy.org. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this information on so that even more people can participate in reform.
Vote for MPP's question to the presidential candidates / join me on the radio Dear Tom Sutor: Please join MPP Outreach Director Joe Haptas and me on Tuesday for a live, one-hour call-in show to discuss MPP’s plans for passing state legislation and ballot initiatives in 2008. We will also be taking calls from MPP supporters regarding other topics related to marijuana policy reform. You can also post your comments online during the show. What: BlogTalkRadio show with MPP’s Rob Kampia and Joe Haptas One of the topics we might touch upon is the presidential candidates’ positions on medical marijuana. As you know, MPP’s campaign in New Hampshire has secured promises from 10 of the 16 major presidential hopefuls to end the DEA’s raids on medical marijuana patients in the 12 states where medical marijuana is legal. Speaking of presidential candidates, the Web site 10Questions.com is organizing a user-driven set of video questions that will be asked of the presidential candidates next month. Help MPP by voting for our question about medical marijuana here. If our question is in the top 10 by November 14, it will be presented to the candidates, who will have an opportunity to respond. Plus, after the responses are returned, you will be able to vote on whether or not the candidates actually answered the questions. In addition, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) will be asked the site’s top question on MTV tomorrow, Monday, October 29. (The question and his response will air on MTV at 7:00 p.m. EST.) As of yesterday, our question had already risen into the top three on the site, and we are hoping that it will make it into the number one slot by tomorrow morning (Monday) at 10:00 a.m. EST, the cut-off time for determining which question Sen. Obama has to answer. Please vote for MPP's question now! Thanks for your support of MPP, and I look forward to talking with you on Tuesday. Sincerely, New York Senate doesn't vote on medical marijuana; patients needed Thank you to the more than 400 people who took the time to ask your state senators to put medical marijuana on the agenda for the October 22 special session. You let the senators know their constituents care about this issue. But, unfortunately, they have not yet voted on giving the sick and dying the protection they deserve. We can't give up now ... New York is still on the brink of becoming the 13th state to stop prosecuting the seriously ill. If you have battled a serious illness, or have a loved one who did, and your state senator is a Republican, we need your help. Please contact Karen O'Keefe at Karen@mpp.org or 202-462-5747, ext. 121 if you fit that criteria and are interested in meeting with your state senator. (If you are not sure who that is, you can write Karen@mpp.org and include your address, or you can look up your state senator at Congress.org.) The meetings would be in the senators' district offices, which should be fairly close to your residence. And you wouldn't be alone … Vince Marrone, a seasoned former legislative staffer who is MPP's lobbyist in New York, would join you. Additionally, if you have not yet e-mailed or called your state senator, please do so. Legislators often think that medical marijuana is a controversial issue. They seldom realize that the vast majority of their constituents — 76% of New Yorkers — support medical marijuana legislation. Let your state senator know that protecting the seriously ill is not only the compassionate thing to do … it's also what his or her constituents want. A phone call will have even more impact than an e-mail. You can look up your state senator's name and contact information at Congress.org. Before making the call, you can look over this background information. The state's medical community and the majority of Republican, Democrat, independent and Conservative Party voters support allowing medical marijuana. The Assembly already passed Assemblyman Richard Gottfried's (D-Manhattan) compassionate bill in June, and the governor indicated his support for the issue. But the Senate has not yet voted on medical marijuana, even though it has come back for three special sessions. Thank you for your support. Please pass this on to other compassionate New Yorkers, so together we can make sure no seriously ill patient faces arrest for relieving their suffering.
Gov. Richardson to Gov. Lynch on medical marijuana: "Do it!" Only one month to collect 100,000 signatures in Michigan — please help! Dear Tom Sutor: As I wrote you at the end of last month, the Marijuana Policy Project needs your help to place a landmark medical marijuana initiative on the Michigan ballot. Landmark? Yes, because if Michigan voters are given the opportunity to pass the initiative in November of next year, Michigan will become the first state in the Midwest where patients will be able to use, possess, and grow marijuana legally for medical purposes. And we can pass the initiative, because the only two public opinion polls that have been conducted in recent years show that between 59% and 61% of Michigan voters support the initiative. And this polling is accurate, because five out of five Michigan cities have passed local medical marijuana initiatives with an average of 64% of the vote since 2004. I want to thank the 44 generous supporters who made a financial donation after my last message about this campaign. But now I need your help, too. Would you please donate $10 or more today, so that we can afford to pay our hard-working petitioners who are working furiously to collect the remaining signatures that are needed to place the initiative on the November 2008 ballot? Our petitioners have done a great job since we kicked off the drive on May 23. But, we still have work ahead of us: In the next month, we need to collect the final 100,000 signatures that are needed to place the initiative on the ballot. Please donate $10 or more today, so that Michigan voters will have the chance to protect marijuana-using patients who have cancer, multiple sclerosis, and other medical conditions from arrest. Fully 10.1 million people live in Michigan, so making Michigan the 13th medical marijuana state would provide a huge boost to change federal law to end our government’s persecution of medical marijuana patients nationwide. If our hard-working petitioners fail to collect 100,000 signatures over the next month, the initiative will not appear on the ballot, and all the work we’ve done — and all the money we’ve spent — in Michigan will have been in vain. If you live in Michigan, please volunteer to collect 100, 500, or even 1,000 signatures from registered voters over the course of the next month. Or, if you’re unable to do so, please donate $10 or more so that we can pay others to do so. If you do not live in Michigan, please reach out across state lines to help make medical marijuana legal in the first Midwestern state by donating $10 or more today. Please lend your support today — and do not delay. I’ll be grateful for anything you can do to help. Thank you for considering this request ... Sincerely, P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2007. This means that your donation today will be doubled.
Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana Weekly Newsletter To:Tom Sutor Here is this week's update on Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana's campaign to press the presidential candidates to take public, positive positions on medical marijuana access. 1. Gov. Richardson to Gov. Lynch on medical marijuana: "Do it!" 1. Gov. Richardson to Gov. Lynch on medical marijuana: "Do it!" This past week, I attended a Concord house party for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) with GSMM volunteer and seriously ill resident Linda Macia. With the deadline looming for the introduction of medical marijuana legislation in New Hampshire for 2008, Macia asked Gov. Richardson: "First, I would like to thank you for the understanding, support, and compassion you have shown towards medical marijuana patients. Because I'm allergic or intolerant to conventional prescription medications I have tried medical marijuana. In New Hampshire, our governor — Gov. Lynch — will soon be considering medical marijuana legislation. From one governor to another governor, what would you say to Gov. Lynch while he considers supporting this legislation?" Gov. Richardson responded, "I would say to him, it's the right thing to do, and you should do it, but do it — I'll tell you what we're doing. I had people like you come to see me about a year and a half ago and this is what they said to me — people with cancer, glaucoma, serious illnesses — and they said, 'You know we have no health insurance, and we want something to ease our pain, and we think that medical marijuana would ease our pain, would you propose a bill to permit medical marijuana?' … I looked at these women and men I said, 'Can we find a way to do it right, can it be done and administered by qualified professionals? … And my department of health said yes. And so we're starting to administer the program and those that are suffering are getting medical marijuana." Gov. Richardson continued, "But guess what? Guess what the office of drug control is trying to do to New Mexico? I got word that the Office of [National] Drug Control [Policy] at the White House wants to prosecute my little state employees that are administering this. And they've threatened to prosecute. And that is so wrong, instead of going after drug dealers. Then they had a man in Malaga, New Mexico who was taking it for medicinal purposes. The DEA arrested that guy. 'Oh we didn't know that this man was getting medical marijuana and that the law permitted it.' They released him, but you know this is the kind of intolerant society we live in. So I appreciate what you said. I just think, properly administered, safeguards, you know, for your suffering." You can watch the entire encounter with Gov. Richardson here. 2. Gov. Romney waits until he's 2,941 miles away to answer Clayton's question Last week, I told you about former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R) ignoring seriously ill New Hampshire resident Clayton Holton in Dover, New Hampshire, when he asked if the governor would have patients like himself arrested for using medical marijuana with their doctors' approval. Romney evaded the question and turned his back on Clayton as he sat in his wheelchair, unable to follow the governor as he scurried to leave his campaign event. You can watch the video of Clayton's encounter with Gov. Romney here. Since the encounter, thousands of American voters have responded with outrage towards Gov. Romney's treatment of this victim of muscular dystrophy who simply wanted a straight answer from the presidential hopeful. And a week after the encounter, while campaigning in Nevada — nearly 3,000 miles away from Dover — Gov. Romney finally answered Clayton's question. During the question and answer portion of Gov. Romney's event before members of the Conservative Leadership Conference, he was asked whether he would tell the DEA to stop raids in states that have legalized medical marijuana. Gov. Romney responded with a loud, "No," before continuing, "I believe marijuana is the gateway to drug use that is a plague to our children and a plague to our country. Medical marijuana is a Trojan horse for getting marijuana legalized. That is the last thing America needs. We do not need more drugs in our school and homes." 3. Sen. Clinton demands more medical marijuana research I've told you about our amazing progress with Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) during the New Hampshire primary. Initially, Sen. Clinton showed concern that the raids were occurring and assured us that she would look into the matter before she got back to us with a firm response. We lobbied her campaign staff, providing information on the raids and on marijuana's medical value. Only a few weeks later, she made her support for ending the raids clear when she was asked if she would end the raids and stated, "Yes, I will!" with great enthusiasm. This past week, Sen. Clinton returned to New Hampshire for a town hall forum at Plymouth State College in Plymouth. During the question and answer portion of the event, a member of the audience asked Sen. Clinton, "I have a question about something that pains me deeply — medical marijuana?" Sen. Clinton responded, "With respect to medical marijuana, you know I think that we have a lot of rhetoric and the federal government has been very intent upon trying to prevent states from being able to offer that as an option for people who are in pain. I think we should be doing medical research on this. We've ought to find what are the elements that claim to be existing in marijuana that might help people who are suffering from cancer, nausea related treatments. We ought to find that out. I don't think we should decriminalize it, but we ought to do research into what, if any, medical benefits it has. Remember, most painkillers come from poppies. We've had all kinds of drugs that have benefited Americans. So you know, we ought to be doing research. If there's something that could be made available that would be legal, we should look to that because I think that there are a lot of people suffering from debilitating pain, from medical treatments, that they undergo, and there's no reason they should suffer needlessly if we can have a legal, ethical framework to try to alleviate that pain." 4. Help us protect the seriously ill! You can help out the campaign by taking action in one, or all, of the ways recommended below:
Thank you for your continued support of our efforts, and please look for our weekly updates.
Chicago screening of "Waiting to Inhale" a huge success — act now to host a screening in your community On Thursday, September 20, patients, doctors, attorneys, and local activists packed the 263-seat Film Row Cinema at Columbia College to watch the award-winning documentary "Waiting to Inhale". The movie was followed by a fantastic discussion that included: Jed Riffe, director and producer of "Waiting to Inhale"; Melanie Dreher, dean of the College of Nursing at Rush University; and James Gierach, a former Cook County prosecutor and featured speaker with Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. The Chicago screening was presented by The Public Square, an agency of the Illinois Humanities Council. Keep a lookout for future screenings presented by The Public Square. If you would like to help facilitate the public debate on this issue by hosting or sponsoring a screening of "Waiting to Inhale," please contact MPP Legislative Analyst Nathan Miller at (202) 249-1897 or Nathan@mpp.org. Next year we all hope to see the medical marijuana bill move even closer to becoming a medical marijuana law, but we need help from people like you to get the word out — this is a great way to do it. Another excellent way to spread the word about medical marijuana is by utilizing the airwaves. Please click here to download and share MPP's public service announcements with any radio station that might be interested in airing these wonderfully crafted messages. If you or anyone you know needs help understanding the issues involved with medical marijuana, please click here to download some of our brochures and handouts. These are great materials to leave with your local leader, physician, or law enforcement official who might need a little educating on the subject. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project and all of our allies. Please pass this along to anyone or any organization you know that might be interested in hosting a screening of "Waiting to Inhale." Marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers $41.8 billion annually Dear Tom Sutor: A new report that MPP co-released yesterday shows that marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers $41.8 billion annually in law enforcement expenses and revenues lost to government at all levels. The analysis, by researcher Jon B. Gettman, Ph.D., is based primarily on government estimates of the U.S. marijuana supply, prices, and arrests. (MPP and Dr. Gettman made international headlines in December 2006 when we co-released his analysis showing that marijuana is the top cash crop in the U.S.) Click here to read some news coverage of Gettman’s latest report. Key findings of "Lost Taxes and Other Costs of Marijuana Laws" include:
This documentation of our nation’s failed marijuana laws comes just after the FBI reported a record 829,627 marijuana arrests in 2006. The evidence against marijuana prohibition keeps mounting. Funding and promoting cutting-edge research like this and getting it into the news and into the hands of lawmakers takes financial support from people like you — people who are motivated to turn common sense and cutting-edge research into action. Would you please consider making a donation to our work today? We need you standing with us in this battle. Sincerely, P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2007. This means that your donation today will be doubled. Marijuana "decrim" campaign launches in Massachusetts Dear Tom Sutor: I’m pleased to announce that the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy (CSMP) has launched its
long-awaited campaign to pass a statewide marijuana “decriminalization” initiative in Massachusetts in November 2008. MPP is currently assisting CSMP in collecting signatures to put the initiative on the November 2008 ballot, and we need you to be part of the campaign. Will you please visit
www.SensibleMarijuanaPolicy.org to donate $10 or more today?
