Put medical marijuana on your legislators' agendas

Published: January 5, 2005

Legislators are filing back into the capitol to begin another legislative session today. With your help, we can greet them with one loud and clear message—their constituents are counting on them to stop the outrageous prosecution of medical marijuana patients.

All we need from you is a few clicks on the computer—simply visit Take Action to send an e-mail to your legislators today. It takes only a few minutes of your time, but it makes a world of difference.

Last session, MPP made serious progress in the fight to protect New York's medical marijuana patients. MPP's lobbying campaign has resulted in widespread legislative support for medical marijuana bills—with 43 cosponsors in the Assembly alone. Further, our efforts led to endorsements from the Associated Medical Schools of New York, the Medical Society of the State of New York, and numerous other health and medical organizations. Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau and the New York and Buffalo city councils also joined the call for the bills' passage last year.

The Assembly bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Richard Gottfried (D-75th Assembly District), sailed through three committees by supermajorities. And multiple sclerosis patient and talk show host Montel Williams' compelling pleas for its passage brought the issue to the attention of the media, Gov. George Pataki (R), the public, and legislators.

Despite this tremendous progress, the Assembly bill never made it to the floor, and we still need bipartisan support in the Senate. We're redoubling our efforts this year, and we'll need your help throughout the session. Our lobbyist will keep mobilizing support and educating legislators. But legislators need to hear from their constituents. So, please don't forget to visit Take Action today.

If you are a patient or a medical professional who wants to help, if you know of one who does, or if you just want to help out with the lobbying effort, please e-mail karen@mpp.org today.

Please pass this message along to friends, family, neighbors, and e-mail lists so that others can stand up for New York's most vulnerable residents.