MPP Update #33

by Rob Kampia, Tue Feb 26, 2008

By Rob Kampia

People involved in marijuana policy reform are inevitably asked the question, “Are you a marijuana user?”

Whether or not the reformer uses marijuana, it isn’t obvious how the question should be answered.

Of course, whether or not a particular marijuana policy activist uses marijuana has very little to do with whether our nation’s marijuana laws should be changed.

But to answer the question by saying, “It’s none of your business,” isn’t the way to go. Why? Because it comes off as rude and therefore isn’t effective if you actually care about making a positive impression on the person who asked the question. So your answer shouldn’t focus on how offensive you find the question, but rather on how to direct your interlocutor to the real issue – arrests and prison, arrests and prison, arrests and prison.

Interestingly, those of …READ MORE

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MPP UPDATE #10 -

by Rob Kampia, Mon Nov 7, 2005

by Rob Kampia

Denver voters may have just sounded the death knell for America's long, sad experiment with the prohibition of marijuana. This endeavor has been an even more spectacular failure than Alcohol Prohibition was during the 1920s, and it's clear that voters are coming to the realization that it is time to end marijuana prohibition, too.

By a margin of 53% to 47%, Denver voters passed a local ballot initiative on November 1 that has eliminated all penalties for the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana under city ordinances. More importantly, it puts the city on record in support of treating private, adult use and possession of marijuana "in the same manner as the private use and possession of alcohol."

According to the FBI, there were over 770,000 marijuana arrests last year—that’s one arrest every 41 seconds. It's the equivalent of arresting every man, woman, and child in the city of Denver plus every man …READ MORE

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MPP UPDATE #6 -

by Rob Kampia, Wed Jul 6, 2005

By Rob Kampia

As the marijuana policy reform movement continues to pass bills and initiatives on the local and state levels, MPP’s national strategy for regulating marijuana like alcohol is becoming more and more refined.

The goal, of course, is to (1) change federal law to allow states to determine their own marijuana policies, and (2) change the laws of all 50 states and the District of Columbia so that adults may use and obtain marijuana from a legally regulated market.

It is our assumption that Congress will not be the first legislative body to act; consequently, the first act to repeal marijuana prohibition will need to be passed in a state.

So what state will be the first? No one can be sure, so MPP and the MPP grants program have launched a strategy to fund the passage of statewide bills and ballot initiatives in the states that are most likely to bow out of marijuana prohibition.

In Nevada, MPP has …READ MORE

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MPP UPDATE #5 -

by Rob Kampia, Thu Jun 9, 2005

by Rob Kampia

On June 6, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal government can continue arresting patients for using medical marijuana in compliance with state medical marijuana laws. But the Court did not overturn state medical marijuana laws or in any way interfere with their continued operation.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court indicated that Congress -- not the Court -- must be the institution to change federal law to protect AIDS, cancer, and other medical marijuana patients from arrest. In about a week, Congress will get that chance.

Although some media reports have failed to make this clear, the validity of the medical marijuana laws of Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington were never at issue in the Supreme Court case, Gonzales v. Raich. These laws protecting patients from arrest and jail under state law remain in full force and effect.

The court has …READ MORE

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