Interest Groups Related to Marijuana Legalization

The issue of marijuana legalization is an extremely polarizing topic that has prompted a great deal of public policy action both in favor and against reform of the legal system surrounding the issue. The interest groups that best represent the opposite sides of the issue are the Marijuana Policy Project and the sister organizations Save Our Society From Drugs and the Drug Free America Foundation. The differences in the policy goals, structures, organizational tactics, and funding of these various organizations illustrate a variety of important issues regarding the specifics of the political situation surrounding marijuana legalization. Both groups have had notable public policy successes and failures, and the distinct aspects of these events are vital to a proper understanding of the issue and the prominent role that interest groups play in shaping the American political process. In a larger sense, the contrast between these groups illustrates the difference between grassroots political activism and action taken by a select group of wealthy donors with powerful government connections, and the pros and cons of each approach to the influence of public policy.

The Marijuana Policy Project is the biggest and most influential group dedicated to the legalization of marijuana and the reform of marijuana laws within the United States. As the Marijuana Policy Project’s website states, their mission is to “1. Increase public support for non-punitive, non-coercive marijuana policies. 2. Identify and activate supporters of non-punitive, non-coercive marijuana policies. 3. Change state laws to reduce or eliminate penalties for the medical and non-medical use of marijuana. 4. Gain influence in Congress.” This statement provides a great deal of insight into the group’s goals and the specific ways in which they go about the promotion of these policies. The group is dedicated to reform on both the state and national level, but their greatest successes have occurred in their successful legal reform in several states, while America's drug policy has largely remained rigid and unlikely to change. This is reflected in their placement of state-level reform as a higher priority than cultivating influence in congress. It is important to additionally examine the financial and organizational structure of the group for a more detailed view of their operations and political influence.

The Marijuana Policy Project is a surprisingly well funded and supported group for a relatively small and recent addition to the political landscape. According to the Marijuana Policy Project’s website “One hundred percent of our funding comes from the individual contributions of our more than 35,000 members. MPP supporters come from every U.S. state, Puerto Rico, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere.” Also, tax paperwork on the group’s website reveals that the organization took in $1,364,822 in total revenues in 2012. These statements reveal a great deal regarding the size, finances, and international nature of the organization. Clearly, the group is highly reliant on a devoted number of grassroots supporters across the national and international community, despite its focus on reform of United States drug policy. Also, the group enjoys a large number of committed supporters, despite its relatively recent creation and the uphill nature of the policy changes the group wishes to implement. However, it would be a mistake to characterize the group as solely reliant on grassroots support and smaller contributions from members. As Kelly Riddell states, billionaire George Soros “has given periodically to the Marijuana Policy Project, which funds state ballot measures.” It is indicative of the political landscape of the modern United States that the backing of large donors with deep pockets is essential to the success of even organizations like the Marijuana Policy Project that may seem on the fringe of the political arena to many mainstream observers. The combination of grassroots activism and well-funded support has helped the group achieve many successes, at least on the state level, in terms of the redefinition of American legal policy surrounding marijuana.

One of the most surprising and notable policy victories of the Marijuana Policy Project has been the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, which was supported strongly by the organization. Brian Kuebler refers to the group as, “the Marijuana Policy Project, the lobby which successfully spent millions on campaigning for legalization in Colorado.” The strong level of support from the organization for the Colorado ballot measure and the dramatic influence of the legalization of marijuana within the state cannot be underestimated in terms of its reflection of the successful lobbying nature of the organization, and benefits of their commitment to influence over state-level policy rather than a national protocol. The organization is quite clearly able to help affect massive change when properly outfitted and the benefits of their commitment to influence over state-level policy rather than national legislation. The organization is quite clearly able to help affect massive change when properly outfitted and supported. It is therefore extremely important to examine the tactics used by the organization to promote engagement, activity, and membership, and in what ways these techniques have proven to be successful.

The Marijuana Policy Project relies on several traditional grassroots tactics to generate interest and support for their cause, preventing the free-rider problem of individuals benefitting from their work without contributing to the cause. As Mason Tvert, communications director of the Marijuana Policy Project stated in an interview with Leia Larsen and Katharina Bucholz before the Colorado ballot measure “This is a grassroots effort here on the ground. We have individuals canvassing their neighborhoods all across the state. We’re confident we’ll continue to see support grow.” The group’s reliance on techniques like canvassing is indicative of the strong level of support they receive from their members and their belief in traditional mobilization tactics. However, the success of the Marijuana Policy Project is representative of only one side of the issue and it is extremely important to examine the interest groups opposed to the reform of marijuana policy and the differences in their organizational structures and techniques.

The sister organizations Save Our Society From Drugs and the Drug Free America Foundation are the most powerful lobbying groups opposed to the legalization of marijuana. According to the website of Save Our Society From Drugs, they are a “national nonprofit organization committed to establishing, promoting, and enabling sound drug laws and policies that will reduce illegal drug use, drug addiction and drug-related illness and death. Our purpose is to help Americans defeat ballot initiatives, statutory proposals and other attempts to ‘medicalize’ unsafe, ineffective and unapproved drugs such as marijuana.” This statement sums up the groups' opposition to the policy changes advocated by the Marijuana Policy Project, as well as their commitment to fighting the sorts of state-level ballot initiatives and policy changes that are the preferred tool of the marijuana legalization lobby. However, it is important to examine the structure of the group’s funding and how it differs from the Marijuana Policy Project, even if their tactics are largely similar to the scope and style of their political techniques.

