Америкалық марихуана саясатын реформалау ұйымы

American organization

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is the largest organization working solely on marijuana policy reform in the United States in terms of its budget, number of members, and staff. Its stated aims are to: (1) increase public support for non punitive, non coercive marijuana policies; (2) identify and activate supporters of non punitive, non coercive marijuana policies; (3) change state laws to reduce or eliminate penalties for the medical and non medical use of marijuana; and (4) gain influence in Congress. MPP advocates taxing and regulating the possession and sale of marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol, envisions a nation where marijuana education is honest and realistic, and believes treatment for problem marijuana users should be non coercive and geared toward reducing harm. Marijuana Policy Project estimated that the market of legal cannabis will reach US$57 billion in 2030.

Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)co founders Rob Kampia, Michael Kirshner, and Chuck Thomas previously worked at the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). In 1995, after months of internal debate, NORML director Richard Cowan fired a staffer who had been pressing him for organizational change. Kampia, Kirshner and Thomas departed immediately thereafter and began creating their own organization, implementing ideas they had futilely pursued at NORML. On January 25, 1995, the three activists incorporated the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) as a not for profit organization in the District of Columbia. Kampia served as MPP's executive director until December 2017. Matthew Schweich, who joined MPP as the director of state campaigns in early 2015, served as interim executive director until August 2018, when the organization named Steven W. Hawkins its new executive director. In December 2021, Hawkins stepped down and Toi Hutchinson was appointed president and CEO. MPP has grown to over 40,000 dues paying members and is the largest marijuana policy reform group in the United States. The organization has approximately 35 staffers and an annual budget of about $5 million.

MPP, like many advocacy groups, is divided into two legal entities: a lobbying group and a public education group. The education branch may accept tax deductible donations but cannot attempt to influence politics. The lobby group, however, may use its funds to directly influence politicians. MPP reports that all funding comes from individual contributions of more than 40,000 members, which are from every U. S. state, Puerto Rico, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and other countries.

Nine states voted on ballot measures to roll back marijuana prohibition on November 8, 2016. The Marijuana Policy Project supported initiative campaigns to regulate and tax marijuana like alcohol in Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada and was part of a coalition of groups that coordinated a ballot initiative campaign in California. MPP also provided assistance to initiative campaigns to legalize medical marijuana in Arkansas, Florida, and North Dakota. Montana voted on a measure to improve its existing medical marijuana law. All ballot measures were passed by voters except Arizona's Proposition 205.

In November 2014, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska, a ballot initiative campaign backed by MPP, successfully passed Ballot Measure 2, making Alaska the fourth state to end marijuana prohibition and replace it with a system in which marijuana is taxed and regulated like alcohol. In 2004, MPP provided the majority of funding for an initiative to regulate marijuana in Alaska, which failed with 44% of the vote (but still set what was at the time the record for the largest vote to end marijuana prohibition in any state).

In November 2012, MPP backed Issue 5, a medical marijuana initiative in Arkansas, which narrowly failed, receiving 48.5% of the vote.

In November 2016, Proposition 205—a ballot initiative campaign backed by MPP—did not successfully pass a ballot initiative to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana for adult use. In September 2013, the Marijuana Policy Project initiated a campaign to legalize marijuana in Arizona for recreational use.

In November 2016, Proposition 64—a legalization initiative supported by MPP—successfully passed a ballot initiative to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana for adult use.

In November 2009, MPP successfully lobbied for the removal of the so called "Barr Amendment" from the D. C. appropriations bill. MPP led the fight to end Congressional interference, which, for over 10 years, blocked the District of Columbia from implementing a medical marijuana initiative that passed with nearly 70% of the vote in 1998. MPP even retained the amendment's namesake, former Georgia Representative Bob Barr, to lobby for the amendment's removal after he reversed his position in 2007. Following the removal of the amendment, MPP successfully lobbied the District Council to improve the language they were considering to implement the initiative and lobbied the executive branch for reasonable regulations. The regulations went into effect on April 15, 2011.

In November 2016, Question 1—a legalization initiative supported by MPP—successfully passed a ballot initiative to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana for adult use. The successful initiative—the first statewide decriminalization initiative ever—replaced the threat of arrest and jail with a $100 fine. The measure also eliminated criminal offender (CORI) reports as they pertain to arrests for simple marijuana possession, which, prior to the initiative, could have resulted in individuals being denied housing, jobs, or loans for college.

Also in November 2008, 63% of Michigan voters passed a medical marijuana ballot initiative spearheaded by MPP"s campaign committee. The initiative—which received a majority of the vote in each of Michigan's 83 counties—permits terminally and seriously ill patients to use medical marijuana with their doctors' approval. Its passage made Michigan the 13th medical marijuana state and the first in the Midwest.

In November 2004, MPP funded and ran the campaign that succeeded in passing a statewide medical marijuana initiative in Montana with 62% of the vote.

In November 2016, Question 2—a legalization initiative supported by MPP—successfully passed a ballot initiative to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana for adult use. (That number was since surpassed in November 2010, when 46% of California voters supported Proposition 19, a ballot initiative to regulate, tax, and control marijuana in the state.)

