Drug Policy Alliance

Happy Thanksgiving Friend,

Earlier this week, I shared some of the monumental victories we’ve had in 2019 in the fight to end the drug war. If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll scroll down to the original message to see some of the victories that YOU made possible this year.

But the year isn’t done yet and neither are we. Just last week, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act) was approved by the Judiciary Committee - the first time that a congressional committee has ever approved a bill to end federal marijuana prohibition and begin to repair the extensive damage done by prohibition. This is an important and exciting step in the legislative process before a bill can be added to the calendar and scheduled for a full vote.

The MORE Act is the most comprehensive marijuana policy reform bill ever introduced. This Thanksgiving, I’m especially grateful for our allies in Congress who have sponsored this groundbreaking bill. I hope you’ll join me today and add your name to our petition thanking our MORE Act cosponsors in Congress.

As the MORE Act moves toward a vote, it’s important now, more than ever, that elected officials know that they have your support in this fight to end the federal war on marijuana.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Maria McFarland Sánchez Moreno

Thank you Friend,

This Thanksgiving, I cannot help but look back on the year with both pride and appreciation. Despite the obstacles placed in our way, it has been quite the year for drug policy reform.

We’ve won significant victories in 2019 – victories that have reduced the role of criminalization, repaired the harms of the drug war, prioritized health, and, most importantly, saved lives.

Here are a few of the victories that you – donors, activists, and allied organizations – made happen:

•	The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act), the most comprehensive marijuana policy reform bill ever, was introduced in Congress. The MORE Act would de-schedule marijuana at the federal level and begin to repair the extensive damage done by prohibition.
•	Activists collected enough signatures for a medical marijuana measure to appear on the 2020 ballot in Mississippi, one of the states hardest hit by the drug war.
•	A federal court issued a landmark legal ruling that paves the way for a supervised consumption site to open in Philadelphia.
•	Working with the Unlock Higher Ed coalition, we advanced legislation in Congress to eliminate the question about prior drug convictions on college applications and financial aid forms for students.
•	Florida enacted our bill to authorize syringe exchange programs state-wide to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and protect the health and dignity of people who use drugs.
•	The District Attorney in Santa Clara County, California, announced that prosecutors will stop filling charges in most minor drug cases.
•	We launched Safety First: Real Drug Education for Teens to provide teachers, students, and parents with the tools to have honest conversations about drugs and their risks.
•	We hosted nearly 1,300 advocates from more than 50 countries to listen, learn, and strategize about drug policy at the International Drug Policy Reform Conference in St. Louis, MO.
•	New York City issued a bulletin that alleged marijuana use will no longer be considered as the sole basis to remove a child from their parents.
•	In the US Congress, the House passed the Blumenauer-McClintock-Norton amendment to protect legal marijuana states from federal interference.
•	In New Mexico, DPA participated in the Governor’s Cannabis Working Group which released a set of recommendations on marijuana legalization as the state looks to become the 12th state in the country to legalize and regulate marijuana.

From all of us at DPA, thank you again for being a part of this movement. We are truly grateful to have you alongside us in this fight. Together, we will end this disastrous war on drugs once and for all.

With gratitude,

Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno
Executive Director

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