You're invited to MPP's party in Austin! You're invited to the Marijuana Policy Project's first-ever party in Austin on Saturday, October 20! With 23,000 dues-paying members, 100,000 email subscribers, an annual budget of $6,000,000, and a separate $1,500,000 grants program that provides funding to allied organizations, MPP is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the U.S. Since its founding in 1995, MPP has been working to end marijuana prohibition in the U.S., with a particular emphasis on legalizing medical marijuana state-to-state. MPP is based in Washington, D.C., but MPP's executive director, Rob Kampia, has been temporarily living in Austin since May and will be moving back to D.C. over Thanksgiving. By holding the party on October 20, he hopes to put MPP members and allies in touch with each other, for the purpose of building the marijuana policy reform community in Austin. Alcoholic beverages and finger food will be provided. The indoor/outdoor party, which will have a DJ, starts at 8:00 p.m. There are no tickets to the event, and financial donations are not required. But there will be a *soft* pitch for financial support at some point in the evening. To RSVP and to learn the address for the party in the Travis Heights neighborhood of south Austin, either reply to this e-mail or send a message to MPPparty@mpp.org with your name and the number of people you'll be bringing. Thanks, and we hope to see you on October 20!
Dear Friend: California: Patients needed for clinical trial of medical marijuana There is good reason to believe that marijuana can boost the efficacy of opioid pain drugs, allowing pain patients to get better relief with smaller doses of narcotic medications. University of California, San Francisco researcher Dr. Donald Abrams is looking for participants to take part in an important pilot study that could lay the groundwork for critical research in this area. Dr. Abrams is conducting a trial of vaporized medical marijuana in conjunction with opioid medications in chronic pain patients. This is an opportunity for patients to try controlled doses of medical marijuana completely legally — under both state and federal law — for five days and for researchers to collect important data about the safety of medical marijuana. The study will assess the clinical safety of using marijuana with opioids by monitoring the short-term side effects associated with combined therapy. Participants in the study must:
Participating patients will:
You can receive $520 for participating. For more information, call (415) 476-9554, ext. 315, or e-mail pcouey@php.ucsf.edu. The Community Consortium Positive Health Program of the UCSF Medical Service at San Francisco General Hospital is conducting the study. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this on to any chronic pain patients who might be interested in participating in the study.
Even though this is going on down below, I think it is a good idea to participate in these studies. I will try to get in as my Chronic Pain is now 6 years.
The DEA is raiding California right now. Dear Tom Sutor: Right now, the DEA is currently raiding the River City Patient Center in Sacramento, California — the longest established medical marijuana dispensary in the city. Protesters have gathered outside the building in support of the collective. And yesterday, the DEA began threatening landlords in the Santa Barbara area who lease space to medical marijuana dispensaries — activity that’s legal under California state law — with federal prison time and forfeiture of their properties. Several dispensaries closed right away. This follows a similar move in Los Angeles in July — a maneuver that was condemned in a Los Angeles Times editorial as "a deplorable new bullying tactic." No matter what state you live in, will you please take a few minutes to write all three of your members of Congress to protest this federal interference in state law? MPP’s action center is easy to use: You can send one of our pre-drafted letters, or you can personalize the letter. This is just the latest in the campaign of terror the DEA is waging on the sick. In June and July, the DEA conducted extensive medical marijuana raids in several California counties and in Oregon, including raids on at least 10 Los Angeles clinics in late July. Most were aimed at medical marijuana dispensaries operating legally under state and local laws, and in several cases the DEA detained and terrorized individual patients. If this outrages you like it does me, would you help MPP hire a new grassroots organizer in California, as well as to retain a lobbyist to help push legislation in Sacramento to protect these dispensaries? If enough supporters on this e-mail list donate today, MPP will be able to fully pay for both positions. These reprehensible DEA attacks — which run counter to state law, as well as the 78% of the American people who support "making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering" — are preventing effective local regulation of medical marijuana: Cities and counties in California are passing ordinances to ensure that medical marijuana dispensaries follow the law and serve patients properly. But by treating all who provide medical marijuana to the sick as common drug dealers, the DEA has become the single largest obstacle to effective regulation of these establishments. A major Los Angeles raid actually occurred at the exact moment that members of the city council were holding a press conference to discuss an ordinance to regulate medical marijuana providers. Local officials and major newspapers are outraged by the DEA's actions. After the July raids in Los Angeles, L.A. City Councilman Dennis Zine — a Republican and former police officer with the L.A. Police Department — said, "I am greatly disturbed that the Drug Enforcement Administration would initiate an enforcement action against medical marijuana facilities in the City of Los Angeles during a news conference regarding City Council support of an Interim Control Ordinance to regulate all facilities within the City. This action by the DEA is contrary to the vote of Californians who overwhelmingly voted to support medicinal marijuana use by those facing serious and life threatening illnesses. The DEA needs to focus their attention and enforcement action on the illegal drug dealers who are terrorizing communities in Los Angeles." After a series of DEA medical marijuana raids in San Francisco, the city's health director, Dr. Mitchell Katz, wrote to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, "These actions have resulted in 4,000 persons with chronic illness left without access to critical treatment upon which they rely. Certainly in this post-September 11 environment, it seems that a DEA priority punishing organizations for distributing cannabis for medical purposes to chronically ill individuals is misplaced." Would you help us fight back against the DEA's deplorable attacks on sick patients? Please write your three members of Congress now, and then consider making a donation to MPP today. Sincerely, P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2007. This means that your donation today will be doubled. P.P.S. You can opt out of receiving fundraising mentions in the e-mail alerts I send you in 2007 by visiting www.mpp.org/2007optoutpreference at your convenience.
Help stop DEA obstruction of medical marijuana research Dear Tom Sutor: Would it surprise you to learn that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is refusing to allow medical marijuana research to move forward — despite a clear recommendation from its own administrative law judge to let such research happen? If you’re like me, this will be just the latest outrage from the same agency that insists on terrorizing and arresting medical marijuana patients and providers who are complying with state law and their doctors’ advice. Would you please take one minute to ask your U.S. House member to direct the DEA to permit medical marijuana research to move forward? MPP’s online action center has done all the work for you; just click a few buttons and your letter will be sent. (Congress provides the DEA with 100% of its funding — all of it taxpayer money — so the DEA is more likely to listen to members of Congress than just about anyone else.) In February of this year, DEA Administrative Law Judge Mary Bittner recommended that Professor Lyle Craker and the University of Massachusetts be granted a license to grow research-grade marijuana that would be used in FDA- and DEA-approved clinical studies into marijuana’s therapeutic uses, noting that it would be “in the public interest” to do so. But the DEA has ignored her recommendation and continued to block the research. And earlier this month, during a hearing before the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, DEA official Joseph Rannazzisi refused to commit to a timeline for ruling on the University of Massachusetts’ application ... even implying that the DEA might just wait until after a new presidential administration takes power in January 2009! This is the height of hypocrisy. The DEA continually cites insufficient research as a reason for keeping medical marijuana illegal — while simultaneously blocking the very research that’s needed to persuade the FDA to approve marijuana as a prescription medicine. How can the DEA hide behind the FDA in arguing against medical marijuana access, and then block any attempt to move marijuana through the FDA approval process? Would you please take one minute to ask your U.S. House member to stop letting politics interfere with research into the medicinal value of marijuana? Thank you,
All 8 Democratic presidential candidates support medical marijuana! Dear Tom Sutor: U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) just became the last of the eight Democratic presidential candidates to pledge to end the DEA’s raids on medical marijuana patients and providers who act legally under state law. This means that all eight Democratic presidential candidates — including U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) — have now taken public positions in support of protecting patients in the 12 states with medical marijuana laws. In regard to Sen. Obama, it took MPP’s campaign in New Hampshire, Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana (GSMM), five separate encounters over the last few months — and two back-to-back encounters earlier this week — but on Tuesday in Nashua, Sen. Obama told a GSMM volunteer, “I would not have the Justice Department prosecuting and raiding medical marijuana users. It's not a good use of our resources." You can watch the encounter here and read some news coverage of this coup here. MPP/GSMM has had one full-time staffer — Stuart Cooper — working in New Hampshire since March, and I’m thrilled that our persistence has paid off. Stuart and his cadre of volunteers and patients have been dogging the Democratic and Republican candidates at almost every appearance in the state, urging them to take strong, public, positive positions on medical marijuana in advance of the New Hampshire primary — currently the first in the nation — on January 22. In addition to the eight Democratic candidates, two Republican candidates — U.S. Reps. Ron Paul (Texas) and Tom Tancredo (Colo.) — have also vowed to end the medical marijuana raids as well. In fact, these two members of Congress recently voted for the Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment on the House floor ... for the fifth year in a row. You can see or hear the good guys in their own words here. Can you imagine if all the presidential candidates publicly supported protecting patients? Please make a donation so we can keep up the pressure on the six Republicans who still haven’t taken positive positions. The 10 good candidates are to be commended for their common sense and compassion, especially as federal intrusion into medical marijuana states has been on the rise this summer, with DEA raids taking place in several counties in California and Oregon. Recently, the DEA also began threatening landlords who lease space to medical marijuana dispensaries — activity that’s legal under state law — with forfeiture of their property, a move condemned in a Los Angeles Times editorial as "a deplorable new bullying tactic." And last week, presidential candidate and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), who signed legislation in April making his the 12th medical marijuana state, wrote to President Bush asking him to end the federal raids in medical marijuana states: "Respected physicians and government officials should not fear going to jail for acting compassionately and caring for our most vulnerable citizens. Nor should those most vulnerable of citizens fear their government because they take the medicine they need." We still have work to do in New Hampshire: Will you consider making a donation today to ensure that in January 2009 we inaugurate a president who is committed to ending federal interference in the states that have medical marijuana laws? Thank you for your support. With gratitude,
Rob Kampia P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2007. This means that your donation today will be doubled. P.P.S. You can opt out of receiving fundraising mentions in the e-mail alerts I send you in 2007 by visiting www.mpp.org/2007optoutpreference at your convenience.
