The Marijuana Policy Project, or MPP, is an organization in the United States "working to minimize the harm associated with the drug cannabis"[1]. MPP advocates taxing and regulating the possession and sale of cannabis, arguing that a regulated cannabis industry would separate purchasers from the street market for cocaine, heroin, and other hard drugs. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, public health officials expended unprecedented amounts of time and resources fighting legalization initiatives, igniting controversy over the proper use of American tax dollars.^{[citation needed]} Cannabis sativa Look up marijuana in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... // Look up Cannabis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Cocaine (or crack in its impure freebase form) is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... Heroin, also known as diamorphine (BAN) or diacetylmorphine (INN), is a semi-synthetic opioid. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

History

MPP founders Rob Kampia and Chuck Thomas originally worked at the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML. In 1995, after months of in-fighting, NORML director Richard Cowan fired Kampia, Thomas, and two other staffers who had been pressing Cowan for organizational change. Kampia and Thomas began creating their own organization, implementing the ideas they'd pushed at NORML.[2]. On January 25, 1995, the two activists incorporated the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) as a not-for-profit organization in the District of Columbia[3]. MPP has grown to 21,000 members and is the largest marijuana policy reform group in the United States. The organization has 26 staffers and an annual budget of about $4 million, plus a separate $2 million grants program. Rob Kampia is the founder of the Marijuana Policy Project. ... The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws or NORML (pronounced normal) is a US-based non-profit corporation whose aim is, according to their most recent mission statement, move public opinion sufficiently to achieve the repeal of marijuana prohibition so that the responsible use of cannabis by adults... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Richard Cowan, former director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), is editor of The Marijuana News. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Organization

MPP, like many advocacy groups, is divided into two legal entities, one a lobbying group and the other an educational group. The public education branch can accept tax-deductible donations, while the lobbying group can use its funds to directly influence politicians. MPP receives substantial funding from Progressive Corporation executive Peter Lewis. To meet Wikipedias quality standards and conform with our NPOV policy, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Peter B. Lewis is the Cleveland, Ohio-area based Chairman of Progressive Insurance Companies. ...

Prominent VIP supporters

MPP's supporters include:

• TV host Montel Williams.
• Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson.
• Former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura.
• Actors/Band Jack Black and Kyle Gass (Tenacious D/Band).
• Actor/singer Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas.
• Comedian Bill Maher.
• Author Tom Robbins.
• Former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles
• Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow.
• Former Surgeon General of the United States Joycelyn Elders.
• Comedian Adam Carolla.
• Late Economist Milton Friedman.

Montel Brian Anthony Williams (born July 3, 1956) is an American television talk show host. ... Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  Ranked 5th  - Total 121,665 sq mi (315,194 km²)  - Width 342 miles (550 km)  - Length 370 miles (595 km)  - % water 0. ... Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) was the Republican governor of the U.S. state of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... Jesse Ventura (born July 15, 1951, as James George Janos), also known as The Body, The Star, The Mind, and Governor Body, is an American politician, former professional wrestler, Navy UDT veteran, actor, and former radio and television talk show host. ... Jack Black (born Thomas J. Black, Jr. ... Kyle Richard Gass (born July 14, 1960) [1] is an American actor and a member of the bands Tenacious D (along with Jack Black) and Trainwreck. ... Tenacious D (IPA pronunciation: ), or The D as they are known by their fans, is an American rock band duo composed of musician/actors Kyle Gass (a. ... Michelle Phillips, far right, with her fellow band members when with The Mamas & the Papas in the late 1960s. ... The Mamas & the Papas (credited as The Mamas and the Papas on the debut album cover) were a leading vocal group of the 1960s. ... William Bill Maher, Jr. ... Thomas Eugene Robbins (born July 22, 1936 in Blowing Rock, North Carolina) is an American author. ... Erskine Boyce Bowles is an American businessman and political figure from the U.S. state of North Carolina. ... The Grateful Dead were an American psychedelia-influenced rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. ... John Perry Barlow (born Jackson Hole, Wyoming, October 3, 1947) is an American poet, essayist, retired Wyoming cattle rancher, and former lyricist for the Grateful Dead. ... US Public Health Service US Public Health Service Collar Device US Public Health Service Cap Device The Surgeon General of the United States is the head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and, ex officio, is the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the government... Joycelyn Elders Minnie Joycelyn Elders (born August 13, 1933) was the United States Surgeon General from September 8, 1993 to December 31, 1994, most famous for her outspokenness on sensitive issues of public health. ... Adam Carolla on Too Late with Adam Carolla Adam Carolla (b. ... Milton Friedman (July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist and public intellectual who made major contributions to the fields of macroeconomics, microeconomics, economic history and statistics while advocating laissez-faire capitalism. ...

