cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana PAC Makes First Contributions Medical Marijuana PAC Makes First Contributions Posted by CN Staff on February 26, 2004 at 16:09:04 PT For Immediate Release Source: Common Dreams Washington -- The new MPP Medical Marijuana PAC, the first federal political action committee focused on the medical marijuana issue, announced its first contributions today. Contributions were made to a bipartisan group of six candidates in closely contested races.The mission of the MPP Medical Marijuana PAC is to support candidates for federal elected office who have taken action, or have pledged to take action, to ensure that physician-approved patients have safe and legal access to medical marijuana. It will also oppose officeholders who have worked against such protections for patients, and it will strategically focus on closely contested races. The initial round of contributions -- $1,000 each -- went to the following candidates:Paul Babbitt (D) ...... AZ 1 (Flagstaff, Prescott, and Navajo reservation)Bob Beauprez (R) ...... CO 7 (Lakewood and parts of Arvada and Aurora)Michael Michaud (D) ... ME 2 (Lewiston and Bangor)Jon Porter (R) ........ NV 3 (Las Vegas suburbs)Tim Bishop (D) ........ NY 1 (Hamptons, Brookhaven, and Smithtown)Rick Larsen (D) ....... WA 2 (Bellingham and most of Everett)(All are incumbents except Babbitt, who is running against incumbent Rep. Rick Renzi (R))"This is the next step in the evolution of medical marijuana as a political issue," said Steve Fox, director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) in Washington, D.C. "We have informed elected officials about the widespread public support for the issue, we have lobbied members of Congress and their staffs directly, and we have activated our grassroots. Now it is time to provide financial support to those who are willing to support medical marijuana.""National and statewide polling consistently shows public support for medical marijuana in the 75 to 80 percent range," Fox added. "Eventually, elected officials will realize that supporting medical marijuana is a political no-brainer. Not only will it help them at the polls, but it will also enhance their fundraising." Contact: Marijuana Policy Project Bruce Mirken - 202-543-7972Source: Common Dreams (ME)Published: February 26, 2004 Copyright: 2004 Common DreamsContact: editor commondreams.org Website: http://www.commondreams.org/Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #18 posted by FoM on March 02, 2004 at 22:25:57 PT Inside The Beltway: The Washington Times Sharing the Pot March 02, 2004 The first federal political action committee that focused on the medicinal-marijuana issue has made its first-ever campaign contributions to a bipartisan bunch battling it out in closely contested races. "This is the next step in the evolution of medical marijuana as a political issue," says Steve Fox, director of government relations for the new Marijuana Policy Project Medical Marijuana PAC in Washington, whose mission is to support candidates who work to ensure that physician-approved patients have legal access to medicinal marijuana — and to oppose officeholders who work against such protections. Recipients of contributions are Republican Reps. Bob Beauprez of Colorado and Jon Porter of Nevada, and Democratic Reps. Michael H. Michaud of Maine, Timothy H. Bishop of New York, and Rick Larsen of Washington. In addition, pot money is going to Democrat Paul Babbitt of Arizona, who is running against Republican Rep. Rick Renzi. Copyright: 2004 News World Communications, Inc.http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040301-115933-1914r.htm Medicinal Cannabis Research Links [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by FoM on February 27, 2004 at 12:46:26 PT News Brief about MPP EMPLOYER SPOTLIGHT Marijuana Policy ProjectFriday February 27, 2004 Where are you located? Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.What type of business do you run/what type of industry are you in? Non-Profit Marijuana Policy ReformWhat is your product or service? To develop and promote policies to minimize the harm associated with marijuana, which includes advocacy, education, lobbying, and research. MPP also administers a comprehensive grant giving program.What is your mission? 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 supports replacing marijuana prohibition -- a failure as destructive as alcohol prohibition of the 1920s -- with a system of regulation. MPP puts particular emphasis on making marijuana medically available to seriously ill people who have the approval of their doctors.Who are your principals? Rob Kampia, Executive DirectorWhat type of employment opportunities do you offer? Our current openings are always listed at http://www.mpp.org/jobs/ We offer full-time, internship, temporary work, as well as independent contracting opportunities.What is your website address? http://www.mpp.org/Why is it important to read the Hill? The Hill provides comprehensive and up-to-date news on all relevant legislative issues in the U.S. Congress, which is an invaluable resource.http://www.hillnews.com/classifieds/employer_spotlight.shtm [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by afterburner on February 27, 2004 at 10:20:41 PT: Getting Better I'm fasting today. