On the same night that voters in eight states were approving marijuana policy reform initiatives, Donald Trump was on his way to being elected the next President of the United States. While this divisive election has left some people jubilant and others outraged, many are wondering what a Trump presidency will mean for the future of marijuana policy reform efforts as well as the progress we have made so far. While it is difficult to tell what will happen in the next administration, MPP is hopeful…

MPP has formally endorsed Libertarian Party nominee and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson in the race for president. Johnson is one of two candidates who received an "A+" grade in MPP's presidential candidate report card. Below is a statement from our Executive Director, Rob Kampia, that contextualizes MPP's endorsement. "MPP is a single-issue organization, and our mission is simple: 'Regulate marijuana similarly to alcohol in the United States.' We don't take a position -- and we therefore don't…

There has been a lot of discussion about marijuana policy during the 2016 presidential race, but there are still some questions that the candidates need to address. In order to get some answers, we have partnered with Change.org for the launch of ChangePolitics, a mobile elections platform that enables voters to engage with the candidates on the issues they care about by asking and upvoting questions. Help us get the major-party candidates on the record by upvoting MPP’s marijuana policy questions…

MPP has been paying close attention to the slate of candidates running for president next year. Marijuana policy reform has been coming up more and more as the hopefuls try to adjust to increasing public support for ending prohibition, but could the issue have an impact on who is the next leader of the United States? Last night, MPP's Dan Riffle spoke with Fox News about how marijuana initiatives could affect the 2016 presidential election.

Recent polls conducted in Iowa and New Hampshire in preparation for the presidential primary elections there show that a majority of voters in both parties think states should be able to carry out their own marijuana laws without federal interference. Public Policy Polling reports that 71% of Iowa respondents and 73% of New Hampshire respondents want the federal government to stay out of marijuana policy. This poll also shows that support for state freedom in determining marijuana policy is non-partisan…

On Monday, President Obama announced the commutation of 46 prisoners who were convicted of non-violent drug offenses. From The New York Times: President Obama announced on Monday that he was commuting the sentences of 46 federal drug offenders, more than doubling the number of nonviolent criminals to whom he has granted clemency since taking office. “These men and women were not violent criminals, but the overwhelming majority had been sentenced to at least 20 years; 14 of them had been sentenced…

Last Friday, MPP released the 2016 Presidential Candidates Report Card, which grades the various major candidates based on their support for marijuana policy reform or the willingness to allow it to move forward. Since then, a wide variety of news outlets have written about it, including The New York Times, Huffington Post, Washington Times, and others. In particular, there was quite a bit of interest in Republican Sen. Rand Paul receiving the highest grade of any candidate: A-. The Washington Times…

This Sunday, President Obama is expected to voice his support for allowing medical marijuana and moving away from jailing people for drug abuse. The Daily Caller reports:  In a CNN special to be aired on Sunday, not only will President Barack Obama state his full support of medical marijuana, he’ll also advocate for alternative models of drug abuse treatment which don’t involve incarceration. The television special, called “Weed 3,” features CNN’s chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon…

Last week, former President of Mexico and well-known marijuana reform advocate Vicente Fox told reporters that Mexico could legalize marijuana within the next five years. [caption id="attachment_6783" align="alignright" width="157"] Vicente Fox[/caption] Fox said that although Mexico’s current leader, President Enrique Pena Nieto, has stated his opposition to legalizing marijuana, impending legalization efforts in key U.S. states could force Mexico to follow their lead. “Once California gets into…

Singer, poet, public speaker, and talk show host Henry Rollins has joined the growing ranks of public figures who support ending marijuana prohibition. Rollins is not a marijuana user, either. As more and more people realize that marijuana prohibition is a harmful failure, the myth that only potheads want to make it legal is continuing to fade into the hazy realm of reefer madness. From a column he penned for last week’s LA Weekly: Like millions of Americans, I have no interest in smoking marijuana…