The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) announced Nov. 12 that “generous donors” have pledged to match every dollar donated to the organization until Giving Tuesday with the goal of raising $20,000 to launch the Cannabis Justice Fund to help support MPP’s mission of securing just and humane cannabis policies nationwide.
The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is designated Giving Tuesday, an international day of philanthropy to recognize the importance of supporting charities and nonprofits.
As this year’s Giving Tuesday approaches on Nov. 28, MPP announced that the funds raised from now until then will be matched and used to launch the Marijuana Policy Project Cannabis Justice Fund to help boost the organization’s capacity to advocate for policies that expunge convictions, reduce police encounters and arrests, invest in jobs and education, and provide access to opportunities to all Americans to benefit from cannabis legalization.
“The legalization movement has made incredible strides in recent years, but the failed approach of prohibition continues to inflict harm and injustice on a massive scale across the country,” MPP officials said in the announcement. “Cannabis is still illegal for adults in more than half of the states, and the FBI annual crime report revealed that over 250,000 people were arrested in 2022 alone for marijuana offenses.”
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As millions of Americans continue living in fear of arrest, imprisonment, loss of employment and other consequences of enforcing cannabis prohibition, MPP officials note, the legal cannabis industry reports billions of dollars of revenues.
“We refuse to stand by as the criminalization of cannabis continues to oppress Americans—particularly individuals and communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted,” the officials said.
MPP is urging donors to double their donation this month by donating for Giving Tuesday and helping to create the Cannabis Justice Fund.
“Together, we can build a legal cannabis reality where no one is left out or left behind,” the officials said.