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by FoM on February 27, 2004 at 09:49:19 PT afterburner Are you feeling ok today? [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by afterburner on February 27, 2004 at 09:39:06 PT: Off Topic Fri, Feb 27, 2004 Today's Poll http://poll.excite.com/poll/home.jsp?cat_id=1&poll_id=0Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan said Wednesday that due to the record budget deficit, the U.S. cannot afford Social Security for the aging Baby Boomer population and urged Congress to trim the retirement benefits or face a "very debilitating" rise in interest rates in the near future. (AP) Do you think that Social Security benefits should be trimmed? Yes 20% => 794 votes No 73% => 2861 votes I'm not sure 5% => 224 votes I don't care 0% => 16 votes Current number of voters: 3895 [Note: You need to register at Excite to vote]If the government allows legalization, regulation, and taxation of cannabis, then this cutting of benefits would be unnecessary, and the post would be On Topic. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by afterburner on February 27, 2004 at 07:38:19 PT: Virgil, Thanks for the Link I went to bed early last night in pain, forgetting about the debate. I just finished listening to it. While I missed the body language, I know what the candidates look like, and their convictions came through loud and clear on audio only. Again thanks. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by FoM on February 26, 2004 at 22:42:35 PT Patrick It really was a good debate. We are in a culture war. I didn't post this article on the front page because it really is just a story about Woodstock. The spirit of Woodstock still lives but in different ways. Here's the link!Woodstock Rocks On, but The Beat Is Quieter: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread18407.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Virgil on February 26, 2004 at 20:42:05 PT mp3 link of the debate http://news.globalfreepress.com/movs/wonk/CNN/02.26.04.DemDebate.mp3 [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Patrick on February 26, 2004 at 19:58:43 PT Debate Replay Tonight CNN 12AM EST Al said: The issue is not who you go to bed with tonight but whether you have a job to go to in the morning.Dennis said: The insurance and pharmaceutical corporations see Americans as their own personal cash cow. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Patrick on February 26, 2004 at 19:53:43 PT FoM I liked the debate also! My reaction is John John are the two candidates that most represent the statas quo. Dennis and Al represent real change. I am neither a dem or a rebub. I liked the question posed by the lady regarding the polarization of our country and initially Kerry dodged it but then blamed it on Bush to cover his dodge. I get to vote this Super Tuesday and since I am a registered Independent I can cast a vote in the democratic primary this election and this debate helped! [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on February 26, 2004 at 19:33:59 PT About The Debate The debate was fantastic. There was electricity in the air! All four of them did a great job! [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on February 26, 2004 at 19:05:11 PT The GCW I got that e-mail too and I'm glad you posted it. That might be a way for activist's to make a little money. I want to say though that I will not share any of Cannabis News members e-mails. I think that would be wrong of me. I value my privacy and all of your privacy too. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on February 26, 2004 at 19:00:10 PT Patrick Woo! Woo! Woo! It's really good too! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Patrick on February 26, 2004 at 18:47:08 PT Democratic Debate on CNN Wow 45 minutes non stop on Larry King! Commercials are on now. They are including Dennis K & AL in the debate! [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by The GCW on February 26, 2004 at 18:42:39 PT Also, just out from MPP, Dear Friend:Are you interested in getting paid to help the Marijuana Policy Project grow larger and more effective? Are you willing to sign up supporters in your region to receive MPP's e-mail alerts? If so, please visit http://www.mpp.org/petition to learn how to become an e-mail petitioner for MPP.All you need to do is follow the instructions on the aforementioned Web page, including downloading and signing a short contract with MPP. You will also see a downloadable petition form, which asks people who are interested in receiving MPP's e-mail alerts to write down their names, zip codes, and e-mail addresses. Then, for every person who joins our list, you'll receive $1.00. (If you save MPP staff time by typing this information into a spreadsheet yourself, you will receive $1.25 instead of $1.00 per valid e-mail address.)MPP has received a restricted grant of $400,000 from a generous, visionary donor to launch this project, which will result in 300,000 to 400,000 new e-mail subscribers. We know this project will work, as we have already conducted trial runs in Boston, Seattle, Portland, and various parts of California. Petitioners report being able to collect between 10 and 15 e-mail addresses per hour. College campuses and marijuana-related festivals and rallies are the most fruitful locations. Indeed, college students can simply carry MPP's sign-up sheets with