Marijuana Policy Project Foundation (MPP Foundation) is an advocacy group that supports cannabis policy reform, and ultimately seeks to regulate cannabis like alcohol. ¹

Founded in 1996, the Marijuana Policy Project Foundation is the educational affiliate of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) lobbying group, and supports MPP’s efforts through public education. ²

Activities

Marijuana Policy Project Foundation supports changes to cannabis policy by providing educational materials and unifying messages, collaborating with local coalitions to expand community outreach efforts, and partnering with regional organizations that campaign for expanding cannabis access. ³

Marijuana Policy Project Foundation has been influential in cannabis policy reform through its efforts with patient advocacy groups and by garnering support from physicians. Ahead of the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) 1999 medical cannabis report, which recommended medical marijuana use in “some limited circumstances,” MPP Foundation coordinated testimony from medical cannabis patients and IOM researchers. MPP Foundation has also influenced the American Medical Association (AMA), leading to the AMA’s 2009 call to declassify cannabis as a Schedule I controlled substance. ⁴

Funding

Marijuana Policy Project Foundation is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While the MPP Foundation does not disclose other donors, tax filings confirm donations from Donors Trust ($257,000 in 2018), ⁵ the San Francisco Foundation ($200,000 in 2018), ⁶ and the Dunn Foundation ($100,000 in 2017). ⁷

People

Staff

Toi Hutchinson is the president and CEO of Marijuana Policy Project Foundation and a former Democratic member of the Illinois State Senate. Hutchinson is an original co-sponsor of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. ⁸

Steven Hawkins is the former executive director of both MPP Foundation and the U.S. Cannabis Council, ⁹ and the former president of the Coalition for Public Safety. Hawkins formerly worked as executive vice president of the NAACP, executive director of Amnesty International USA, program executive for Atlantic Philanthropies, and senior program manager at the JEHT Foundation. ¹⁰

Board of Directors

Sal Pace is the chair of the board of Marijuana Policy Project Foundation and sits on the boards of the U.S. Cannabis Council, the Institute of Cannabis Research, and HeadCount’s Cannabis Voter Project. Pace, a Democrat, is a former Colorado State House Minority Leader and a former Pueblo County Commissioner. ¹¹

Jeff Zucker is the vice chair of the board of MPP Foundation, the former president of CNN, and a former CEO of NBCUniversal. ¹²

Sheri Orlowitz is the treasurer of the board of MPP Foundation and the founder and chair of the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation. Orlowitz formerly sat on the Harvard University Women’s Leadership Board. ¹³

John Gilmore is the vice chair of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and sits on the board of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. ¹⁴

Jeff Brown is the executive director of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission. Brown formerly worked as an assistant commissioner of the Division of Medicinal Marijuana at the New Jersey Department of Health and as a policy coordinator at New Jersey Citizen Action. ¹⁵

Jotaka Eaddy formerly worked as a senior advisor to the president and CEO of the NAACP, a senior field manager at USAction, and the national program director at the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Eaddy sits on the board of the Southern Elections Fund. ¹⁶

Bridget Hennessey is the vice president of public affairs Weedmaps and sits on the boards of the National Foundation for Women Legislators and the U.S. Cannabis Council. ¹⁷

David Abernathy sits on the board of the Minority Cannabis Business Association. ¹⁸

Other members of the board include Les Szabo, AC Bushnell, and Jon Blair. ¹⁹

1. “About MPP Foundation.” Marijuana Policy Project. Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/about/about-mpp-foundation/.
2. “About MPP Foundation.” Marijuana Policy Project. Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/about/about-mpp-foundation/.
3. “About MPP Foundation.” Marijuana Policy Project. Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/about/about-mpp-foundation/.
4.  “About MPP Foundation.” Marijuana Policy Project. Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/about/about-mpp-foundation/.
5. Donors Trust, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018, Schedule I, Part II.
6. The San Francisco Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018, Schedule I, Part II.
7. The Dunn Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2017, Part XV, Line 3.
8. “Toi Hutchinson.” Marijuana Policy Project. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/about/mpp-staff/profile/?id=289.
9. “Marijuana Policy Project Announces New President and CEO.” Marijuana Policy Project. December 15, 2021. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/news/press/marijuana-policy-project-announces-new-president-and-ceo/.
10. “Marijuana Policy Project Hires Steve Hawkins as Executive Director.” Marijuana Policy Project. August 14, 2018. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/news/press/marijuana-policy-project-hires-steve-hawkins-as-executive-director/.
11. “About Sal Pace.” Sal Pace and Associates. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://salpaceassociates.com/#about.
12. Smith, Ben and Robertson, Katie. “Jeff Zucker, CNN’s Longtime Leader, Says He Expects to Leave at Year’s End.” New York Times, February 4, 2021. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/04/business/media/cnn-jeff-zucker.html.
13. “Sheri L. Orlowitz.” Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://uscfcr.org/about/leadership/board-members/sheri-l-orlowitz.
14. “John Gilmore, Vice Chair of the Board.” Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://maps.org/people/john-gilmore-vice-chair-of-the-board/.
15. “Jeff Brown.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-brown-098676105/.
16. “Jotaka Eaddy.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jotakaeaddy/.
17. “Bridget Hennessey.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridget-hennessey-35106760/.
18. “David Abernathy.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dabernathy/.
19. “MPP and MPP Foundation Board of Directors.” Marijuana Policy Project. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/about/mpp-foundational-details/.