Marijuana Policy Project

Washington, D.C. — On Wednesday, December 4, the Marijuana Policy Project will file a formal "complaint of possible prohibited personnel practice" with the federal Office of Special Counsel, charging White House Drug Czar John Walters with violating federal law by using "his official authority and influence for the purpose of ... affecting the result of an election" — specifically, the election that included Question 9, MPP's Nevada marijuana initiative.

MPP's Executive Director Robert Kampia and Director of Government Relations Steve Fox will discuss the complaint at a noon press conference on December 4. At that time, MPP will also release a letter to the Nevada Secretary of State's office alleging that John Walters illegally campaigned against Question 9 without properly reporting his activities to the state, as required by Nevada's campaign finance law.

"During the fall campaign, John Walters declared war on the law and war on the truth," Kampia said. "Today, on behalf of U.S. taxpayers — including the 5,000 who contributed to our campaign — we are declaring war on the drug czar for his illegal and dishonest activities. In filing this official complaint, we are calling for the removal of John Walters from office for gross violations of the Hatch Act." The Hatch Act, originally enacted in 1939, bars federal employees from carrying out certain campaign-related activities.

"Walters has committed numerous crimes against the taxpayers," Kampia added. "He used his official authority to affect the outcome of the Question 9 election, as well as other state drug policy initiatives, in plain violation of the Hatch Act. Because none of this activity was properly reported as campaign contributions, he is in equally plain violation of Nevada campaign finance laws. Walters conducted a campaign of lies against Question 9, using the taxpayers' money to spread misinformation."

The Marijuana Policy Project works to minimize the harm associated with marijuana — both the consumption of marijuana and the laws that are intended to prohibit such use. MPP believes that the greatest harm associated with marijuana is imprisonment. To this end, MPP focuses on removing criminal penalties for marijuana use, with a particular emphasis on making marijuana medically available to seriously ill people who have the approval of their doctors.

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