MPP's Mission Statement

MPP pursues its work along two parallel tracks — making marijuana medically available to patients in need (known as "legalizing medical marijuana"), and taxing and regulating marijuana for general adult use (known as "marijuana regulation").

Specifically, MPP pursues the following mission (strategies) to achieve its vision:

1. Increase public support for marijuana regulation.
2. Identify and activate supporters of medical marijuana and marijuana regulation.
3. Change state laws to legalize medical marijuana and/or regulate marijuana.
4. Increase the credibility of marijuana policy reform on Capitol Hill.

A Selection of MPP's Campaigns

MPP's State Lobbying Work
MPP is lobbying to pass marijuana-related legislation in Illinois, New York, Vermont, Minnesota and Rhode Island.

Support Medical Marijuana Legislation in Congress
MPP is leading the effort to convince members of Congress to support federal medical marijuana legislation.

Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana
MPP is pushing the presidential candidates to take strong, public, positive positions on medical marijuana during the presidential primary campaign in New Hampshire, the first state to hold a primary.

War on Drug Czar
MPP has pursued various legal complaints against Drug Czar John Walters (director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy), including one pending complaint in Alaska.

MPP's VIP Campaign
MPP is working with actors, musicians, producers, directors, professional athletes, former and current public officials, and other VIPs to educate the American people about the need to take marijuana out of the criminal market and regulate it. Projects include a celebrity advisory board, music events, film festivals, and more.

MPP's Nationwide Radio Ads
MPP is airing provocative radio ads on major stations around the country,educating Americans about the need to end marijuana prohibition.

Mandatory Madness
MPP fights against mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana crimes. Mandatory minimum sentences — which take sentencing power out of the hands of judges — have caused the number of drug offenders in federal prison to explode from 25% of the total inmate population in 1981 to 60% in 2001.

Costs of Prohibition
Taxing and regulating marijuana would produce combined savings and tax revenues of between $10 billion and $14 billion per year, according to a report funded by the MPP grants program and endorsed by 500 distinguished economists, including Nobel Prize-winner Dr. Milton Friedman.

MPP History

When MPP was founded in January 1995, medical marijuana was illegal in every state and favorable legislation had not been introduced in Congress in a decade. Since then, the federal penalties for marijuana cultivation have been changed to provide for the early release of hundreds of prisoners; positive medical marijuana bills have been introduced in six consecutive Congresses, with the U.S. House even debating and voting on our legislation in the summers of 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006; the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine declared that marijuana has medical value; medical marijuana is now legal in 12 states; and much more.

MPP's major accomplishments include:

November 2006 — 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.

November 2006 — 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.

June 2006 — 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.

January 2006 — The Rhode Island Legislature overwhelmingly overrode the governor's veto of MPP's bill to protect medical marijuana patients from arrest — making Rhode Island the 11th state where medical marijuana use, possession, and cultivation is legal. This was the first state medical marijuana law to be enacted over the veto of a governor.

November 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 eight 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).

November 2004 — The MPP grants program funded 13 of the 16 local marijuana-related initiatives that passed in California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Missouri.

November 2004 — U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), with the assistance of MPP, drafted and introduced the first-ever medical marijuana bill in the U.S. Senate.

September 2004 — 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.

May 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.

April 2004 — MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia testified before the U.S. House subcommittee on drug policy, attacking the federal government's medical marijuana policies, as well as subcommittee Chairman Mark Souder (R-IN) — one of the House's most vehement opponents of medical marijuana. Kampia was the only anti-prohibitionist to testify at the hearing.

January 2004 — In the months leading up to the New Hampshire Democratic primary election, MPP helped persuade a majority of the Democratic presidential candidates, including John Kerry, to pledge to end the arrest of patients in states with medical marijuana laws.

December 2003 — MPP funded, through its grants program, litigation that led to a precedent-setting decision by the largest federal appeals court in the country, which ruled that federal laws against marijuana do not apply to sick people who use medical marijuana with the approval of their physicians in states where medical marijuana is legal. This decision was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2005.

July 2003 — Fully 152 members of Congress voted for the "Hinchey Amendment" to the spending bill for the U.S. Justice Department. The legislation, co-written by MPP, would have prevented the DEA from spending any money to raid or arrest medical marijuana patients and caregivers in states that have medical marijuana laws.