Save Our Society From Drugs is in large part responsible for much of the opposition that pro-legalization forces encounter on a local level in terms of their attempts to implement reforms to marijuana policy. As Larsen and Bucholz stated in the run-up to the Colorado legalization measure, “Only one group, Smart Colorado: Vote No on 64, is registered to campaign against the measure. Smart Colorado had raised $194,000 through Sept. 12, and most of its money also came from out of state. Florida-based Save Our Society from Drugs contributed $151,497 of the total. The group also funded opposition to a 2006 Colorado legalization attempt.” Clearly, the group remains equally committed to the sort of state-level action that has characterized the pro-legalization movement. Their massive contribution to the campaign against marijuana legalization in Colorado illustrates their emphasis on state-level political action and the enormous power and influence of this particular organization in terms of their status as the premier interest group devoted to the maintenance of current marijuana laws. It is also important to examine the group’s primary sources of funding and the similarities and differences to those of the Marijuana Policy Project.

There are several ways in which Save Our Society From Drugs and the related Drug Free America Foundation differ from the pro-legalization movement in terms of their fundraising abilities and strategies. While the groups still largely depend on donations and support from member organizations, as Lee Fang states, “The Drug Free America Foundation, a nonprofit that shares resources, an office and staff with the Save Our Society group financing the Amendment 64 opposition in Colorado, has a contract with the federal government to help small businesses develop their own drug-testing programs for employees.” The close relationship between these organizations and the federal government means they receive a degree of institutional and organizational support from the taxpayers that the Marijuana Policy Project does not enjoy. These contracts mean that Save Our Society From Drugs at the very least can operate with a substantially reduced overhead due to their shared resources and offices with an organization that receives federal funding. Despite these benefits it is important to note that the $151,497 Save Our Society From Drugs spent combatting the Colorado ballot measure pales in comparison to the reported millions spent by the Marijuana Policy Project, perhaps reflecting the successful grassroots engagement of the base of supporters on the pro-legalization side of the equation, as well as the relatively recent emergence of the idea that the status quo needs to be aggressively defended in terms of drug policy. The debate exemplified by the conflict between groups like the Marijuana Policy Project and Save Our Society From Drugs occurs in many countries beyond the United States as well.

In Mexico, the debate regarding marijuana policy is largely similar to what is occurring in the United States. As the Associated Press stated in regards to a proposed measure to legalize marijuana in Mexico City, “The bill's sponsors acknowledged many details remain to be worked out but called it an important step in fueling Mexican discussion about marijuana legalization, a topic that has gained major momentum with the legalization of sales in Colorado, Washington and Uruguay.” This quote emphasizes that not only is the debate in Mexico largely similar to what is occurring in the United States but that in many ways this is a direct result of the interplay between U.S. drug policy and that of the rest of the world. Many other countries deal with the push and pull between those who desire drug law reform and those who fear the consequences of such actions, and it is impossible to view these debates without acknowledging the degree to which the discussion within the U.S. often sets the tone for the rest of the world. For this reason the dialogue between the Marijuana Policy Project and Save Our Society From Drugs is not only illustrative of the specifics of the debate in much of the rest of the world but highly influential on such discussions.

The dispute between the Marijuana Policy Project and Save Our Society From Drugs is illustrative of many of the issues surrounding marijuana policy, as well as a variety of details regarding the current political environment of the United States. The contrast between styles of grassroots organization, level of government involvement, amount of funding received, and preferred governmental level of action illuminates the complexity of the situation regarding the most effective techniques for the inspiration of political change in the United States. As the issue continues to change and evolve the grassroots organization of the Marijuana Policy Project and reserve of Save Our Society From Drugs will certainly continue to be tested well into the future, and their impact on the strategy lobbying process will undoubtedly continue to be profound and influential.

Works Cited

"About Us ." Save Our Society From Drugs.Web. 6 Apr. 2014. http://www.saveoursociety.org/about-us.

Associated Press. "Mexico City Government Mulls Legalisation of Marijuana." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 14 July 2011. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/mexico/10639879/Mexico-City-government-mulls-legalisation-of-marijuana.html.

Larsen, Leia, and Katharina Bucholz. "Out-of-state contributions driving measure to legalize marijuana." Colorado Springs Gazette. N.p., 18 Sept. 2012. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. http://gazette.com/out-of-state-contributions-driving-measure-to-legalize-marijuana/article/144808

Kuebler, Brian. "The Marijuana Policy Project has set up shop to legalize pot in Maryland." WMAR. 17 Feb. 2014. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. http://www.abc2news.com/news/state/the-marijuana-policy-project-has-set-up-shop-to-legalize-pot-in-maryland.

Fang, Lee. "GOP Mogul Behind Drug Rehab 'Torture' Centers Is Bankrolling Opposition to Pot Legalization in Colorado." The Nation. 18 Sept. 2012. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. http://www.thenation.com/blog/170007/gop-mogul-behind-drug-rehab-torture-centers-bankrolling-opposition-pot-legalization-colo.

"Our Mission and Vision." Marijuana Policy Project. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. http://www.mpp.org/about/mission-statement.html.

Riddell, Kelly. "George Soros’ real crusade: Legalizing marijuana in the U.S.." Washington Times. The Washington Times, 2 Apr. 2014. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/2/billionaire-george-soros-turns-cash-into-legalized/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS.

"Why donate to MPP?." Marijuana Policy Project. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. http://www.mpp.org/about/why-donate.html.