them to their classes, the student union building, and various activist meetings. One dedicated student should be able to collect 500 e-mail addresses in one month.With more than 14,000 dues-paying members, MPP is already the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. But the size of MPP's dues-paying membership isn't all that matters. It's just as important to be able to call upon as many people as possible to take action on key marijuana-related bills that are moving through the 50 state legislatures and Congress.This e-mail alert has been sent to 52,000 people who share your interest in ending marijuana prohibition. In the past, when MPP has activated the subscribers on this list to use MPP's various legislative Web pages to fax or e-mail their members of Congress or state legislators, these elected officials have received tens of thousands of letters -- and they have taken notice.Imagine if there were 1,000,000 subscribers on this list whom MPP could activate to take action on marijuana-related bills moving through Congress. We would be an unstoppable force. With an army of 1,000,000 e-mail activists, MPP would be among the 10 most powerful lobbying organizations on Capitol Hill, behind only the National Rifle Association, the American Association of Retired People, major labor unions, and MoveOn.org.Would you please help MPP gain more power and credibility on Capitol Hill? There are four ways you can help: 1. Please forward this message to your family, friends, and colleagues to ask them to subscribe to MPP's e-mail list by visiting http://www.mpp.org/popup.html . 2. Please forward this message to anyone you know who might be interested in getting paid to help MPP build its national e-mail list. 3. Please visit http://www.mpp.org/petition if you're interested in getting paid to help with this project. 4. If you like this project, please consider making a financial donation at http://www.mpp.org/donate0912 so that MPP can afford to pay even more petitioners to collect e-mail addresses for MPP.MPP's goal is to amass 250,000 e-mail subscribers by December 2004, 500,000 e-mail subscribers by December 2005, and 1,000,000 e-mail subscribers by December 2006. To meet these ambitious benchmarks, we need your help.I thank you for your support -- and hope you do decide to participate in this landmark project.Sincerely,Rob Kampia Executive Director Marijuana Policy Project Washington, D.C. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by mayan on February 26, 2004 at 18:23:05 PT "The New Third-Rail" Those who refuse to acknowledge the will of the people by opposing medical cannabis will find the "new third-rail". Their political careers will be short-lived. FoM, that's great news from the 9th Circuit!I just found these pieces on hemp at http://rense.com/ . Rense always covers obscure news and conspiracy theories but these are the first I've seen on hemp there...Hemp - Could Save America - The Weed That Can Change The World: http://rense.com/general49/could.htmUncle Sam Wants You To Grow Cannabis: http://rense.com/general49/cannabis.htmThe way out is the way in...Lawyers for 9/11 Victims Seek [Bush Family tied] Bank Records: http://www.911citizenswatch.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=81&mode=thread&order=0&thold=09/11 panelist may quit over Bush secrecy: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/story/168092p-146920c.htmlWhite House's limits upset 9/11 panel - Length of interviews, access restricted: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/26/MNGQN58I701.DTLOpposition intensifies to pleas of 9/11 panel: http://www.911citizenswatch.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=77&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0Bush and the 9/11 Commission - Dereliction of Duty: http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/archive/scoop/stories/cd/a1/200402261133.fcbf9806.htmlHastert to block 9/11 commission extension: http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/02/25/911.commission/index.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Max Flowers on February 26, 2004 at 17:32:42 PT I sense the puckering today of prohibitionist rectums across this nation, wherever they hide in their musty lairs. Like dinosaurs before them, a changing universe has doomed them to extinction. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on February 26, 2004 at 16:29:10 PT Important E-Mail News from Dale Gieringer DPFCA: 9th Circuit Denies En Banc Review of Raich Case San Francisco, Feb 26, 2004 In another court victory for medical marijuana patients, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the government's motion for an en banc review of the Raich-Monson decision, protecting patients from federal prosecution for personal use possession and cultivation of medical marijuana. Not a single judge on the circuit voted to accept the government's request. A separate government motion for a rehearing by the original 3-judge panel that wrote the decision was likewise turned down. The government's only recourse to reverse the Raich-Monson decision is to appeal to the Supreme Court. The government has 90 days to file a petition for certiorari. - D. Gieringer, Cal NORML-- ---- Dale Gieringer (415) 563-5858 // canorml igc.org 2215-R Market St. #278, San Francisco CA 94114 California NORML [ Post Comment ] Post Comment