Jack Black actor, musician

Bill Maher Television Host, "Real Time With Bill Maher"

Joycelyn Elders, M.D. former U.S. Surgeon General

Jesse Ventura former governor of Minnesota

Adam Carolla Television and radio host

About the Marijuana Policy Project

The Marijuana Policy Project works to minimize the harm associated with marijuana -- both the consumption of marijuana, and the laws that are intended to prohibit such use. MPP believes that the greatest harm associated with marijuana is prison. To this end, MPP focuses on removing criminal penalties for marijuana use, with a particular emphasis on making marijuana medically available to seriously ill people who have the approval of their doctors.

To find out more about MPP, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.

A Few of MPP's Successes

1995: In its first year of existence, MPP successfully lobbied for changes to federal marijuana sentencing policies, which resulted in the early release of hundreds of nonviolent marijuana prisoners.

1999: MPP provided testimony and witnesses, including numerous patients, for the Institute of Medicine's federally funded examination of medical marijuana, which resulted in the publication of the landmark report Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base.

2000: MPP drafted and successfully lobbied for the passage of Hawaii's medical marijuana law.

2003: MPP led a successful, multi-year campaign for Maryland's medical marijuana law — the first ever signed by a Republican governor. In addition, MPP lobbied Congress to end the Drug Enforcement Administration's hostile raids on medical marijuana patients and providers. While MPP lost the vote, an unprecedented 152 House members voted to end the raids.

2004: This monumental year included several successes:

• MPP's high-profile campaign to get the Democratic presidential primary candidates on record about medical marijuana resulted in five of the nine candidates, including Sen. John Kerry, taking positive positions on medical marijuana.
• Vermont became the ninth medical marijuana state, following an intensive MPP lobbying and public education campaign.
• MPP successfully ran or funded 17 winning ballot initiatives: most notably in Montana, where MPP's medical marijuana initiative won with 62% of the vote — three points more than Bush got — making it the 10th medical marijuana state.
• In Alaska, MPP helped garner the all-time biggest vote for a full repeal of marijuana prohibition in the history of the country (44%).

2006: 2006 saw several victories:

• MPP drafted and successfully lobbied for the passage of Rhode Island's medical marijuana law, forcing an override of the governor's veto in the process.
• MPP's high-profile ballot initiative to tax and regulate marijuana in Nevada received 44% of the vote, tying with Alaska for the all-time largest vote ever to end marijuana prohibition in a state.
• The MPP grants program funded successful initiatives to make marijuana possession the lowest law enforcement priority in three California cities (Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Santa Monica) and in Missoula County, Montana.
• Following an intensive MPP lobbying campaign, MPP helped to garner 163 votes in the U.S. House of Representatives to stop arresting medical marijuana patients — an all-time record of support for medical marijuana access.

2007:

• MPP's grants program funded a successful initiative to make marijuana possession the lowest law enforcement priority in Denver, Colorado.
• Following an intensive MPP lobbying campaign, MPP helped to garner 165 votes in the U.S. House of Representatives to stop arresting medical marijuana patients - an all-time record of support for medical marijuana access.

2008:

• In the months leading up to the New Hampshire Democratic primary election, MPP helped persuade all of the Democratic presidential candidates and two of the Republican candidates to pledge to end the arrest of patients in states with medical marijuana laws.
• MPP's ballot initiative to remove the threat of arrest and jail for possessing an ounce or less of marijuana passed overwhelmingly in Massachusetts. The successful initiative — the first statewide decriminalization initiative ever — replaced the threat of arrest and jail with a $100 fine.
• Michigan passed MPP's ballot initaitive to permit terminally and seriously ill patients to use medical marijuana with their doctors' approval, making Michigan the 13th medical marijuana state and the first in the Midwest.