New York: New poll shows Conservative Party members support medical marijuana Some of the sparse opposition to allowing medical marijuana in New York has come from the spokesperson of the Conservative Party. But a newly released poll shows that the membership of the Conservative Party disagrees: They support allowing medical marijuana! That's right: A July poll found that 55% of Conservative Party members support allowing patients to grow and use marijuana with their doctors' approval, and only 35% oppose doing so. So what is the state Senate waiting for? The state's medical community, 76% of New Yorkers, and the majority of voters from every significant political party support allowing medical marijuana. The Assembly already passed compassionate legislation in June, and the governor indicated his support for the issue. Please take a moment to write your state senator to ask him or her to ensure that patients finally get the relief that they deserve. You can choose from one of our pre-written letters or draft your own. Please let your senator know that New York's seriously ill patients shouldn't have to risk arrest any longer: The Senate should enact medical marijuana legislation during a special session. If you've already written your state senator and haven't gotten a positive response, please follow up with a call and ask why he or she hasn't committed to stand up for patients. You can write to Karen@mpp.org for talking points. The state Senate has come back to session two times since it adjourned in late June. But both times it failed to take up legislation to stop the arrest of sick and dying medical marijuana patients. Now it's clear that, in addition to being the humane thing to do, supporting medical marijuana is popular even among the state's most conservative voters. So, please ask your state senator to support the Assembly medical marijuana bill. To read a news story on the poll's release, click here. And for the full results of the poll, as well as results of six polls commissioned in individual senators' districts, click here. Each of the district polls also found strong support for medical marijuana. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this alert on to friends and family in New York so that even more voices for reform can be heard.
Job openings with the Marijuana Policy Project Dear Tom Sutor: The Marijuana Policy Project has one full-time job opening in Washington, D.C., as well as several contract positions around the country. The positions are as follows:
Director of Government Relations in Washington, D.C.
Petitioners and Team Leaders in Arizona and Michigan Please visit www.mpp.org/jobs for detailed job descriptions for each of the above positions and instructions for applying. MPP is not taking phone calls about these positions; rather, all interested candidates should apply by using the process described at the links above. Would you please pass this message along to anyone you know who might be interested? I also want to take this opportunity to thank MPP’s 23,000 dues-paying members who are making it possible for MPP to fight — more and more aggressively every year — to bring an end to the government's war on marijuana users. Sincerely,
Rob Kampia Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana Weekly Newsletter To:Tom Sutor Here is this week's update on Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana's campaign to press the presidential candidates to take public, positive positions on medical marijuana access. This week, I confronted former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) about his opposition to ending the federal raids on medical marijuana patients. 1. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani admits his information on medical marijuana is outdated 1. Rudy Giuliani admits his information on medical marijuana is outdated During the three previous conversations we've had with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, he repeatedly told us with confidence that marijuana had no medical value and that the entire campaign to protect medical marijuana patients was really a campaign to legalize marijuana. However, on July 31, during a town hall meeting in Rochester, New Hampshire, I reminded Mayor Giuliani of his past statements and asked if he could cite a single doctor or medical organization that supported his position of raiding and arresting the seriously ill. I also asked if his administration would ignore the 78% of the American people and the many medical organizations, such as the American Nurses Association and the American Public Health Association, that believe that marijuana has medical value and ought to be available for the seriously ill. Mayor Giuliani backtracked, saying, "The reality is, no one is suggesting that people who are sick be in prison." I immediately corrected him, saying, "If you raid them, then you're going to imprison them." Mayor Giuliani continued to soften his position, saying, "No one is suggesting that people who are sick should go to prison. And the second fact is, that all of the experts I have ever talked to about this — my knowledge of this goes back about eight to ten years, I haven't really looked at it in that period of time, or during the time when I was U.S. Attorney dealing with marijuana cases — is that, just about everything you want to do for pain can be done with other legal prescribed medications." Mayor Giuliani then pledged to take a second look at recent medical marijuana data, saying, "I'd be happy to take a look at the literature you are talking about … I haven't looked at it in about eight to ten years. So it's probably worth taking a look at it again. Give me a week or two, I'll probably be back here, you'll ask your question again. After I look at the material, I'll give you another answer, maybe the same, maybe different." 2. Make a difference today Without our volunteers putting constant pressure on Mayor Giuliani as he campaigned throughout New Hampshire, he probably never would have taken the time to take a second look at the available data on marijuana's medical value. We've have already told you about how, with your help, our work has led 10 of the 17 presidential candidates to pledge to end the federal raids on medical marijuana patients and their caregivers. And with your continued support, I am confident that we can continue to pressure Mayor Giuliani and the five other candidates who support the raids to reconsider their previous positions and pledge to protect our nation's seriously ill. In fact, this week Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will be holding town hall events on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in Merrimack, Wolfeboro, and North Conway. The last time we spoke to him, he flip-flopped on medical marijuana (after first saying that he would let states decide, he then said he would continue the federal raids). This week's town hall events offer the perfect opportunity for us to pressure him to respect states' rights and protect the seriously ill who use medical marijuana with approval from their states and doctors. If you would like to help us pressure Sen. McCain, please call me at (603) 703-1411, or e-mail me at stuart@granitestaters.com, and I will let you know how you can help. 3. Help GSMM fight for medical marijuana access In June and July, the DEA conducted extensive medical marijuana raids in several California counties and in Oregon, including raids on at least 10 Los Angeles sites in late July. Most were aimed at medical marijuana dispensaries operating legally under state and local laws, and in several cases individual patients were detained and terrorized. Recently, the DEA also began threatening the owners of buildings used for medical marijuana activities with seizure of their property. Called "a deplorable new bullying tactic" by The Los Angeles Times, this DEA action has occurred even where medical marijuana is legal under state law and specifically authorized by voters. By putting constant pressure on the candidates to pledge to stop using DEA agents to raid and arrest sick and dying medical marijuana patients, we can ensure that our next president ends these raids once and for all. But to do this, we will need your help! Would you please donate to our work today so that we may continue pressuring the presidential candidates to take stronger, positive positions on medical marijuana use by the seriously ill? Thank you for your continued support of our efforts, and please look for our weekly updates.
Ask your lawmakers to leave Florida's initiative process alone This session, Sen. Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) introduced a bill that would have made it harder for Floridians to amend the state constitution via the initiative process. Although SB 900 passed both chambers of Florida's legislature, it was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist (R). This bill was opposed by at least 15 organizations, including the ACLU of Florida, Common Cause of Florida, and League of Women Voters of Florida. SB 900 would have complicated Florida's initiative process in several ways. First, it would have placed unnecessary restrictions on the signature gathering process. A 30-day deadline would have been established for volunteers to turn in signed petitions, with any signatures turned in after this deadline automatically deemed invalid. Interestingly, there was no requirement that the election officials in charge of reviewing the signed petition forms notify voters if their petitions were thrown out in these instances! Secondly, SB 900 would have allowed groups opposed to voter-supported initiatives 120 days in which to contact voters who signed the petition and encourage them to revoke their signatures. Because the names of voters who sign petitions are a matter of public record, such legislation encourages paid organizations to gather this information and harass voters in an effort to remove questions from election ballots. Lastly, this legislation would have been disruptive and costly to the election process by requiring more work from election officials in matching up the names of petition signers with the names on petition-revocation forms. Perhaps the most disturbing thing about SB 900 is that it implied Florida voters lack the intelligence to know what they are signing. In reality, this legislation would have done nothing to improve the initiative process — it only would have created an opportunity for those in the business of collecting and selling information to exploit Florida's initiative process. This is one industry Florida can do without. While SB 900 has no chance of becoming law this year, it could be brought back up for consideration next session, which starts March 4, 2008. At this time, both chambers of the Florida Legislature could choose to override Gov. Crist's veto with a two-thirds vote. If this happens, SB 900 would become law. Alternatively, a similar, but different, bill could be introduced next session, in which case the bill would have to once again pass through both chambers before becoming law. To make sure that legislators are not wasting their (and your) time on this legislation next session, please e-mail them today and make sure they know you oppose SB 900. Please send an e-mail to Nathan@mpp.org to let us know of any feedback your legislators give you. As you may recall, Florida already made it more difficult to amend the state constitution last year with the passage of Amendment 3, which requires all new amendments to be passed by 60% of voters. This makes Florida one of the most difficult states in the nation in which to amend the state constitution — it does not need to be harder. Without the initiative process, Florida would not have smaller class sizes, a state minimum wage, a ban on indoor smoking, or universal pre-kindergarten — all of which came to fruition by way of Florida's initiative process. Please help preserve this most democratic of processes by acting today. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this information along to your friends and family in Florida, so that others can help protect the initiative process. If you have any questions about marijuana reform in Florida, please contact Nathan Miller by calling (202) 462-5747, ext. 118, or e-mailing Nathan@mpp.org.
U.S. House votes 262-165 to continue funding DEA's war on medical marijuana patients Dear Tom Sutor: Tonight, July 25, the U.S. House of Representatives defeated by a vote of 165-262 an amendment that would have prevented the DEA and the U.S. Justice Department from arresting or prosecuting medical marijuana patients and providers in the 12 states where medical marijuana is legal.
Congressmen Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) sponsored the amendment.
Although we lost, this evening's vote was a record showing of congressional support, in part because of the more than 24,000 letters that MPP members and allies sent to their U.S. representatives in the last few weeks.
Speaking on the House floor in favor of the amendment, Congressman Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) told an emotional story about his close friend, a former Navy SEAL, who died of pancreatic cancer but used medical marijuana to ease his final months.
Congressman Rohrabacher spoke of the deaths of his mother and brother from cancer, stating, "If marijuana would have helped them, it would have been a horrible thing to think that federal agents would have come in and interfered with that, if their doctor had recommended it."
Speaking in opposition to the amendment, Congressman Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) falsely claimed that marijuana "does cause cancer. I've seen it." He added, "Most people who want to use [medical marijuana] want to get high."
This is only the fifth time in history that the full House has voted on binding legislation to end the federal government's war on medical marijuana patients. (The U.S. Senate never has.)
Leading up to the vote, the MPP staff and our lobbyists had dozens of meetings with House members. The addition of former Congressman Bob Barr (R-Ga.) to our lobbying ranks this year gave a boost to our efforts.
We also generated a record amount of grassroots support for the amendment, delivering hundreds of patient anecdotes and testimony to members of Congress. MPP coordinated an open letter to Congress from health and medical organizations and helped draft the text of the amendment. And in the last few weeks, we distributed decks of cards — with the title, "The Deal on Medical Marijuana: 52 Reasons Why You Should Support Medical Marijuana Access" — to every House lawmaker. The cards were extremely popular and garnered positive media attention.
Additionally, the documentary "In Pot We Trust" — which aired on Showtime earlier this month and features MPP's Aaron Houston lobbying for the medical marijuana amendment on Capitol Hill — brought much-needed attention to the issue during a crucial time for lawmakers considering the amendment. You can read some of the positive news coverage of the documentary here.
Now that the amendment has received 165 votes, in the next year we'll be targeting a smaller number of districts to pick up the remaining 53 votes we need to reach a 218-vote majority. And we need your help to begin working immediately on our lobbying strategy for next year: Do you personally know — or have a real connection with — any members of Congress, their relatives, or their staff? If so, please reply to this e-mail.
The momentum is on our side, and we'll keep fighting until Congress listens to the American people and ends the government's cruel and needless war on sick people. We are hopeful for change, as our campaign in New Hampshire has already gotten the majority — 10 out of 17, including U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) — of the presidential candidates to pledge to end the federal government's war on medical marijuana users. The days of DEA raids on seriously ill people are numbered.
If you support the work that MPP is doing — work that tonight forced each member of the U.S. House of Representatives to take a public stand on the question of arresting and imprisoning seriously ill patients — please help us continue by making a financial contribution today. We need you standing with us as we continue the fight.
State medical marijuana laws threatened — act now! Dear Tom Sutor: Congress is currently considering a bill that could undermine the 12 state laws protecting medical marijuana patients from arrest and jail. Please take one minute to write your three members of Congress today to oppose this action. The bill contains a provision offered by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), a rabid opponent of medical marijuana who last year told MPP’s lobbyist that “marijuana is not a medicine, and the doctors and scientists who say it is one are smoking it themselves.” Sen. Coburn's amendment is a thinly veiled attempt to undermine the 12 state medical marijuana laws — in Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington — by placing them under the authority of the FDA, while not providing the same approval process for marijuana as for other drugs seeking FDA approval as prescription medicines. And the FDA has already demonstrated its hostility to medical marijuana: In April of last year, the FDA released a highly politicized — and incorrect — statement claiming that “no sound scientific studies” support the medical use of marijuana. Please tell your U.S. representative and two U.S. senators to uphold the will of the voters in the 12 states that have enacted laws allowing medical marijuana. (MPP's action center is quick and easy to use. You can use one of our pre-written letters, or you can personalize your message.) If enacted into law, the Coburn amendment could cause medical marijuana patients and caregivers to face even greater risk under federal law than they already do. Even more disturbing, medical marijuana opponents could try to use the provision to shut down state medical marijuana programs across the country. Please help stop this unprecedented attack on local decision-making and help ensure that medical marijuana patients living in states that have already acted to protect them are able to retain those protections. Please write your members of Congress today.