MPP not only works to reform marijuana policy state by state in various states including Texas, but also on the federal level. Some of MPP's key federal goals include: building support for legislation that would treat marijuana like alcohol under federal law, persuading members of Congress to introduce and support legislation designed to protect medical marijuana patients and providers, monitoring the Department of Justice to ensure that the department honors its pledge to not prosecute individuals acting in compliance with state medical marijuana laws, generating media coverage to pressure the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to provide marijuana for an FDA approved study related to PTSD, and lobbying for passage of an amendment to a congressional appropriations bill that would eliminate all funding for the drug czar's office, among others. Since MPP's founding, positive medical marijuana bills have been introduced in six consecutive Congresses. In addition, in the summers of 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, the U. S. House debated and voted on an appropriations amendment advocated for primarily by MPP. In July 2003, 152 members of Congress voted in favor of the Hinchey amendment to the spending bill for the U. S. Justice Department. The legislation would have prevented the DEA from spending any money to raid or arrest medical marijuana patients and caregivers in states with medical marijuana laws. In July 2007, following an intensive MPP lobbying campaign, MPP helped to garner 165 votes in the U. S. House of Representatives for the Hinchey Amendment—an all time record of support for medical marijuana access. In December 2009, MPP successfully lobbied for the removal of the "Barr Amendment" from the D. C. Appropriations bill. MPP led the fight to end Congressional interference, which, for over 10 years, blocked the District of Columbia from implementing a medical marijuana initiative that passed with over 70% of the vote. MPP even retained the amendment's namesake, former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr, to lobby for the amendment's removal after he reversed his position in 2007. Following the removal of the amendment, MPP successfully lobbied the District Council to improve the language they were considering to implement the initiative and lobbied the executive branch for reasonable regulations. Those regulations went into effect on April 15, 2011. During the 112th session of Congress, MPP lobbied on behalf of several pending marijuana related bills. For the first time ever, a bill to end federal marijuana prohibition was introduced. H. R. 2306, the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2012, would have removed marijuana from the list of controlled substances and would have eliminated all federal penalties related to marijuana (except in cases where marijuana was transferred into another state in violation of that state's laws). MPP is also lobbied on behalf of medical marijuana on the federal level. In May 2011, three bills to benefit medical marijuana patients and their providers were introduced in the U. S. House of Representatives. The "States' Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act" would have modified federal law so that individuals acting in compliance with state law were immune from federal prosecution. The "Small Business Tax Equity Act of 2011" and the "Small Business Banking Improvement Act of 2011" addressed critical tax and banking issues faced by medical marijuana centers and dispensaries as they attempt to serve patients, comply with statewide regulations, and pay their fair share of taxes. During the 113th session of Congress (2013 2014), in May 2014, the U. S. House of Representatives voted to end the federal government's war on medical marijuana. During a debate regarding a Justice Department funding bill, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R CA), a longtime MPP ally, offered the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment to block DEA raids on medical marijuana dispensaries. It passed the House 219–189 and became law in December 2014. MPP played a key role in building support for this measure, meeting with Congressman Rohrabacher and former Congressman Maurice Hinchey on this amendment for more than a decade. In addition, in December 2014, Congress passed a historic medical marijuana amendment as part of the federal spending bill, marking the first time in history that Congress approved legislation rolling back the federal government's war on medical marijuana patients and providers. The bill included an amendment that prohibits the Department of Justice—which includes the Drug Enforcement Administration—from using funds to interfere with state medical marijuana laws. Currently, MPP continues to build support for legislation that would treat marijuana like alcohol under federal law, works with members of Congress on bills designed to protect and assist medical marijuana patients and providers, and increases public pressure on the Department of Justice to eliminate prosecutions of individuals acting in compliance with state marijuana laws, among other efforts.

In August 2009, seven MPP staffers quit following an alleged incident of sexual misconduct by then executive director Rob Kampia involving a female staffer after an office happy hour. According to former employees, department heads at the organization unanimously asked Kampia to move into a different position than executive director after the incident. In January 2010, Kampia was "encouraged" by the MPP Board of Directors to take a three month leave of absence, and his return was subject to "convincing the board he had dealt with his issues." In April 2010, Kampia returned to the organization after the leave of absence.

Deciding that government propaganda was a major obstacle to its ballot initiatives, MPP launched its "War on Drug Czar" campaign at the end of 2002, 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." The complaints, filed with state officials, focused on ONDCP leaders' visits to Alaska, Montana, Nevada, and Oregon. Director John Walters traveled to Nevada and Oregon and Deputy Director Scott Burns traveled 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. The ad was the first of its kind and was very controversial, with some California television stations refusing to air it. Nonetheless, the ad received a lot of press coverage, including an appearance on NBC's Today Show by MPP's former director of federal policies, Aaron Houston. In July 2013, MPP aired a new ad at the Brickyard 400 NASCAR Race. In support of making marijuana legal for adults, the spoof beer ad highlighted the relative safety of marijuana compared to alcohol by characterizing marijuana as a "new 'beer'" with "no calories," "no hangovers," and "no violence" associated with its use. Although it was scheduled to air dozens of times on a jumbotron outside the entrance of the speedway, the ad ran for just a few hours before being pulled.