Advocacy

Ballot initiatives

In 2002, the organization successfully challenged a decision by the District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics to bar Initiative 63, a medical marijuana petition, from the ballot. MPP was able to prove that it had, in fact, gathered enough signatures. However, a federal appeals court struck the measure from the ballot on unrelated grounds[4]. Congress had already enacted a law that D.C. voters would not be allowed to decriminalize marijuana, but a district court had ruled the law unconstitutional. The appeals court reversed the ruling, killing Initiative 63. The District of Columbia Board of Elections & Ethics, or BOEE, is the independent agency of the District government responsible for the administration of elections, ballot access and voter registration. ...

In May of 2004, at the conclusion of MPP’s intensive, three-year lobbying campaign, Vermont became the ninth state to enact a medical marijuana law — and only the second state to do so through its legislature, rather than through a ballot initiative. In the same year, the Alaska Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling (issued one year before) that permits adults aged 21 and older to use and possess up to four ounces of marijuana in the privacy of the home — maintaining Alaska as the only state where the non-medical use of marijuana is legal in any context. The MPP grants program funded this litigation. Official language(s) None[1] Capital Montpelier Largest city Burlington Area  Ranked 45th  - Total 9,620 sq mi (24,923 km²)  - Width 80 miles (130 km)  - Length 160 miles (260 km)  - % water 3. ...

Later in 2004, MPP funded and ran the campaign that succeeded in passing a statewide medical marijuana initiative in Montana with 62% of the vote — the highest margin of victory for any of the medical marijuana initiatives that have passed in 10 states since 1996. MPP also provided the majority of funding for an initiative to regulate marijuana in Alaska, which failed with 44% of the vote (but still set the record for the largest vote to end marijuana prohibition in any state). Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ...

In November 2006, an MPP-supported medical marijuana initiative lost in South Dakota, with 52% voting "no"; This was the first time a medical marijuana ballot failed. MPP also funded three successfully enacted measures in Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Santa Monica, California, that "make marijuana possession the lowest law enforcement priority." MPP also funded a similar initiative that passed in Missoula County, Montana.[5] Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Santa Barbara is a city in California, United States. ... Santa Cruz is the county seat and most-populated city of Santa Cruz County, California, United States. ... Location of Santa Monica in California and Los Angeles County Coordinates: Country United States State California County Los Angeles Incorporated November 30, 1886 Mayor Robert Holbrook City Council Bobby Shriver Ken Genser Kevin McKeown Herb Katz Pam OConnor Richard Bloom Area    - City 41. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Missoula County is a county located in the state of Montana. ...

Nevada

Another one of MPP's major projects was Measure 9, a 2002 initiative in Nevada to decriminalize the possession of three ounces of marijuana by adults aged 21 or over and regulate cannabis sales through retail establishments. The proposed constitutional amendment would also have mandated penalties for underage smoking and smoking in motor vehicles, casinos, and other specified areas[6]. Many marijuana advocates were not pleased with these clauses, which would have been difficult to change once engrafted in the state constitution[7]. The measure failed, garnering only 39% of the vote. Previous legalization initiatives had failed by wider margins, but those campaigns were not as well-funded. MPP blamed the measure's failure on law enforcement officers illegally campaigning during working hours, and unlawful interference by the federal drug czar. This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

MPP tried again in 2004 to get a similar measure on the Nevada ballot, but the firm hired to coordinate the campaign lost a box of signatures required to get the measure on the ballot.