Willie Nelson to do benefit for MPP Will you join Willie Nelson and the Marijuana Policy Project at a concert to raise money for marijuana policy reform?
You can buy regular tickets here — but I hope you'll consider buying a VIP ticket. VIP tickets include dinner, open bar, seating in the exclusive tree deck, and the opportunity to network with special celebrity guests. But we have only 20 VIP tickets available, so act fast if you want one. The concert will star legendary country singer Willie Nelson and the Grammy award-winning band Asleep at the Wheel — featuring MPP VIP advisory board member Ray Benson. Other special guests include Paula Nelson, Carolyn Wonderland, Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling, and Mark Stepnoski. Proceeds from the benefit will go to MPP, NORML, and WAMM. Earlier this week, the Austin-American Statesman reported that Nelson has cancelled many of his tour dates through August — except for ours and the annual Farm Aid concert. So if you want to see Willie Nelson in concert this summer, MPP’s event might be your only chance. Buy your tickets today: I hope to see you in Austin on August 10 . . . Sincerely,
Rob Kampia
Patients' voices needed to pass New York's medical marijuana legislation Last month, New York's medical marijuana legislation came to the brink of becoming law. But now it's stalled in the Senate, and senators need to hear that seriously ill patients are counting on them. If you are a seriously ill patient, or if you have recovered from a serious illness, please write Karen O'Keefe at Karen@mpp.org to see how you can help get this legislation moving. We are especially looking for people who 1) used medical marijuana to treat a serious illness in the past; 2) currently use medical marijuana to treat a serious illness; or 3) do not use medical marijuana because of fear of criminal sanctions but find other medicines inadequate. Please include a phone number and your address and ZIP code (so we can determine who your state senator is). You can be involved as much or as little as you feel comfortable. There is a very real chance that New York can become the next state to allow medical marijuana: The Assembly overwhelmingly passed medical marijuana legislation, Gov. Eliot Spitzer said he was open to signing such legislation, and the Senate leadership supports allowing medical marijuana. The only sticking point is getting the Senate to act, and to ensure that the bill that it passes truly works. But to get the bill moving, more patients' voices must be heard. Involvement can range from writing or calling legislators to submitting letters to the editor to talking to reporters. So, please write Karen O'Keefe at Karen@mpp.org if you are a patient who is interested in helping make medical marijuana legal under New York law. Together, we can make New York the 13th state to allow the doctor-advised, medical use of marijuana. Thank you for your support. Please pass this on to any patients you know who might be interested in getting involved.
Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana Weekly Newsletter To:Tom Sutor Here is this week's update on Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana's campaign to press the presidential candidates to take public, positive positions on medical marijuana access. This week we approached candidates as they celebrated the Fourth of July in New Hampshire. 1. Rudy Giuliani wants to arrest medical marijuana patients 1. Rudy Giuliani wants to arrest medical marijuana patients The last time former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) was in the Granite State, he told a medical marijuana activist, "I believe there are a lot of alternatives people have other than using marijuana." During his stop in New Hampshire this week, Mayor Giuliani made it clear that he would continue the DEA's raids on the sick and dying. At a town hall meeting in Concord, I asked Mayor Giuliani if he would end the DEA's raids on seriously ill patients and their caregivers living in the 12 states that have passed medical marijuana laws. He responded, "Marijuana adds nothing to the array of legal medications and prescription medications that are available … We should keep it illegal, and I will keep it illegal." Apparently Mayor Giuliani hasn't done his research. Even a White House-commissioned report in 1999 concluded, "Nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety are all afflictions of wasting [a common side effect of cancer and AIDS treatments], and all can be mitigated by marijuana." And organizations supporting or accepting physician-supervised access to medical marijuana include the American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association, American Academy of HIV Medicine, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and many others. It gets worse. When I followed up and asked Mayor Giuliani how medical marijuana differs from the numerous legal pharmaceuticals that contain dangerous narcotics, such as the opiate-based painkiller OxyContin, he responded: "There are substantial differences in the things you are talking about in terms of addiction potential, ability to control … and there are more than an array of medicines available." What Mayor Giuliani didn't say was that he has worked as a hired consultant for OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma. After the company pled guilty to charges that it misled doctors and patients about the addiction risks of the powerful narcotic and helped create a nationwide epidemic of addiction to the drug, Mayor Giulani personally met with the head of the DEA to urge him to keep the drug legal and available to patients. You can read media coverage of his statements here. And you can read more about his connections to OxyContin and Purdue Pharma here. 2. Rep. Duncan Hunter gets an earful at parade Several weeks ago, we told you about our encounter with California Congressman Duncan Hunter (R) in the spin room after the GOP debate. There he told us, "If you have a federal law, you have to enforce the law. And that's my answer." … making it clear that he would continue to have his own neighbors and constituents in California arrested for using medical marijuana on their doctors' advice and in compliance with state law. This past week, Rep. Hunter returned to New Hampshire to march in Merrimack's July Fourth parade. A large group of volunteers for Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana fanned out at the event, handing out more than 400 fliers describing Rep. Hunter's stance on medical marijuana and urging parade-goers to ask the congressman to change his position as he walked along the parade route. I personally witnessed eight different parade attendees question the congressman along the one-mile route, and I expect that even more questioning took place while Rep. Hunter was out of my view. 3. Gov. Bill Richardson celebrates patient protection New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) also spent his July Fourth marching in the Merrimack parade. Gov. Richardson has repeatedly pledged to end the federal raids on medical marijuana patients and fought hard to make New Mexico the 12th state to protect patients. As Gov. Richardson marched along the parade route, he took the time to stop and talk to several Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana volunteers, who thanked him for protecting the freedom of medical marijuana patients. Gov. Richardson even took out a pen and signed his name on one of our volunteer's "Stop Arresting Patients for Medical Marijuana" pin. 4. You can make a difference How many times have you told yourself and others that you wanted to make a difference and set our public policy straight, but you just don't know how? Here is your opportunity! This weekend, we expect visits from Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). And next week we expect visits from former Massachussetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D). The last time Sen. Clinton visited New Hampshire, she promised to look into the federal raids on medical marijuana patients and agreed that they were excessive. This weekend we need volunteers to help us make sure Sen. Clinton did her research and has taken a compassionate position on medical marijuana. We also need volunteers to help us pressure Sen. McCain to publicly promise to end the federal raids on medical marijuana programs. The last time we spoke to him, he told us that he would "let states decide the issue." This weekend, we want to make sure he publicly supports an end to the raids. If you would like to make a difference, please volunteer today by contacting GSMM campaign manager Stuart Cooper at (603) 703-1411 or stuart@GraniteStaters.com. 5. Don't Let Rudy Giuliani get away with misleading voters The only way to stop Rudy Giuliani from continuing to mislead voters about marijuana's medical value is to confront him continuously during future visits to New Hampshire. This means getting volunteers to his campaign events, educating New Hampshire voters with literature and letters to the editor, and creating constant pressure from residents. This level of pressure requires a great deal of time, staff, and resources. The fact is, we need your help to make all this possible. If you are sick and tired of politicians like Rudy Giuliani misleading voters and sacrificing the sick and dying so they can appear "tough on crime," then would you please donate to our work today? If you want to continue to see medical marijuana become a prominent issue in the presidential campaign, please give now. As you can see, our work is paying off — and we need your help to keep it up. Thank you for your continued support of our efforts.
See your marijuana policy ad on TV Dear Tom Sutor: Do you have a great idea about how to change public perception of marijuana and marijuana users? Would you like to see your idea on TV or hear it on the radio? MPP is gearing up to run TV and radio ads to change the way people think about marijuana and marijuana users. You and I know that marijuana users are doctors, legislators, mothers, athletes, and patients. And we know that marijuana is safer than alcohol and tobacco. It's time to get public perceptions in line with the reality. We're going to give the public an accurate representation of marijuana and marijuana users in place of worn-out government propaganda. This is where you come in: We're looking for submissions of any of the following:
Winning submissions may be posted online and used in actual radio and TV ads. Please visit www.mpp.org/ads for more information and guidelines for submissions. This is your chance to put your ideas into action — and maybe see your (and your friends') idea on TV. If you’re not the creative type, would you please consider making a donation today in support of this ad campaign? The White House drug czar is spending close to $100 million of your tax dollars each year for his misleading ad campaign, so every dollar we can raise to counteract the government’s anti-marijuana ads is crucial. Thanks in advance for your support. Sincerely,
Rob Kampia
Victory! Denver district court judge invalidates bad part of Colorado's medical marijuana policy Last Tuesday, Senior Denver District Judge Larry Naves issued a preliminary injunction suspending the Colorado Department of Health and Environment's limitation on the number of patients a caregiver can assist. A limit of five patients per caregiver was adopted by the department during a closed meeting in 2004. During the department's 2004 secret meeting, no health care professionals were consulted regarding what the limit should be. In his ruling for the temporary injunction, Judge Naves criticized the way the department came up with the five-patient policy. According to his decision, the department was remiss for failing to actively involve the public in the process and for not seeking professional medical input on the issue. "This case is not even close," said Judge Naves. Judge Naves went on to cite the state's decision in establishing this policy as completely lacking in scientific evidence and labeled it "arbitrary and capricious" in nature. Judge Naves decision immediately suspended the policy statewide, stopping the state from limiting a patient's choice of caregiver. Specifically, the state will allow the plaintiff, Damien LaGoy, a licensed medical marijuana patient, to appoint the provider of his choice. LaGoy, who uses medical marijuana to cope with nausea related to AIDS wasting syndrome and hepatitis C, had his caregiver request denied by the department in May. "This is a historic victory for patients," said Brian Vicente, lead attorney and head of Sensible Colorado, a nonprofit medical marijuana organization and MPP grantee. "The decision to overturn this illegal policy is a giant step towards safe access to medical marijuana in Colorado." Please take a few moments to compose a letter to the editor praising Judge Naves' decision. While we have provided you with a template, the more you customize your letter, the more likely it is to be printed. If your letter is printed, please be sure to let us know by e-mailing Nathan@mpp.org. Thank you for supporting MPP, Sensible Colorado, SAFER Colorado, and all of MPP's allies in the state. If you have any questions about the status of marijuana reform in Colorado, please contact MPP Legislative Analyst Nathan Miller at (202) 462-5747, ext. 118, or at Nathan@mpp.org.
Please write Congress about medical marijuana Dear Tom Sutor: Would you please take a few minutes to write your member of Congress and ask him or her to vote in favor of the medical marijuana amendment that the U.S. House of Representatives will be voting on in the next couple of weeks? If you're going to send only one e-mail this year to stop the federal government's war on medical marijuana patients, now is the time — and it couldn't be easier. Just click here to go to MPP's action center. You can send one of our pre-drafted letters, or you can personalize the letter. It's crucial that you take action now, because Congress will soon be voting on an amendment that would prohibit the DEA from spending taxpayer money to target seriously ill medical marijuana patients and their caregivers in states where medical marijuana is legal. If you agree that sick and suffering patients should not have to live in fear of armed federal agents breaking down their doors, this is your chance to do something about it. Please send your message to Congress now by clicking here. Last week, MPP's five-year campaign to pass the medical marijuana amendment got a big boost when we distributed decks of cards — with the title, "The Deal on Medical Marijuana: 52 Reasons Why You Should Support Medical Marijuana Access” — to every House lawmaker. The cards were extremely popular and garnered positive media attention. We're hopeful that the cards — combined with your e-mails and faxes — will help us reach the 218 votes needed to pass our medical marijuana amendment on the House floor in the next couple of weeks. This is an important chance to speak out before Congress votes on the amendment, so if you've read this far and still haven't clicked through to MPP's action center, please do so now. Thank you,
Rob Kampia P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2007. This means that your donation today will be doubled.