May 2003 — Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich (R) became the first Republican governor to sign medical marijuana legislation. MPP lobbied the Maryland Legislature for four years to pass the bill, which now protects medical marijuana patients from imprisonment.

April 2003 — MPP worked with members of the U.S. House of Representatives to write and introduce the "Truth in Trials Act" in response to the federal trial and conviction of medical marijuana provider Ed Rosenthal, who was not allowed to introduce evidence at trial that he acted in compliance with California state law.

November 2002 — Despite being defeated by Nevada voters by a 61% to 39% margin, MPP's high-profile ballot initiative to remove criminal penalties for adult possession of marijuana generated more public support, dues-paying members, and positive news coverage than any other project in MPP's history. The coverage of the campaign culminated in a front-page story in the November 4 issue of Time magazine.

March 2001 — MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia testified before the U.S. House subcommittee on drug policy, arguing that a medical marijuana case before the U.S. Supreme Court was limited in scope and did not affect the ability of states to determine their own medical marijuana laws. Hostile subcommittee members argued with Kampia, and one called him "an articulate advocate for an evil position."

June 2000 — Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano (D) signed MPP's medical marijuana legislation into law, making Hawaii the first state to pass a medical marijuana law through its legislature, rather than through a ballot initiative.

April 2000 — President Bill Clinton (D) signed into law an asset forfeiture reform bill, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL). MPP generated grassroots lobbying pressure in support of the legislation, which makes it more difficult for the government to seize the property of marijuana users, as well as alleged and suspected marijuana users.

March 1999 — The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued its landmark medical marijuana report, finding that "there are some limited circumstances in which we would recommend smoking marijuana for medical uses." In early 1998, MPP coordinated the testimony of dozens of medical marijuana patients and researchers at IOM's hearings.

November 1998 — MPP worked with local AIDS activists to pass a medical marijuana initiative that the activists had placed on the local ballot in Washington, D.C. Though Congress blocked the city from counting the votes for 10 months, a lawsuit brought by the ACLU revealed that 69% of city voters approved the initiative. Unfortunately, Congress continues to prevent the law from taking effect.

December 1997 — The American Medical Association's House of Delegates voted to adopt a report that (1) recognized the existence of scientific research showing marijuana's medical value, (2) recommended that doctors and patients should not be punished for discussing marijuana as a treatment option, and (3) urged the federal government to expedite medical marijuana research. MPP worked for months to persuade the AMA to adopt these improvements to a policy that had been fairly hostile to medical marijuana.

April 1995 — The U.S. Sentencing Commission voiced its unanimous approval of an amendment to the federal sentencing guidelines, which established shorter sentences for people convicted of cultivating marijuana. MPP was helpful in persuading the commission to vote 7-0 in favor of the penalty reduction, which took effect on November 1, 1995. A subsequent 7-0 vote on September 6 made the change retroactive, resulting in the early release of an estimated 950 federal marijuana prisoners.

These accomplishments and other MPP projects have been featured on the cover of Time magazine; in articles in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, the Associated Press, and Reuters; and in appearances on The O'Reilly Factor, Crossfire, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and CNN Headline News.

Click names for photos and extended stories.

Kathryn Johnston

Members of a Georgia narcotics investigation team shot and killed 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston during a drug raid in her Atlanta home November 21, 2006.

Tyrone Brown

Tyrone Brown served 17 years of a life sentence for testing positive for marijuana while on probation for a $2 stickup committed when he was 17. No one involved was ever able to explain the severe penalty.

Bernie Ellis

When lawmen raided his farm in August 2002, this man of medicine — a professional public health consultant who has worked for anti-substance abuse programs across the country — told officers he was growing marijuana for medical reasons. He also gave it to friends and acquaintances suffering from AIDS, cancer or chronic diseases.

Recently finishing his 18-month halfway house sentence, Ellis is anxious to return to the 187 acres he's owned in the Fly community of northwestern Maury County for the past four decades. But he's not sure he'll get the chance.

Federal prosecutors want to take away his farm under laws that let the government seize property used in the commission of a crime.