MPP went on to place the measure on the state's 2006 ballot, spending almost one million dollars of out-of-state money to enact the new law ^{[citation needed]}. Question 7 in Nevada, if passed, would have allowed adults 21 and older to purchase, possess, and privately use up to one ounce of marijuana; it would have also set up a legal framework for taxing and regulating marijuana in a way similar to that of alcohol and tobacco [8]. However, the initiative failed to pass with 56% voting no and 44% voting yes [9]. MPP has stated that they intend to run a similar measure in Nevada in 2008 or, more likely, 2010 [10].

War on Drug Czar

Deciding that government propaganda was a major obstacle to its ballot initiatives, MPP launched its "War on Drug Czar," filing numerous complaints against Office of National Drug Control Policy chief John P. Walters. In a December 5, 2002 Reuters article, Rob Kampia proclaimed, "We want him out of the picture. We want him excommunicated from the federal government forever"[11]. An Australian anti-conscription propaganda poster from World War One U.S. propaganda poster, which warns against civilians sharing information on troop movements (National Archives) The much-imitated 1914 Lord Kitchener Wants You! poster Brochure of the Peoples Temple, portraying cult leader Jim Jones as the loving father of the... The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), a component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, was established in 1988 by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act. ... John Walters John P. Walters was sworn in as the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) on December 7, 2001. ... Rob Kampia is the founder of the Marijuana Policy Project. ...

The complaints, filed with state officials, focused on ONDCP leaders' visits to Alaska, Montana, Nevada, and Oregon. Director John Walters travelled to Nevada and Oregon and Deputy Director Scott Burns travelled to Alaska and Montana to speak against marijuana reform initiatives. However, they did not file any campaign expense reports, which laws in those states require for persons or organizations spending money to either support or oppose ballot measures[12]. Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ... Official language(s) English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Area  Ranked 4th  - Total 147,165 sq mi (381,156 km²)  - Width 255 miles (410 km)  - Length 630 miles (1,015 km)  - % water 1  - Latitude 44°26N to 49°N  - Longitude 104°2W to 116°2W Population  Ranked... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Official language(s) None Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ...

Radio campaign

In July 2006, MPP launched a radio advertising campaign that calls out prominent public officials, including President George W. Bush, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Vice President Al Gore, and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as having admitted to using marijuana. The ad, which will run on 141 radio stations nationwide, asks: "Is it fair to arrest three quarters of a million people a year for doing what presidents and a Supreme Court justice have done?" A radio commercial (often called an advert in the United Kingdom) is a form of advertising in which goods, services, organizations, ideas, etc. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): ) (born on July 30, 1947, in Graz, Austria) is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor and an American politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of California. ... Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. ... Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American jurist and has been an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 1991. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ...

References

• Official Website
• Bonni, Joe: You Down With MPP?, Boston Weekly Dig, Feb. 11, 2003.
• Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana - Nevada, website for 2006 initiative in Nevada.
• Drug Policy Organizations, James S. Huggins' Refrigerator Door.
• D.C. Medical Marijuana Initiative, Marijuana Policy Project.
• Initiative Petition, A Marijuana Legalization Initiative State of Nevada, A Guide to Drug-Related State Ballot Initiatives, National Families in Action.
• Marijuana Policy Project Grows to 11,000 Members, Marijuana Policy Project, Jan. 9, 2003.
• Nevadans for Compassionate Use.
• Zwillich, Todd: Activists Accuse 'Drug Czar' of Illegal Campaigning, Reuters, Dec. 5, 2002.