New York Assembly approves medical marijuana bill! Ask the Senate to follow suit For the first time ever, the New York Assembly voted today on Asm. Richard Gottfried's legislation to protect seriously ill patients from arrest for the
medical use of marijuana. The Assembly approved the bill by an impressive 92-52 vote! And newspapers are reporting that the Republican-controlled Senate may take up the issue before the legislature adjourns next
Thursday. Your help is urgently needed to make sure the opportunity to protect patients doesn't slip away. Then, please follow up with a call to your state senator. Click here to look up his or her
name and contact information. You can keep your message simple. Let your senator know that protecting seriously ill medical marijuana patients from arrest is important to you, and you want him or her to do all he
or she can to see that medical marijuana legislation passes this year.
Connecticut residents: Urge Gov. Rell to sign medical marijuana bill On May 23, the Connecticut House voted 89-58 in favor of HB 6715, the compassionate bill that will stop the criminalization of medical marijuana patients. Then, on June 1, the Senate passed the bill by a vote of 23-13. This is the first time in Connecticut that an effective medical marijuana bill has passed both the House and the Senate in the same session. Gov. M. Jodi Rell (R) is the last hurdle the bill needs to clear. But she has indicated that she might veto it. Please click here to send her a letter urging her to allow the bill to become law. Last Friday, June 8, the bill was sent to the Secretary of State's Office. The Secretary of State has up to 10 days to prepare the bill for the governor, after which it will be sent to Gov. Rell. This means that within the next week, the bill will be officially sent to Gov. Rell. When Gov. Rell receives HB 6715, she has 15 days to do one of three things: We cannot allow her to veto this bill. If she vetoes the bill, two-thirds of those present in each chamber would have to vote to override the veto for the bill to become law. Although the bill passed both chambers by large margins, they were not large enough to override a veto. Medical marijuana patients across the state are counting on you to contact Gov. Rell and urge her to not veto this bill. Please take a moment to send her a letter now. We have several form letters available for you to use, but please personalize your letter before sending it. After you send Gov. Rell a letter, please take a moment to follow up with a phone call to her office. It will only take a couple minutes, but it could make all the difference for Connecticut's sick and dying patients. You can reach her office by calling (800) 406-1527. Please urge her to do the compassionate thing and pledge to protect patients from arrest. Remember to be polite and professional when speaking to the governor or her staff. It's imperative that Gov. Rell hear from as many supporters as possible. Please pass this message on to your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and e-mail lists so that they too can stand up for Connecticut's seriously ill patients. A Better Way Foundation and the Drug Policy Alliance are leading the effort to protect Connecticut's sick and dying patients. They have done a tremendous job in keeping the pressure on Gov. Rell. Please do your part by contacting Gov. Rell today. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project and our allies.
Act today to help reform marijuana policy in Iowa City We mentioned in our last alert that Iowa City officials are grappling with the problem of jail overcrowding in Johnson County because so many are incarcerated for marijuana possession. While response to this alert has been promising, we still need more people, especially from within Iowa City, to contact their officials urging them to adopt a policy instructing law enforcement to “cite and release” those found to be in possession of marijuana. Law enforcement is already allowed under state law to cite and release people for committing such an offense pursuant to Iowa Code, Section 805. An ordinance instructing law enforcement to issue citations to those possessing marijuana would still subject offenders to the full penalties of the law — the only difference would be that offenders no longer have to spend the weekend in an overcrowded jail waiting around to be released on bail. A scheduled court appearance would still be required and provided for on the issued citation. Please take the following actions so council members know that passing such an ordinance would free up jail space and allow police to spend more time investigating serious crime. If you live in Iowa City, please send the members of the Iowa City Council an e-mail asking them to consider passing an ordinance that allows for the citation and release of offenders, rather than incarceration. If you are a citizen of one of the surrounding counties that presently bear the burden of Johnson County's jail overcrowding by accepting inmates in your jail, please click here to send the Iowa City Council an e-mail urging them to consider a sensible alternative to arresting and jailing those who possess marijuana. Please e-mail Nathan Miller at Nathan@mpp.org to report any feedback council members give you. To familiarize yourself with what people are saying about this issue, click here to read an interesting letter to the editor. To see the article that brought this issue into focus, click here. One of the most important things that you can do to make sure the council members seriously consider implementing a sensible marijuana policy is to compose a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Making sure that the media report on this issue is a crucial element of persuading the city
council that this is the right thing to do. While we have provided you with talking points to use when crafting your letter, please be certain to personalize your letter as much as possible — a paper is much more
likely to print a unique story.
Connecticut Senate passes medical marijuana bill — call Gov. Rell today! Late Friday night, the Connecticut Senate voted 23-13 in favor of HB 6715, the compassionate bill that will stop the criminalization of medical marijuana patients. Since the House passed HB 6715 by a vote of 89-58 on May 23, Connecticut is now just one step from becoming the 13th medical marijuana state. The bill now goes to Gov. Jodi Rell (R), who has said that she has some concerns about it. But she has also indicated that she's open to it. Therefore, it's very important that Gov. Rell immediately hears from as many supporters of medical marijuana as possible. You can contact Gov. Rell's office by e-mailing Governor.Rell@po.state.ct.us or calling (800) 406-1527. Please urge her to do the compassionate thing and pledge to protect patients from arrest. Remember to be polite and professional when speaking to the governor or her staff. Then, please forward this message to all of your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, and e-mail lists in Connecticut. Together, you can convince Gov. Rell to listen to the vast majority of the public, and to compassion and common sense. Gov. Rell can either sign the bill into law, allow it to become law without her signature, or veto it. If she vetoes the bill, two-thirds of those present in each chamber would have to vote to override the veto for the bill to become law. Although the bill passed both chambers by large margins, they were not large enough to override a veto. With the bill this close to victory, Connecticut's patients are counting on you to not let it slip away. So please call Gov. Rell and ask her to sign this compassionate bill into law. A Better Way Foundation and the Drug Policy Alliance are leading the effort to protect Connecticut's sick and dying patients. They should be congratulated on their success in moving the bill this far. Please do your part by calling Gov. Rell today. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project and our allies. Please help make Connecticut the 13th state to end the cruel policy of criminalizing sick and dying patients.
Vermont medical marijuana improvement bill becomes law Dear Tom Sutor: Yesterday, Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas (R) let MPP's medical marijuana improvement bill become law without his signature. The new law will take effect on July 1. You can read news coverage here.
Vermont's existing law — which MPP was responsible for enacting in 2004 — is the most restrictive of the medical marijuana laws in 12 states, because only patients suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, or multiple sclerosis have been able to qualify to use medical marijuana. Under the new law, however, patients suffering from nausea, wasting, chronic pain, or seizures will be permitted to use medical marijuana.
The new Vermont law will also increase the number of plants patients and caregivers are allowed to grow. Currently, patients in Vermont can grow only three plants; the new law allows patients to grow nine plants.
Additionally, the new law reduces the annual application fee for patients from $100 to $50. And it will also allow doctors in New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire to recommend medical marijuana for their Vermont patients. In sum, Vermont's medical marijuana law will now be in line with the medical marijuana laws in Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. This year's lobbying campaign in Vermont cost MPP less than $30,000 and will protect nearly 1,000 Vermont patients from arrest over the next couple of years. Please donate to MPP today to help pay for our success. From a political perspective, the big news here is that the expansion of Vermont's law was not big news in Vermont. Three years ago, when we enacted the original medical marijuana law, we had to spend nearly $500,000 over the course of three years to enact that law, we had to strong-arm certain House committee members in order to push the legislation onto the House floor, there were impassioned pleas from both sides of the debate on the House and Senate floors, news coverage about our legislation was ubiquitous, and we even had to run TV ads to pressure the governor not to veto the bill.
This time around, the Vermont House and Senate passed the bill by simple voice votes, and the bill didn't produce controversial columns in Vermont newspapers or impassioned speeches by state legislators. In fact, when we tried to generate news coverage, several reporters told us they wouldn't be writing stories because — in their judgment — the success of our legislation wasn't even newsworthy!
I regard this as good "news."
There are still quite a few state legislatures in session, so I hope you'll consider giving to MPP today to support our efforts to change additional state laws — through both epic battles and quiet successes. Thank you for your support ...
Sincerely,
Rob Kampia
P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2007. This means that your donation today will be doubled.
Victory! Vermont medical marijuana improvement bill becomes law Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas (R) let S.7, the bill to improve Vermont’s current medical marijuana statute, become law without his signature. It will take effect July 1. This will help many suffering Vermonters by adding conditions under which patients can qualify to use medical marijuana. Previously, Vermont’s law was the most restrictive of all the states with medical marijuana laws, because only patients suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, or multiple sclerosis could qualify. Under the new legislation, the state will add serious conditions that cause nausea, wasting, chronic pain, or seizures to the law. The new Vermont law will also increase the number of plants patients and caregivers are allowed to grow. Currently, patients in Vermont can only grow three plants, which does not allow them to produce nearly enough medicine each year. The new law will allow patients to grow nine plants. Additionally, the new law reduces the nonrefundable annual application fee from $100 to $50. It will also allow doctors in New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire to recommend medical marijuana for their Vermont patients. Thank you to everyone who took time to write and call your legislators and Gov. Douglas. MPP would like to especially thank Steve Perry, Steve Merrill, Mark Tucci, Dr. Joe McSherry, Vince Mulac, and all of the other patients and activists who testified in favor of S.7. Your bravery, sacrifice, and tenacity are inspiring to all of us. We’d also like to thank Adam Necrason of Sirotkin & Necrason for his dedicated work at the Statehouse to ensure that this bill became law. And, of course, we want to thank all of the sponsors of S.7: Sens. Dick Sears (D-Bennington), John Campbell (D-Windsor), Ed Flanagan (D-Chittenden), and Jeanette White (D-Windham). Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. We’ll continue to update you as marijuana reform moves forward in Vermont.
