Dear Eco Man:

Yesterday, the Minnesota Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee — in an overwhelming, bipartisan voice vote — passed MPP's medical marijuana bill. Providing testimony in favor of the bill were patients and doctors. Testifying against the bill was a representative of law enforcement and Tom Prichard, president of the Minnesota Family Council. "Pro-family" Prichard was so offensive and over-the-top with his testimony that Sen. Paul Koering (R-Ft. Ripley) thanked him for his testimony and then declared that he had walked into the hearing planning to vote against the bill, but after hearing Prichard's testimony, he intended to vote for it. The proposed legislation would protect seriously ill patients from arrest for using marijuana with their doctors' approval. This is an excellent first step toward making Minnesota the 12^th state to end the cruel policy of criminalizing the seriously ill. The bill is now headed to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

And last month, the Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee also passed MPP's medical marijuana bill, which will add chronic medical conditions that cause severe pain, nausea, wasting, or seizures to the list of conditions for which patients may use medical marijuana. Additionally, this legislation will increase the number of plants and ounces of marijuana that patients are permitted to possess. Earlier today, the Senate Health and Welfare Committee held a hearing on the legislation and is expected to pass it within days.

Now that all but a few of the 50 state legislatures are in session, we're pushing hard to pass positive legislation in more than a dozen states. To support our aggressive lobbying tactics, please make a financial donation today.

Here are some exciting developments in other states . . .

• Illinois: The third-ranking Democrat in the Illinois Senate has reintroduced MPP's medical marijuana bill, which had passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee in a 6-5 vote last year before the legislature adjourned. We're lobbying to push the bill all the way through the Senate and over to the House side this year.

• Montana: In November, residents of Missoula County, Montana voted to make adult marijuana offenses the lowest law enforcement priority for local police. (The MPP grants program provided the funding for this measure.) We recently received word that the county attorney plans to treat the ordinance as binding and will therefore no longer prosecute misdemeanor marijuana cases in the county!

• New Hampshire: Our medical marijuana bill has been introduced in the New Hampshire House and assigned to the Health Committee. In the coming months, we'll be working with an MPP grantee in the state — LIVEFREE: New Hampshire Marijuana Policy Initiative — to build on the momentum from last session, when a similar bill failed on the House floor by a 116-185 vote.

• New York: Members of the New York Legislature will soon reintroduce MPP's medical marijuana legislation, which enjoyed support from the leadership of both the Democrat-controlled Assembly and the Republican-controlled Senate last session. To bolster our chances, we're seeking the endorsement of several local groups to add to the already long list of supportive organizations, including the state medical society, the state nurses association, Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State, New York StateWide Senior Action Council, Gay Men's Health Crisis, and New York AIDS Coalition. The new governor, Eliot Spitzer (D), hasn't yet decided whether he's willing to sign our legislation.

• South Carolina: In a surprise move, a medical marijuana bill introduced in the South Carolina Senate received a largely positive hearing before a subcommittee. During the hearing on the bill yesterday, prohibitionist Steve Steiner of Dads and Mad Moms Against Drug Dealers (DAMMAD) outraged at least one senator when — during Steiner's testimony — he accused the Republican bill sponsor of being part of an MPP conspiracy. We love it when Steiner testifies against medical marijuana legislation, because he always helps our cause more than he hurts it.

We continue to push hard to protect marijuana users across the country from arrest. Would you please consider making a donation today to support our efforts? Thank you . . .

Sincerely,

Rob Kampia

Executive Director

Marijuana Policy Project

Washington, D.C.

P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $2.4 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2007. This means that  your donation today will be doubled.