Alberta Spruill

On May 16, 2003, 57-year-old Alberta Spruill died of a heart attack shortly after police mistakenly raided her Harlem, New York, apartment for drugs. The office of the city medical examiner attributed her death to "the stress and the fear that she experienced" during the raid.

Anthony Diotaiuto

On August 5, 2005, 23-year-old Anthony Diotaiuto was killed after a SWAT team shot him ten times. Officers barged into his home at 6:15 a.m. with a search warrant, looking for marijuana; Diotaiuto, presumably fearing burglars, grabbed a handgun and was subsequently shot. The officers eventually found a little over an ounce of marijuana.

Bryan Epis

Chronic pain sufferer Bryan Epis was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for growing medical marijuana for himself and others. He served more than two years of his sentence before being released while the Supreme Court considered Gonzales v. Raich. He now faces a possible return to jail.

Carter Singleton

65-year-old Carter Singleton was arrested for cultivating marijuana in 2003. Carter, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2001, was using medical marijuana to stimulate his appetite, after chemotherapy treatments caused him to lose 80 pounds in 5 months.

Cheryl Noel

In January 2005, 44-year-old Cheryl Noel was shot and killed by police officers raiding her Maryland home for drugs. Noel, who had been asleep when the raid started, came to her bedroom door with a gun — presumably in self-defense — and was shot and killed. Noel's husband, son, and a family friend staying in the house were charged with possession of a small quantity of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Clayton Helriggle

On September 27, 2002, armed police officers raided a rural farmhouse in West Alexandria, Ohio, based on a tip from a convicted felon that there were drugs in the house. Nearly 30 officers, clad in body armor and riot shields, stormed the house with a battering ram and detonated stun grenades to disorient the occupants of the house. Awoken from his nap by the noise, 23-year-old Clayton Helriggle walked downstairs — allegedly with a gun — and was promptly shot in the chest by police. Two minutes later, he was dead in the arms of a roommate.

Don Nord

Though he was licensed in Colorado to use marijuana for medical purposes, 57-year-old Don Nord was arrested by DEA agents in 2003 and had his marijuana seized. Charges against Nord were eventually dismissed, but a federal court held in July 2005 that the DEA was not required to return his marijuana.

Donald Scott

On October 2, 1992, 61-year-old Donald Scott was shot and killed by county sheriff's deputies on his ranch in Malibu, California. The deputies had a warrant claiming that Scott was growing thousands of marijuana plants on his property, but no marijuana plants were found. The federal government and Los Angeles County later settled a wrongful death lawsuit from Scott's family for $5 million.

Esequiel Hernandez

On May 20, 1997, 18-year-old Esequiel Hernandez was shot in the back by U.S. Marines patrolling the Texas-Mexico border for drug smugglers. Hernandez, who was tending his family's herd of goats, bled to death. He was the first U.S. civilian to be killed by U.S. armed forces since the 1970 political protests at Kent State University.

Gary Silva

Medical marijuana patient Gary Silva, who suffers from degenerative disk disease and nerve damage, was asleep in his Sky Valley, California home, when he heard a knock on the door. When Gary, who cultivated marijuana in his home on behalf of his patients' collective, went to undo the deadbolt, DEA agents kicked in the door. The force sent Gary sprawling to the floor, dislocating his shoulder and causing lacerations to his face.

Goose Creek, South Carolina, School Raid

In November 2003, police officers with guns drawn swept through Stratford High School in South Carolina. Officers held guns to the backs of 130 students — a majority of whom were black though the school population is only 25% black — who were ordered to lie on the floor or kneel against lockers while police dogs sniffed for drugs. No drugs were found and no arrests were made.

James Burton

Glaucoma patient James Burton served one year in prison and lost his home after being convicted of possession of marijuana. He now lives in the Netherlands, where he can obtain his marijuana by prescription from pharmacies.

Jimmy Montgomery

Paraplegic medical marijuana patient Jimmy Montgomery was given a life sentence (later reduced to 10 years) for possessing two ounces of marijuana with intent to distribute. Evidence that he intended to distribute the marijuana came from a sheriff's deputy who was later convicted of embezzling seized property and assets.