Rhode Island Legislature sends MPP's medical marijuana bill to governor Dear Tom Sutor: This afternoon, 85% of the Rhode Island Senate voted to approve MPP’s legislation to make the state’s medical marijuana law permanent. This vote follows last Wednesday’s House vote, during which 81% of House members approved identical legislation. Now our legislation goes to Gov. Donald Carcieri (R) for his consideration. Please donate today to help us put pressure on the governor not to veto our bill and — if we fail in that endeavor — to put pressure on the legislature to override the governor’s veto. In 2005, Gov. Carcieri vetoed our medical marijuana bill, but in January 2006 the legislature overrode that veto — the only time that any state legislature has overridden a veto in order to legalize medical marijuana. This time around, the governor’s spokesperson is saying we can expect another veto, but since the legislation passed both chambers by veto-proof margins, we expect our new bill to become permanent law before last year’s law expires on June 30. Would you please consider making a donation to support MPP’s efforts in targeted state legislatures? We’re continuing to work with legislators to change hearts and minds on this important issue: Indeed, two Rhode Island representatives who had voted against medical marijuana earlier this year voted for it last Wednesday. We also successfully led the effort this year to strengthen the medical marijuana law that we enacted in Vermont in 2004. Both chambers of the Vermont Legislature have now passed our bill, which now awaits action by Gov. Jim Douglas (R), who we believe will allow it to take effect later this week without his signature. Plus, a medical marijuana bill has passed the Connecticut House, and it’s likely the Connecticut Senate will also do so shortly. In Illinois, our medical marijuana bill had its first-ever floor vote in the Senate on May 10, where it was narrowly defeated by a 22-29 vote. And since four senators voted “present” — meaning they were undecided or even supportive but too afraid to vote “yes” — we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to pass the bill in the Senate next year. And in New Hampshire, the House narrowly defeated our medical marijuana bill on March 30 by a 177-186 vote — meaning we were only five votes away from victory in a 400-member chamber. (We would have passed the bill if we could have converted five “no” votes into “yes” votes.) I hope you’ll agree that MPP has made good progress this year in the states, and if so, that you’ll make a donation today in support of our work. We’re within striking distance of two of the goals in our strategic plan, and we’re working feverishly to achieve the others. I’m grateful for anything that you can give. Thank you . . . Sincerely,
Rob Kampia
Act now to advance marijuana reform in Iowa Although 60 percent of all drug arrests in Iowa City over the last five years were for simple marijuana possession, law enforcement officials are now recognizing a far worse problem than the crime itself — jail overcrowding. Most people jailed for marijuana possession are only there for a matter of hours or days. Reducing the number of people simply going in the front door of the jailhouse and then out the back door a short time later would free up much needed space and greatly reduce the strain currently being felt by authorities. It has been reported that on some nights, as many as 30 people may be packed in to a single cell. Currently, the Johnson County jail houses more than twice the number of inmates it was designed to accommodate. Law enforcement officials in Johnson County appear to be open to a more sensible approach when it comes to dealing with marijuana possession. Citing and then releasing those who are found to be in possession of marijuana without taking them to jail is one option — another is making marijuana possession the city’s lowest law enforcement priority. To read a revealing article about this issue click here. In 1968 Iowa amended the state Constitution to provide for a municipal home rule, which allows municipalities to pass ordinances such as the one currently needed in Iowa City. You can click here to read the 25th Amendment to the Iowa Constitution. If you live in Iowa City, please send the members of the Iowa City Council an e-mail asking them to consider either passing an ordinance that would make marijuana possession the city’s lowest law enforcement priority, or, in the alternative, pass an ordinance that allows for the citation and release of offenders, rather than incarceration . Not only would this free up jail space, it would also allow law enforcement to spend more time investigating serious crime. This could save the city money and enable the reallocation of resources currently being wasted on enforcing laws that do not work and create more problems than they solve. If you are a citizen of one of the surrounding counties that presently bear the burden of Johnson County’s jail overcrowding by accepting inmates in your jail, please click here to send the Iowa City council an e-mail urging them to consider a sensible alternative to arresting and jailing those who possess marijuana. Please e-mail Nathan Miller at Nathan@mpp.org to report any feedback council members give you. One of the most important things that you can do to make sure the council members seriously consider implementing a sensible marijuana policy is to compose a
letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Making sure that the media reports on this issue will be crucial to persuading the city council that this is the right thing to do. If you would like to do this, please
contact Nathan Miller at (202) 462-5747, ext. 118 for help.
Missouri: Act today to stop bills that will imprison those possessing a small amount of marijuana for up to 15 years There are two bills in the Missouri General Assembly that, if passed, will send people who possess marijuana in the presence of someone under 17 to prison for up to 15 years. These bills, HB 1108 and SB 516, contain the same draconian language — 15 years for anyone who possesses marijuana in the presence of a person under the age of 17. Perhaps the most disturbing provisions of these bills are the ones that say a person is guilty of this new crime if he or she possesses marijuana in a house where someone under 17 resides. This could mean that a minor would not even have to be present in order for someone to be prosecuted under this new law — so as long as the minor lives in the place where a person possess marijuana, that person could be sent to prison for 15 years. HB 1108 has passed the Rules Committee and could be called for a vote on the House floor anytime, but has not yet. Please contact your representative today and urge him or her to oppose HB 1108. SB 516 is still in the Rules Committee, so please call the committee members today and urge them to oppose SB 516: Rep. Shannon Cooper — chair (R-120) — (573) 751-1484 Please be sure to leave a message, including your name and address, if directed to voicemail. The message should be short and to the point, such as: "Please oppose bills like SB 516, which will ruin the lives of people who have done nothing more than possess a single marijuana cigarette in the presence of someone under 17. Thank you." If you are interested in helping out in other ways, please click here to learn more. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. For questions about marijuana reform in Missouri, please e-mail Nathan at nmiller@mpp.org.
Urgent action needed — Connecticut General Court will vote on medical marijuana bill soon Last week, the medical marijuana bill, HB 6715, cleared its final committee. Now, the full House is going to vote on it, possibly within the next 24 hours. It is imperative that your representatives hear from you now! Please take a moment to call your representative and urge him or her to vote “yes” on HB 6715, the medical marijuana bill. Please click here to find out who your representative is, along with his or her phone number. You can also call the following House offices to leave a message for your representative: House Clerk's Office — (860) 240-0400 Please remember to be polite and professional when expressing your support for HB 6715 to your representative or staff member. After calling your representative, please click here to send a letter to your representative. We have several sample letters available for you, but please take a moment to personalize your letter before sending it to your representative. (Please be sure to make sure the letter is focused on topic legislators will be voting on — the medical use of marijuana.) It is time that Connecticut join the 12 states that have enacted laws allowing the medical use of marijuana — including Maine, Vermont, and Rhode Island. With your help, we can make Connecticut the 13th state to protect medical marijuana patients. Please take action now; Connecticut’s sick and dying patients will greatly appreciate it. A Better Way Foundation and the Drug Policy Alliance are leading the effort to pass HB 6715. Please pass this message along to friends, family, neighbors, and e-mail lists so that others can stand up for Connecticut's most vulnerable residents as well. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project and all of our allies.
Vermont Legislature sends medical marijuana improvement bill to Gov. Douglas The conference committee working on S.7 reached a compromise on the legislation to improve Vermont’s current medical marijuana law. Late Friday night, both chambers passed the compromise bill, which will expand the list of allowable conditions for medical marijuana use and improve access for patients by increasing the number of plants they’re allowed to grow. The bill is now awaiting action from Gov. Jim Douglas (R). When Vermont passed its medical marijuana law in 2004, Gov. Douglas let it become law without his signature. Medical marijuana patients need you to act now to ensure that he does not veto the improvement bill this year. Please click here to send a letter to Gov. Douglas, urging him to let S.7 become law and protect more seriously ill Vermont residents. Remind him that there is strong bipartisan support for the bill and that sick and dying Vermont citizens are depending on him. Let him know that he should not stand in the way of giving these patients the relief they need and deserve. Then, follow up your letter by calling the governor’s office at (802) 828-3333. Please remember to be polite and professional when speaking to Gov. Douglas’ staff. We are very close to improving the law and protecting even more Vermont residents. Please take a moment to send a letter to Gov. Douglas now. Thank you to everyone who has taken action over the last several months. The bill would not have made it this far without your help. But we need to make sure that Gov. Douglas gets the message that Vermonters support this sensible improvement to the law. So, please pass this message along to your friends, family, neighbors, and e-mail lists in Vermont. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project.
Oppose bill that would hinder marijuana reform in Missouri SB 107 would create a new law punishing those who deliver as little as a single marijuana cigarette in or within 2,000 feet of a public or private park, state park, county park, or municipal park. This new crime would be considered a class A felony punishable by imprisonment for a term of 20 years or more. With a "felony zone" radiating up to 2,000 feet around parks, entire cities will be included. Even worse, SB 107 actually includes private parks, but does not define what a private park is. In theory, this could mean someone's lawn! SB 107 will cost the state money, which could otherwise be spent on education, medical care, and roads. SB 107 is now in the House Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee, but has not been reported out. Please contact the members of the committee today and ask them to recommend that this bill not pass due to the harsh nature of the penalties associated with marijuana use. Rep. Mark J. Bruns — chair (R-113) — (573) 751-0665 After you have contacted the committee members, please send your legislators an e-mail urging them to oppose this bill or any bills with similar language. If you are a medical professional, a law enforcement officer, a clergy member, a member of the legal community, or a patient who could benefit from the medical use of marijuana, please e-mail Nathan@mpp.org to see how you can be of special help. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project.
Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana Weekly Newsletter Stuart Cooper, GSMM campaign manager In this issue: 1. More candidates speak out for marijuana reform Last week, I told you about my encounter with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and his promise to stop the federal raids on medical marijuana patients if elected president. Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) was in town this week, and I met him when his campaign stopped in Hookset. After I thanked him for his compassion in signing New Mexico's medical marijuana bill last month, he said, "We must protect the seriously ill; we certainly must protect these people." When I asked him if he would end the federal raids on state medical marijuana patients, Gov. Richardson responded, "Yes, with the proper safeguards and protections." We're thrilled that we have elicited positive, public statements about medical marijuana access from two candidates in two weeks. And during an interview on C-SPAN last week, former Sen. Mike Gravel (D-AK) announced that he would end marijuana prohibition all together if he becomes president. A caller asked, "What do you think about legalizing marijuana... " Sen. Gravel replied, "... that one's real simple. I would legalize marijuana." You can watch the full C-SPAN interview with Sen. Gravel here. 2. Get involved this weekend Our campaign will be out in full force this weekend, because Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), and former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) will all be campaigning in the state — and we need your help! If you would like to meet one of these candidates and ask him to explain his position on medical marijuana, please contact me by e-mailing stuart@granitestaters.com. If you can't come out in person, you can still help out by taking action on our Web site at www.GraniteStaters.com/action.html. 3. Got some spare change? We need funding from supporters like you to run this campaign, so would you please visit www.GraniteStaters.com/donate to donate as much as you can? Our work is not fully funded at this point, so every dollar you give will help us turn up the heat on the presidential candidates. Without your generous donations, GSMM will be hard-pressed to maintain a robust campaign through the January 22, 2008 New Hampshire primary.
Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Vermont legislatures pass MPP's medical marijuana bills! Dear Tom Sutor: This has been an exciting, action-packed week for MPP’s state legislative efforts. Please read about our amazing progress in Rhode Island, Vermont, Minnesota, New York, and Illinois, and then click here to donate to our lobbying juggernaut. To start, the Rhode Island Senate just voted 28-5 to make Rhode Island’s medical marijuana law permanent. This vote follows a 50-12 vote on the bill in the Rhode Island House of Representatives yesterday. The margin of victory in both votes is extremely important, as Gov. Donald Carcieri (R) has said he will veto the bill. Because our legislation has passed both chambers by a veto-proof margin, we hope that the veto and subsequent veto-override will occur before the current law is scheduled to expire on June 30. Click here to read some positive local news coverage of the votes. Also yesterday, the Vermont House of Representatives gave final approval to the bill to improve Vermont’s existing medical marijuana law. MPP has been coordinating the lobbying campaign for the bill, which would qualify patients suffering from conditions that cause nausea, wasting, chronic pain, or seizures; increase the number of plants that a qualifying patient may possess; and reduce the program registration fee from $100 to $50. Yesterday's House vote follows an overwhelming voice vote in favor of the bill in the Vermont Senate earlier this year. The bill will soon head to Gov. Jim Douglas (R), who we hope will let the bill become law without his signature, as he did with the original version of the bill that we enacted into law in 2004. And this week, the Minnesota Senate twice voted in favor of our medical marijuana bill (35-29 today, and 33-31 on Tuesday), marking the first time that either chamber of the Minnesota Legislature has passed medical marijuana legislation. And a companion bill in the House has already passed four House committees and is now headed to its fifth and last. With various legislative leaders in Minnesota firmly committed to passing this bipartisan legislation, we're hopeful that our bill will soon head to the desk of Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R). Click here to read some positive local news coverage of our bill. Plus, our medical marijuana bill in New York passed an Assembly committee with a vote of 15-4 on April 14, and the Illinois Senate is soon expected to hold a floor vote on our medical marijuana bill, which recently received public endorsements from the Illinois Nurses Association and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Click here to read some positive local news coverage that our Illinois bill has generated. Please consider making a donation today to support MPP’s state legislative efforts. We are getting closer to passing medical marijuana bills in five states this year. As always, thank you for your support. Sincerely,
Rob Kampia P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2007. This means that your donation today will be doubled.
