Marijuana Policy Project

MPP envisions a nation where marijuana is legally regulated similarly to alcohol, marijuana education is honest and realistic, and treatment for problem marijuana users is non-coercive and geared toward reducing harm. MPP's mission is to change federal law to allow states to determine their own marijuana policies without federal interference, as well as to regulate marijuana like alcohol in all 50 states, D.C., and the five territories.

Since our founding in 1995, we've been making real progress in reforming U.S. marijuana laws by:

Advocating for legislation and supporting ballot initiative campaigns to allow seriously ill patients to use medical marijuana with their doctors' recommendations;
Promoting legislation and supporting ballot initiative campaigns to replace marijuana prohibition with a sensible system of regulation;
Lobbying in Congress and leveraging state progress to drive sensible federal reform policies;
Working for fair marijuana policies that promote inclusion, equity, and justice both in legislation and in the cannabis industry;
Garnering widespread media coverage of the need to reform marijuana policies;
Building coalitions of supportive individuals and organizations to advocate on behalf of marijuana policy reform;
Sponsoring public information campaigns, grassroots activities, and educational initiatives;
...and much more!

MPP is leading the effort in Washington, D.C. to pass federal medical marijuana legislation, as well as to replace marijuana prohibition with a system of sensible regulation and control. MPP also works for sensible marijuana policies at the state level, and our grassroots and lobbying campaigns have changed several laws. MPP changes state laws through legislatures as well as through ballot initiatives. MPP provided the bulk of the funding, staff, and expertise to the 2012 Colorado initiative to legalize and regulate marijuana for adults 21 and older and the 2014 legalization and regulation campaign in Alaska. In addition, MPP monitors and analyzes all marijuana-related bills in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

MPP has approximately 20 employees, two-thirds of whom are based in MPP's headquarters in Washington, D.C.; this includes two full-time lobbyists on Capitol Hill. In addition, MPP usually has lobbyists on retainer in six or seven state capitals.

Most importantly, MPP legalized marijuana in Colorado in 2012, and then followed up by legalizing marijuana in Alaska in 2014. MPP also decriminalized marijuana possession via a ballot initiative in Massachusetts in 2008. Since then, MPP passed similar laws through the Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Vermont legislatures. Lastly, MPP was instrumental or entirely responsible for legalizing medical marijuana in Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia between 2000 and 2014. Along with our allies, we aim to pass at least 12 more laws to regulate marijuana like alcohol by 2019.