Jonathan Magbie

Twenty-seven-year-old Jonathan Magbie died while serving a 10-day sentence for marijuana possession in a Washington, D.C., jail. Magbie, a quadriplegic since age 4, used his chin to operate a motorized wheelchair and required a ventilator to help him breathe. The jail could not provide the medical help he needed, and by the time he was taken to a hospital, he was dead. Magbie was a first-time offender who told the judge that marijuana made him feel better and that he didn't think there was anything wrong with using it.

Lester Siler

In July 2004, Lester Eugene Siler, 42, was brutalized by five rogue police officers in his Tennessee home. Siler, who is illiterate, was beaten and threatened with shooting and electrocution and had his head held underwater in a toilet after refusing to sign a search consent form that he could not read. Siler's wife caught the incident on an audiotape which was later used to convict all five officers.

Marisa Garcia

In March 2000, 19-year-old Marisa Garcia lost financial aid for college because of a federal law that denies financial aid to those convicted of drug offenses. Garcia, who had paid a $415 fine after a police officer found a pipe with marijuana residue in her car's glove compartment, nearly had to delay college for a year because of this punitive federal law.

Matthew Ducheneaux

In July 2000, 36-year-old Matthew Ducheneaux was arrested for smoking marijuana in a park in South Dakota. Ducheneaux was a quadriplegic who used marijuana with his doctor's permission to treat violent muscle spasms. Ducheneaux, unable to tell the jury that he used marijuana for medical reasons, was eventually convicted of marijuana possession and forbidden from using his medicine for a year.

Palm Beach County, Florida, school raid

Fifteen high school students in Palm Beach County, Florida, were arrested in January 2005 for selling drugs on school property. Some of the teens had sold as little as $10 worth of marijuana to undercover police officers who had befriended them. The teens, who will be tried as adults, face up to 15 years' imprisonment.

Rhiannon Kephart

In January 2005, 18-year-old Rhiannon Kephart received second- and third-degree burns to her chest and stomach when police set off a stun grenade during a drug raid. Kephart was not a target of the investigation.

Robin Prosser

Robin Prosser, of Missoula, Montana, uses medical marijuana to treat an immunosuppressive disorder similar to lupus. In 2002, she staged a 60-day hunger strike to bring attention to her plight. In 2004, she attempted suicide when she could not obtain marijuana; after police found her nearly unconscious in bed, she was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana and two pipes. The passage of Montana's medical marijuana law in November 2004 means Prosser no longer faces criminal sanctions for using marijuana.

Roni and Charity Bowers

On April 20, 2001, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency ordered the Peruvian Air Force to shoot down a plane suspected of smuggling drugs out of Peru. The plane was carrying not drugs but American religious missionaries Jim and Roni Bowers; Roni and seven-month-old daughter Charity died in the shooting.

Suzanne Pfeil

Suzanne Pfeil is a paraplegic who suffers from severe pain and muscle spasms linked to post-polio syndrome. On September 5, 2002, more than 20 armed federal agents raided her medical marijuana hospice, holding assault rifles to the heads of patients and their caregivers. When Pfeil was unable to stand, the agents handcuffed her behind her back and left her on the bed for several hours.

Unnamed Florida college student

On June 6, 2003, a 19-year-old Alachua County, Florida, college student was raped by his cellmate as he served the first of four weekend sentences for delivering marijuana, a felony offense. The student's cellmate was a violent offender in jail awaiting trial on sexual battery charges; the two men shared a cell because of jail overcrowding.

Webster Alexander

In January 2003, 19-year-old Webster Alexander of Alabama received a 26-year prison sentence for selling $350 of marijuana within three miles of a school. A judge later reduced Alexander's sentence to one year in prison, one year of probation, and community service, but the initial 26-year sentence made international headlines for its severity.

Weldon Angelos

Twenty-five-year-old Weldon Angelos was sentenced to 55 years in prison for selling several hundred dollars' worth of marijuana to a police informant on three separate occasions — his first offenses. Because he had a gun during the commission of his crimes, though did not use or brandish it, he received a sentence that even his judge called "unjust, cruel, and even irrational."


Will Foster

Will Foster, a rheumatoid arthritis sufferer and father of two, was sentenced to 93 years in prison for charges relating to the 25-plant medical marijuana garden he grew in a locked room in his basement.