Vermont House passes medical marijuana improvement bill! Earlier today, by a voice vote, the House of Representatives gave final approval to S.7, the bill to improve Vermont's medical marijuana law. The bill now heads to a conference committee to work out the differences between the version that the Senate passed earlier this year and the House version. While this is a tremendous step towards protecting more seriously ill Vermonters from arrest, our work is far from done. Please contact Gov. Jim Douglas (R) at (802) 828-3333 to urge him to sign S.7 into law and protect more seriously ill Vermont residents. Please remember to be polite and professional when speaking to Gov. Douglas or his staff. When Vermont passed its medical marijuana law in 2004, Gov. Douglas let it become law without his signature. After contacting Gov. Douglas, please write a letter to the editor of your local paper urging the governor to stand up for the seriously ill. Vermont's law is currently very restrictive, both in terms of qualifying conditions and amount of medical marijuana plants patients can cultivate. Currently, only patients suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, or multiple sclerosis qualify for Vermont's medical marijuana program. S.7 will add serious conditions that cause nausea, wasting, chronic pain, or seizures to the law. Additionally, this compassionate legislation will increase the number of plants that a patient in the program may possess, because the current limits are not adequate for patients. It also reduces the program registration fee from $100 to $50. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this message along to your friends and family in Vermont so that others can stand up for the state's most vulnerable residents. Minnesota Senate passes medical marijuana bill! Yesterday, the Senate voted 33-31 in favor of S.F. 345, the compassionate bill to protect seriously ill Minnesota residents from arrest and prison. This marks the first time that either chamber in Minnesota has passed a medical marijuana bill. Meanwhile, the House Finance Committee approved H.F. 655, the House companion bill to S.F. 345, in a 20-14 vote. It now heads to the House Ways and Means Committee. Minnesota is now two huge steps closer to becoming the 13th medical marijuana state. Although these are major victories for medical marijuana patients in Minnesota, we still have a long way to go before this legislation becomes law. Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) has indicated that he will veto the bill. Please contact him by e-mailing tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us or by calling his office at (651) 296-3391. Please urge him to do the compassionate thing and pledge to protect patients from arrest. Remember to be polite when speaking to the governor or his staff. Then, if you have not already done so, click here to e-mail your member in the House and urge him or her to vote in favor of H.F. 655. After the Ways and Means Committee approves the House bill, it will go to the House floor. Please follow up your e-mail by calling your representative. If you do not know who your representative is, you can click here to find out, along with his or her contact information. It is imperative that Gov. Pawlenty and the representatives see examples of the level of support that exists across the state for this sensible and compassionate legislation. An excellent way to do this is by writing a letter to the editor of your paper, urging Gov. Pawlenty and the House to follow the lead of the Senate and pass the legislation quickly. Please click here to read the Star Tribune article on the vote and debate yesterday and click here to read the Pioneer Press article about it. Other papers across the state will cover it as well, so please respond to these articles with positive letters to the editor. We are getting very close to passing a law, but we cannot let up yet. Please tell your friends, family, neighbors, and e-mail lists to take action, so that this will be the last year that Minnesota's gravely ill have to live in fear of arrest. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project.
Act immediately to help pass medical marijuana legislation in Illinois The Senate will be voting on SB 650 any day now, and patients need your help. Please call your senator today and urge him or her to vote "YES" on SB 650. The vote could be only hours away. To get in touch with your senator, call the Illinois state switchboard operator at (217) 782-2000 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and ask to speak to your senator. If you do not know who your senator is, you can click here to find out your senator's name and the direct line to his or her office. This link also provides you with the direct line to your senator’s office, should you call after 5:00 p.m. and want to leave a message. Remember to be polite and courteous when speaking to the senator or staff member. If you are directed to voicemail, please leave a message, including your name and address so your senator knows that you're a constituent. Your message can be simple: "Please vote in favor of SB 650, the medical marijuana bill. Thank you." After you have called your senator, ask your friends, family, and co-workers to do the same. If you are a patient who could benefit from the medical use of marijuana, a medical professional, or a member of the law enforcement or legal community, please contact Nathan Miller at (202) 464-5747, ext. 118, or Nathan@mpp.org, to see how you can be of special help during these last crucial hours. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this message along to your friends and family in Illinois so that others can help make a difference.
Cops admit planting marijuana to cover murder of 92-year-old woman Dear Tom Sutor: Yesterday, the Atlanta police provided even more horrifying evidence that the government’s war on drugs continues to be a disastrous failure. The case involves one of the latest casualties of war: 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston of Atlanta, whose November 21 death was the result of a botched “no knock” drug raid on her home. A search warrant stating crack cocaine was being sold in her apartment allowed the officers to cut through the burglar bars protecting Johnston's home and burst through her door without identifying themselves. Johnston, who lived alone, apparently mistook the plainclothes officers for intruders and fired on them with an old revolver her niece had given Johnston for protection in her notoriously dangerous neighborhood. She didn’t hit any of the officers. The police responded, firing 39 shots, killing Johnston and apparently wounding three of their own. After her death and a fruitless search of her home, the officers planted marijuana to justify the raid. An excerpt from an Associated Press article reveals the despicable depths to which the officers sank before, during, and after the raid:
You can read the entire article here and another article about this atrocity here. While this story is outrageous, it isn't unique. In the bottom-right corner of the front page of MPP's Web site, you can read a whole series of stories about other drug-war victims. Please help us continue our work to end marijuana prohibition — and the frightening police abuses that it encourages — by making a financial contribution today. We cannot keep up the fight without the generosity of people like you. Thank you. I’m grateful for anything you can give. Sincerely,
Rob Kampia
New Mexico becomes 12th medical marijuana state! Dear Tom Sutor: Just a little while ago, Gov. Bill Richardson (D) signed New Mexico's medical marijuana legislation into law. As a result, New Mexico is now the 12th state to protect seriously ill patients from arrest and jail for using medical marijuana with their doctors’ approval. Gov. Richardson is the first governor in history to enact a medical marijuana law while running for the presidency. And the bill he signed is the only one of the 12 state-level medical marijuana laws to require the state government to authorize the distribution of medical marijuana to qualifying patients. By comparison, California's medical marijuana law, which was first enacted in 1996 and expanded in 2003, authorizes patients and caregivers to “collectively or cooperatively” cultivate medical marijuana. The law is intentionally imprecise — the result of many compromises during the legislative process — giving local communities in California great leeway over how or whether to regulate the cultivation and distribution of medical marijuana. As a result, some California localities have banned establishments dispensing medical marijuana, others have issued moratoria, and others have issued regulations. In New Mexico, the state government is now charged with licensing producers of medical marijuana and determining where it will be dispensed. Indeed, the notion of providing patients with places to purchase their medical marijuana is sweeping the nation. In Maine, a measure to expand the state's existing medical marijuana law has been introduced in the state legislature. The bill seeks to authorize the sale of marijuana through dispensaries. (A similar bill has been introduced in Oregon.) In the coming months, MPP plans to direct significant resources to ensure passage of the bill before the legislature adjourns for the year. Would you please consider contributing to our efforts to make medical marijuana safer and easier for patients to obtain? In New Mexico, the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) had been working to pass this new medical marijuana law ever since then-Gov. Gary Johnson (R) began advocating for drug legalization in 1999. This year, the Senate approved the bill with a 32-3 vote, and the House passed the bill with a 36-31 vote. The new law takes effect on July 1. Click here to read the actual text of the law and here to read MPP’s summary of the law. New Mexico joins Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont as only the fourth state to enact its medical marijuana law via the legislative process. The other eight states that have enacted similar laws — Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington — have all done so via ballot initiatives. MPP is working hard in Illinois, Minnesota, and New York to make these states the 13th, 14th, and 15th to pass medical
marijuana legislation. Would you please consider making a donation today to support our efforts? Thank you ...
Rob Kampia P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2007. This means that your donation today will be doubled.
Marijuana reform bills introduced and pending in Massachusetts General Court This year, as in the past few years, the lawmakers of Massachusetts will have the opportunity to enact both a law protecting ill medical marijuana patients and a law reducing penalties for simple marijuana possession. Introduced by Sen. Thomas McGee (D-Third Essex & Middlesex), SB 944 would protect medical marijuana patients with written certifications — as well as their caregivers and physicians — from arrest and prosecution. Patients or caregivers would be permitted to have up to four ounces of usable marijuana, and up to ten plants (four of which can be flowering). The House equivalent is HB 2247, which was introduced by Rep. Frank Smizik (D-15th Norfolk). Rep. Smizik has introduced medical marijuana legislation in the past, so we have hope that 2007 is the year that the General Court chooses to give legal protection to some of the state’s most seriously ill. Also pending in the legislature is SB 1011, "An Act to Impose a Civil Fine for the Possession of Marihuana and for Disposition of Fines Collected." In a nutshell, SB 1011 proposes to reduce the penalty for possession of marijuana to a civil infraction, with a $100-$500 fine. (Second and subsequent offenses would trigger a $200-$1,000 fine.) Currently, possession of any amount of marijuana is a misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine and up to six months in jail. Sponsored by Sen. Bruce Tarr (R-First Essex & Middlesex), SB 1011 does not specify the maximum amount of marijuana that would bring about these penalties. Additionally, it provides for minors charged with these offenses to be treated the same way as adults (the citation would have to be delivered to the minor’s parent or guardian). SB 944 and SB 1011 were both referred to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. HB 2247 was referred to the Joint Committee on Public Health. Please take a moment to call the committee members in support of these bills. I encourage you to start with the chairs and vice chairs of the committees, as they ultimately decide when to hear bills. After doing that, legislators especially like to hear from their own constituents, so if you recognize anyone on the committees as your legislator, please contact him or her. If you are unsure of who represents you, this page lists legislators by city/town. There are also instructions at the top of the page on how to get a breakdown of your ward and precinct. Joint Committee on the Judiciary When speaking with the legislators, your message can be simple: "I am calling you in support of SB 944/HB 2247. Please hold a hearing on this compassionate bill, as our state’s gravely ill deserve protection under the law for using their doctor-recommended medicine. I urge you to vote YES on medical marijuana." In the case of SB 1011, you may say something like, "Massachusetts does not need to be crowding its prisons with responsible marijuana users, nor does the state need to make criminals out of these people. SB 1011 proposes reasonable punishments that fit the crime. Please consider this bill." Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this message on to your friends and family in Massachusetts, so that they may also become involved in reform.
Illinois: Act today to help pass the medical marijuana bill! The Senate Public Health Committee recently voted 6-4 in favor of SB 650, Sen. Cullerton's (D-Chicago) medical marijuana bill. The bill is now primed for debate on the Senate floor, with a vote expected very soon. One of the most important things that you can do to help SB 650 is submit letters to your local newspapers. It is imperative that lawmakers see examples of the statewide support this sensible legislation enjoys. Please take a few minutes to compose a letter to the editor or an op-ed by using the talking points we have provided for you. Please try to personalize your letter as much as possible — a personally crafted note is always more likely to be printed than a form letter. Most newspapers require that letters to the editor be less than 150 words and full op-ed columns be less than 700 words. A short letter is far more likely to be published. If your letter or column is published, please let us know by e-mailing Nathan@mpp.org. This information will help us gauge the campaign's progress and react accordingly. You might want to read the recent articles in the News-Gazette and Chicago Tribune about SB 650 and its recent committee victory. These articles will be very helpful in composing any letters you write. You can also check out MPP’s online library, which is a great resource for someone composing a scientifically driven letter. If you are unable to find what you need, please contact Nathan@mpp.org for information or ideas regarding your letter. It is critical to the success of SB 650 that newspapers print letters from citizens like you who support medical marijuana. However, newspapers cannot print what they don’t have, so write a letter today and send it to your local paper today by clicking here. Most newspapers allow letters and columns to be submitted electronically via e-mail, so you need not take time to mail a hard copy of the letter. Check the editorial page or Web site of your local paper to determine your paper’s policies regarding electronic submissions. If you have any questions about which paper to submit your letter to or how to submit it, please e-mail Nathan@mpp.org, or call Nathan at (202) 462-5747, ext. 118. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this message along to your friends and family in Illinois so that others might write their newspapers in support of SB 650.
