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Marijuana Policy Project

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The Marijuana Policy Project, or MPP is a U.S. organization "working to minimize the harm associated with marijuana"[1]. MPP advocates legalizing possession and sale of cannabis, arguing that a regulated marijuana industry would separate purchasers from the street market for cocaine, heroin, and other hard drugs. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, MPP's activities forced prohibitionists to expend unprecedented amounts of time and resources fighting legalization initiatives.

History

MPP founders Rob Kampia and Chuck Thomas originally worked at the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML. In 1995, Kampia was fired by NORML director Richard Cowan, who later accused him of being a narc. Using NORML's membership lists, Kampia and Thomas began assembling a parallel network of marijuana legalizers[2]. By 2003, MPP had grown to 11,000 members, becoming the largest cannabis reform group in the United States.

Prominent VIP supporters

Organization

MPP, like many advocacy groups, is divided into two legal entities, one a lobbying group and the other a nonprofit. The nonprofit, dedicated to educational work, can accept tax-deductible donations, while the lobbying group can use its funds to directly influence politicians. The two groups share an office next door to the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC. MPP is primarily funded by Progressive Corporation executive Peter Lewis.

Advocacy

MPP's major project was Measure 9, a 2002 initiative in Nevada to legalize 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[3]. Many marijuana advocates were not pleased with these clauses, which would have been difficult to change once engrafted in the state constitution[4]. 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.

MPP tried again in 2004 to get a similar measure on the Nevada ballot, but failed. The petitioning effort was marked by numerous embarrassing snafus; for instance, a box of signed petitions was misplaced and did not reappear until after the deadline to turn in the signatures. Because the measure included mandatory minimum sentences for sale of cannabis to persons under 21, some reformers were happy it failed[5].

MPP has a history of not giving up easily in the face of obstacles. 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[6]. Congress had already enacted a law that D.C. voters would not be allowed to legalize marijuana, but a district court had ruled the law unconstitutional. The appeals court reversed the ruling, killing Initiative 63.

References

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