About

The Marijuana Policy Initiative is a volunteer non-partisan coalition of people from across the US who have come to understand the negative local-to-global implications of an organized, legal, freely-traded, commercialized and industrialized marijuana market.

Looking beyond our own youthful indiscretions and overly narrow understanding of policy options —  like lock ’em up or let ’em use —  we have come to realize that in the same way that we and our parents were duped by the tobacco industry, we and our kids have been taken in by the propaganda of another addiction-based industry.

21st Century evidence and experience is clear. An open marijuana market quickly slips out of control in both product potency and in escalating problematic use rates in youth and other vulnerable populations.  As use escalates, so do myriad social problems and costs associated with this drug.

We are ordinary citizens who happen to be volunteers, educators, scientists, CEO’s, salespersons, doctors, lawyers, psychologists, construction professionals, authors, counselors, nurses, substance use prevention professionals, coaches, faith leaders, law enforcement officers. In other words, we come from all walks of life but share a common concern:  legalization and commercialization is the wrong direction to go with marijuana and we must reverse course while we still can.   More importantly, we are all parents or grandparents, brothers or sisters, sons or daughters, cousins or friends. Most of us have seen the underside and negative consequences of the pot trade first hand.

The posts on this blog are the distillation of information and thoughts shared by this diverse and growing group of concerned citizens.  It comes from their vigilance in looking beyond the glamorization and manufactured mystique of this industry to the social and public health implications of this “experiment” that is using our kids as the subjects.

Thanks for reading.

Kevin Russell

I’m on the front lines of fighting legalization of MJ in Arkansas and would like to be added to your mailing list to use for reference.

Thank you and great site!

Kevin

Jim Gerhardt

THANK YOU MJ POLICY INITIATIVE!!!!! This fight in Colorado is brutal and legal marijuana is taking a huge toll on public safety. I can’t thank you enough for your efforts!

Paula McPheeters

Love your sight! On the front lines of this battle in a Pueblo West, Colorado. We need help! Your website is a great resource! The marijuana “industry” has tons of money… We have nothing but our desire to educate and change public opinion to save our community. Carry on!

Ellen Snelling

Thanks for providing resources on your site and twitter! We are fighting a major battle against Big Pot in Florida. Trying to keep them out is no easy task. It’s nice to know we are not alone and can share resources & strategies with others.

Jennifer Yates

Parents for a Healthy Colorado is a volunteer, parent-led, nonpartisan, grassroots coalition speaking up for the health and safety of our children with regard to the commercialization of the marijuana industry.
Parents4cokids.com
Join us. Like us. We are all stronger together.

P Cassidy

We lost our fight today, our little residential rural farm area is no more. Officially now approved for special use for multiple Commercial MJ Grow facilities. Wasn’t enough for the city to approve 100 grow houses selling city land for the development, then for them come in and overrun the residential area too. Guess they need to supply the 6000 per day, 4 day open concert event they are pushing to have right up the road from where we live… Keep your families away from Colorado. Fight for your own states to stay clean. My Husband is in Afghanistan and the home he left to fight for our freedom, is not what he will be coming back to..

Sally Schindel

Thank you for your excellent work! I have shared a link to this site on our website and invite you to do the same for Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy. We are all in the same battle. Arizona will be a key vote in November 2016. We intend to defeat the legalization initiative and will need ALL the help we can find.

Lori Robinson

The link below to the recent news report by Brian Maass in CO is a very important factual accounting by two sisters of two different young men who both consumed edible pot and their brains quickly left reality & died by suicide. The news interview also includes an equally horrifying account by Ann Clark, mother of 17 year old Brant Clark, who admitted 12-06 to smoking a lot of pot, one weekend with friends, and than experiencing a psychotic episode requiring psych hospitalization. Ann summarizes how while still in psychosis, Brant took his young life and left a note apologizing for not realizing pot would alter his brain so catastrophically. Why Brant’s story of pot use, sudden onset of psychosis, followed by his suicide has been omitted from the text ( below) is a terrible oversite from The MJ Policy Initiative. Sure pot edibles are causing some instant ” Intoxications” which have resulted in preventable & heartbreaking suicides but the insidious mental health changes from this ” culture of pot acceptance” via smoking, vaping, or using bongs… to some vulnerable, young brains- like Brant Clark- and thousands of other young people not just in America, but globally, needs urgent recognition!!! I should know as my first-born son, Shane Ryan Robinson, succumbed 1-13-12 (age 25) from the consequences of using pot to his young brain the last 27 months of his precious life suffering two episodes of psychosis-18 months apart- testing (+) to THC only!!!! These unfathomable suicides of our youth are occurring because today’s super turbo-charged MJ alters healthy young brains that naively believed the pro pot marketing ” pot’s just a natural herb”. Nothing natural about this morphed germ seed that’s causing such unfathomable mental health effects because of the psychoactive potency of THC.

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/05/18/marijuana-intoxication-blamed-in-more-deaths-injuries/

Here is the text of the article:

Marijuana Intoxication Blamed In More Deaths, Injuries