Hearing needed to discuss Hawaii medical marijuana reform bill SB 905, the medical marijuana reform bill, went through a substantial number of changes and compromises before eventually passing the Senate by a unanimous vote and moving on to the House. The amended bill is now known as SB 905 Senate Draft 1 (or SB 905 SD1); you can read the bill here. The bill makes changes to the medical marijuana law to simplify certain aspects of the law for patients and physicians. For example, SB 905 SD1 would allow the use of medical marijuana in the patient's workplace, if the workplace is the home. It would redefine the term "adequate supply" to be up to seven plants and three ounces of marijuana, and it would make the application forms for patients available on the Department of Health's Web site. And the bill would provide physicians with legal protection from federal penalties by limiting their role in certifying patients. However, certain of SB 905 SD1's changes are not good. Most significantly, while the original draft of the bill proposed to move the medical marijuana program from the Narcotics Enforcement Division of the Department of Public Safety to the Department of Health, the newer draft eliminates this change. Other significant changes include a doubling of the registration fee for patients and caregivers (from $25 to $50), maintaining the caregiver to patient ratio at 1:1 (the original bill proposed 1:3), and keeping written certifications valid for only one year (the original bill proposed 2 years). After crossing over into the House, SB 905 SD1 was given a triple referral and as of yet has not been scheduled for a hearing. The bill was referred to the House Health/Public Safety & Military Affairs, Judiciary, and Finance committees. At this point, the bill needs to be scheduled for a hearing in the House so that debate may be held and positive changes made. Better amendments could be made at a committee hearing, and the committee would have the option of incorporating the provisions of the original bill that have since been removed. Please take a moment to contact the committee chairs and urge them to hold a hearing on SB 905 SD1. Health Committee (HLT) Public Safety & Military Affairs Committee (PSM) Judiciary Committee (JUD) Finance Committee (FIN) Please call the committee chairs and vice-chairs today and strongly encourage them to hold a hearing on SB 905 SD1. The medical marijuana law was enacted in 2000 — so let them know that seven years and over 2,500 patients later, the time is ripe to re-evaluate how the program is working and to consider improvements. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this alert on to your family and friends in Hawaii so that they, too, may become involved in reform.
California medical marijuana fee increase decreases — help prevent future increases Facing mutiny from counties and complaints from hundreds of advocates, the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) decided to raise the state portion of the medical marijuana ID card fee to $66 ($33 for Medi-Cal recipients) rather than to $142 ($71 for Medi-Cal patients). Thank you to the more than 360 of you who took the time to write Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and the CDHS to urge them to abandon the counterproductive increase. Well done! Although a major crisis in the program has been averted, the medical marijuana ID card program budget is still strained. S.B. 420 — which instituted the ID cards — requires that the ID card fees cover the program’s operating budget. The program will also have to pay back a $1.5 million loan. But the ID card program is running a substantial deficit: Although CDHS anticipated issuing 150,000 ID cards, it has only issued about 10,000 as of this month. One of the major reasons for the shortfall is that more than half of all counties — including several major ones — have yet to implement the program (seven more have approved it but are not yet issuing cards). While participation in the ID card program is voluntary for patients, counties are required to offer them. If your county hasn’t implemented the ID card program yet, please contact your county board of supervisors or department of health to ask them to do so without further delay. Click here to see what stage your county is at in implementing ID cards, and to find out who you should contact if they haven't yet been implemented. For talking points to use with your county health departments and supervisors, please click here. This partial victory resulted from pressure from counties, state legislators, and advocates. County supervisors in San Francisco and Lake Counties considered abandoning the state ID card program completely, realizing that with the full fee increase, most patients would not have been able to afford the cards. Given that about one-third of all of the ID cards that have been issued are to San Francisco patients, it quickly became apparent that the fee increase could spell the demise of the entire ID program. At the same time, the Marijuana Policy Project joined Safe Access Now, Americans for Safe Access, and the Drug Policy Alliance in mobilizing supporters to oppose the fee increase, which was scheduled to take effect on March 1. In all, more than 1,000 emails from patients and advocates protesting the increase were sent to the CDHS and Gov. Schwarzenegger. Additionally we were able to generate several letters from county supervisors throughout the state, expressing their concern over CDHS's proposed increase. Assemblymember Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) worked to persuade the Department of Health Services to find a solution. In addition to being lower than was initially announced, the fee increase will take effect a month later — on April 1. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this on to other compassionate Californians. For more information on how you can bring this important program to your county, contact Safe Access Now at safeaccessnow@gmail.com
New Hampshire medical marijuana vote may be Tuesday — immediate action needed On Monday, March 12, the House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee heard testimony on HB 774, a bill that would allow sick and dying patients to use medical marijuana if their doctor recommends it. The committee could vote on the bill as early as Tuesday! Please take a moment now to send a brief letter to the members of the committee. It will only take a moment with our automated system. It’s imperative that they hear from Granite Staters in support of HB 774 right away. After you send a letter to the committee members, please follow up with a phone call. You can click here for the full list of committee members and their contact information. There are several members of the committee who are particularly important for the upcoming vote. If you are willing to make a special effort to reach out to key members of the committee, please contact Zane Hurst by e-mailing zhurst@mpp.org or calling 202-462-5747, ext 119. During the hearing on Monday, one person told committee members about her horrific fight to stay alive while undergoing a bone marrow transplant. She explained how medical marijuana was the only medication that enabled her to eat anything so she could survive. Many other seriously ill Granite Staters are forced to make that same terrible decision: (1) continue to suffer or (2) obtain marijuana illegally and risk arrest and prison. Sick and dying patients should not be treated like criminals simply for treating their suffering. A recent poll by the Becker Institute shows that 68% of Granite Staters support this compassionate and sensible legislation. With overwhelming public support like this, there is no excuse for New Hampshire legislators not to approve HB 774, but legislators need to hear from you. Please take action today. This may be the most important vote of the entire legislative session for sick and dying citizens of New Hampshire. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this message along to friends, family, neighbors, and e-mail lists so that others can stand up for New Hampshire's most vulnerable residents as well.
New Mexico: Call your representative today to ensure a victory for medical marijuana New Mexico is coming close to becoming the next state to protect medical marijuana patients. SB 238, the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act, passed the Senate in early February with overwhelming support. Since crossing over to the House for consideration, the bill has passed the House Agriculture and Water Resources committee and most recently the House Judiciary Committee. Now the bill is set to go to the House floor for a vote — so we need to do everything we can to ensure that the representatives vote YES and pass the bill. The vote could come at any moment, so now is the time for action! Please take a moment to call your state representative and urge him or her to vote YES on SB 238 once it comes to a vote. You can find your representative by visiting this page on the New Mexico Legislature Web site. You can search using your zip code, but if that gives you multiple results you’ll be prompted to enter the "plus 4" digits of your zip code. You can find out what those are by entering your address on this page. Legislators truly do listen to their constituents, so your call of support will be invaluable. With your help, this could be the year that legislators pass medical marijuana legislation in New Mexico. Please remember to be firm but always polite in your support for medical marijuana. We want to appeal to legislators, not alienate them. If you have any further questions on the status of medical marijuana in New Mexico, please e-mail Anthony@mpp.org. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please forward this alert to your friends and family in New Mexico, so that they may also become involved in reform.
Vermont Senate passes medical marijuana improvement bill! Earlier today, the Vermont Senate — in an overwhelming voice vote — approved S.7, the bill to improve Vermont’s current medical marijuana law. The Senate will likely have a confirmation vote tomorrow and then S.7 will head to the House. Thank you to everyone who took time to write and call your senators. MPP would like to especially thank Steve Perry, Steve Merrill, Mark Tucci, Dr. Joe McSherry, Vince Mulac, and all of the other patients and activists who testified in favor of S.7. Your courage is truly admirable and inspiring. Despite vicious attacks from our opponents, the momentum is clearly in our favor. Now is an excellent opportunity to build on this momentum. Please write a letter to the editor of your local paper, thanking the Senate for passing this compassionate legislation and urging the House and Governor Douglas to quickly do the same. We’ve provided you with some basic talking points, but remember that a personally crafted letter is much more likely to get published. If you are a medical marijuana patient who does not currently qualify under the medical marijuana law or who finds the plant limits insufficient and you are interested in helping to expand the law, please contact me by e-mailing Zane@mpp.org. If you are a medical professional, a law enforcement official, or a clergy member, you can also be of special help. Currently, only patients suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, or multiple sclerosis qualify for Vermont’s medical marijuana program. S.7 will add serious conditions that cause nausea, wasting, chronic pain, or seizures to the law. Additionally, this compassionate legislation will increase the number of plants that a patient in the program may possess, because the current limits are not adequate for patients. It also reduces the program registration fee from $100 to $50. While today’s victory in the Senate marks a major step forward in protecting Vermont’s seriously ill patients, we still have a long way to go and can’t let up yet. I will keep you informed as the House begins discussing S.7 in the next several weeks. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this message along to your friends and family in Vermont so that others can stand up for the state's most vulnerable residents. Voters in Flint, Michigan approve medical marijuana initiative! Dear Tom Sutor: Yesterday, the voters of Flint, Michigan approved a medical marijuana ballot initiative by a margin of 62% to 38%. As a result of this victory, Flint now joins four other Michigan cities — Ann Arbor, Detroit, Ferndale, and Traverse City — in codifying compassion for medical marijuana patients. MPP’s grants program provided much of the funding for this campaign. I’d especially like to thank the members of the Flint Coalition for Compassionate Care and its supporters and volunteers for their hard work to make this victory possible. This is one of MPP's most important roles — to assist local activists in creating homegrown campaigns that bring about constructive change in their communities. Would you please support our work by making a financial contribution today? The initiative amends the Flint City Code by exempting patients who use medical marijuana under the direction of a licensed physician from arrest for possession or use of their medicine, as well as for possession of devices necessary for their use. Although detractors in the state have continued to dismiss these victories in the five Michigan cities as “merely” symbolic, the wide margins of victory indicate the broad base of support for medical marijuana in Michigan: In 2004, Ann Arbor passed its city ordinance by a margin of 74% to 26%, while the measure in Detroit passed by a margin of 60% to 40%. There is currently a bill in the Michigan Legislature that would protect all of the seriously ill medical marijuana patients in the state: H.B. 4038, introduced by Rep. LaMar Lemmons Jr. (D-Detroit), seeks to make Michigan the 12th state to remove criminal penalties for the doctor-advised, medical use of marijuana. As yesterday’s victory in Flint demonstrates, medical marijuana enjoys broad support in the state, which will undoubtedly build support for the passage of the bill. Please consider making a contribution today to support our work in Michigan and the dozen other states that are considering good marijuana bills. I appreciate anything you can give . . . Sincerely,
Rob Kampia P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2007. This means that your donation today will be doubled.
H.B. 1395 would expand current medical marijuana law Seventeen Washington representatives have sponsored legislation that would give patients and their physicians more freedom to choose where and from whom to get treatment. H.B. 1395 recognizes that Washington’s current restriction on recognizing recommendations from physicians from other states that have enacted medical marijuana laws denies Washington patients the right to utilize these laws while seeking advice from a qualified doctor of their choice. If the bill is enacted, patients would be allowed to receive recommendations from physicians in one of the other states that recognize and allow the medical use of marijuana. Please write your representative today and encourage him or her to support patients’ right to consult with the doctor of their choice in making medical decisions. This bill has now been referred to the House Health Care and Wellness Committee. After you have contacted your representative, please take a few minutes to call the members of the committee and let them know that this is compassionate legislation that needs to be passed: Rep. Eileen Cody — chair (D-34) — (360) 786-7978 Remember to always be polite when speaking with your representative or a staffer. While it is important to make sure they know that this bill is necessary because it would give doctors and patients more treatment options, keep in mind that succinctness is a commodity that many legislators value highly. If one of the representatives on the committee is from your district, your request will carry even more weight. You can find out who your legislators are by clicking here. Washington patients facing terminal or debilitating medical conditions need access to the most appropriate care available to guide their choices of care and treatment, whether in this state or other states. It is time to make sure they get it. Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this alert on to your friends and family — the more legislators hear from people like you, the better chance we have at improving Washington’s medical marijuana laws. If you are a patient, a medical professional, a law enforcement official, or a clergy member — or if you know somebody who benefits from medical marijuana — we would especially like to hear from you, so please e-mail nmiller@mpp.org to see how you can be of special help to this effort. |
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