Marijuana Policy Project

Party to Celebrate Recent Marijuana Policy Victories in Rhode Island and Denver

LOS ANGELES, Calif.- The Marijuana Policy Project, the largest marijuana reform organization in the U.S., will throw a celebrity fundraising bash at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles on March 30, 2006. The party will raise funds to continue MPP's political lobbying efforts and celebrate the recent marijuana policy victories in Rhode Island and Denver. The evening will include a special musical performance from Hollywood comedian/actor/rapper Tom Green and DJ-EZ Mike (also known as Mike Simpson, a member of the hit-making music production team The Dust Brothers), in addition to a set from Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel. Additional celebrity hosts will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets are available through February 28 at a cost of $500 each and for $650 thereafter. For tickets go to www.mpp.org/playboy.

Tom Green is perhaps best known for his outlandish antics made famous on MTV's "The Tom Green Show" and as the star of the films Freddy Got Fingered and Road Trip. He also was a founding member of Canadian rap unit Organized Rhyme. After a long run as host of MTV's "The Tom Green Show," several films and a recently penned autobiography, Tom returned to his rhyming roots, recording rap CD Prepare For Impact with famed super producer Mike Simpson of the Dust Brothers (Rolling Stones, Beck, Beastie Boys) in 2005. Mike and Tom initially met when Mike was hired to score the music for Green's film Freddy Got Fingered. More recently Tom, DJ-EZ Mike, and the Keepin' It Real Crew took their funky old-school stylings to the streets. With songs like "My Name is Hammy" and "I'm No Comedian," Tom Green pulls out the rhymes with signature lyrics only he could be held responsible for.

On the other side of the musical spectrum, Ray Benson from Asleep at the Wheel will also take to the stage at the Playboy Mansion's Grotto. Benson, an institution of the Americana music scene, has earned nine Grammys to date with Asleep at the Wheel, has performed a record ten times on Austin City Limits and has toured with Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, and George Strait. Benson has long been the foundation of Asleep at the Wheel. The pride of Austin, Texas for over 28 years, Benson has made it his mission to bring western swing music into the 21st century.

With over 19,000 members and 100,000 email subscribers nationwide, MPP is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For years, MPP has worked to protect medical marijuana patients from arrest and jail, and the group's efforts were directly responsible for the passage of the U.S.'s three newest medical marijuana laws, in Montana and Vermont in 2004 and Rhode Island this January.

Currently MPP is stepping up its efforts in California, where medical marijuana law Proposition 215 is under attack by a lawsuit filed by San Diego County. MPP is working closely with patients and organizations throughout California in a multi-pronged strategy to protect patients and caregivers. For more information about MPP, see www.mpp.org.

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