Last week, the White House's deputy drug czar warned South Dakota voters, "Do not fall for the con" of medical marijuana. Scott Burns, the drug czar's deputy director of state and local affairs, visited Rapid City on Thursday and Sioux Falls on Friday and was joined by state Attorney General Larry Long and several law enforcement officials at news conferences to oppose the medical marijuana initiative that will be on the South Dakota ballot on November 7. Go to http://www.sdmedicalmarijuana.org/news to read some of the news coverage of the visit.
With the opposition organizing and making headlines almost daily, South Dakota could become the first state ever to reject an initiative to create a new medical marijuana law. But South Dakotans for Medical Marijuana (SDMM) is fighting back -- with radio ads and TV ads and mailings to likely voters.
Would you please make a donation to SDMM at http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M720958907853968236813965&af=y so that it can afford to continue its crucial voter education push between now and Election Day?
If passed by a majority of voters, the South Dakota initiative would protect patients from the threat of arrest and jail for using medical marijuana with their doctors' approval. SDMM's first TV commercial featured Valerie Hannah -- a former Gulf War combat medic and medical marijuana patient in South Dakota. She tells her story in SDMM's current radio ad as well. Visit http://www.sdmedicalmarijuana.org/ads to watch and listen to the ads.
Outrageously, this is not the first time that the drug czar's office has campaigned against a state initiative. Indeed, John Walters makes a habit of targeting the efforts of MPP and its allies. Walters visited Nevada earlier this month to give taxpayer money to organizations that oppose MPP's ballot measure to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol in Nevada.
With your help, MPP and its allies will continue to fight against our growing opposition in the 14 days that are left until Election Day. Thank you in advance for anything you can give at http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M720959177853968236813965&af=y to help.
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 $3.5 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2006. This means that your donation today at http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M720959207853968236813965&af=y will be doubled.