Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) advocates for legalizing cannabis for adults and patients in the U.S. at both the state and federal levels. Founded in 1995, MPP supports ballot initiatives, promotes legislation, builds coalitions, and sponsors educational initiatives in an effort to end marijuana prohibition. ¹

Marijuana Policy Project Foundation is the charitable education affiliate of the Marijuana Policy Project. ²

Activities

Marijuana Policy Project leads the Delaware Cannabis Policy Coalition and the Maryland Cannabis Policy Coalition, both of which are working to reform marijuana policies in their respective state. Both of these coalitions seek to end marijuana prohibition and enact policies and systems that would regulate marijuana similar to alcohol. ³

Marijuana Policy Project was a part of the campaign committees for New Approach Montana and South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, both of which supported successful voter initiatives in 2020. The initiatives in Montana established a system for regulating and taxing marijuana and allowed for setting a legal age for consumption. The initiatives in South Dakota established a system for regulating, taxing, and legalizing consumption of marijuana and creating a medical marijuana program. ⁴

Marijuana Policy Project advocates for federal medical cannabis legislation and for replacing marijuana prohibition with federal legalization and regulation. ⁵ MPP also advocates for passing the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, which would provide protections for cannabis businesses in states where cannabis is legalized using the banking system. ⁶

Funding

Marijuana Policy Project is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While MPP does not disclose other donors, tax filings confirm donations from the Lowndes Foundation ($10,000 in 2009) ⁷ and the Angelica Foundation ($7,500 in 2002). ⁸

Marijuana Policy Project is also funded by memberships. ⁹

People

Staff

Toi Hutchinson is the president and CEO of MPP and served in the Illinois State Senate as a Democrat. Hutchinson is an original co-sponsor of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. ¹⁰

Steven Hawkins is the former executive director of both MPP and the U.S. Cannabis Council, ¹¹ 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. ¹²

Board of Directors

Sal Pace is the chair of the board of MPP 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. ¹³

Jeff Zucker is the vice chair of the board of MPP, the former president of CNN, and a former CEO of NBCUniversal. ¹⁵

Sheri Orlowitz is the treasurer of the board of MPP and the founder and chair of the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation. Orlowitz formerly sat on the Harvard University Women’s Leadership Board. ¹⁶

John Gilmore is the vice chair of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and sits on the board of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. ¹⁷

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. ¹⁸

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. ¹⁹

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. ²⁰

David Abernathy sits on the board of the Minority Cannabis Business Association. ²¹

Other members of the board include Les Szabo, AC Bushnell, and Jon Blair. ²²

1. “About Us.” Marijuana Policy Project. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/about/.
2. “About MPP Foundation.” Marijuana Policy Project. Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/about/about-mpp-foundation/.
3. “Campaigns.” Marijuana Policy Project. Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/about/campaigns/.
4.  “Campaigns.” Marijuana Policy Project. Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/about/campaigns/.
5. “Our Work.” Marijuana Policy Project. Accessed November 21, 2022.  https://www.mpp.org/about/our-work/.
6. “Federal Policy.” Marijuana Policy Project. Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/policy/federal/.
7. The Lowndes Foundation Inc, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2009, Part XV, Line 3.
8. Angelica Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2002, Part XV, Line 3.
9. “Membership.” Marijuana Policy Project. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/donate/membership/.
10. “Toi Hutchinson.” Marijuana Policy Project. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/about/mpp-staff/profile/?id=289.
11. “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/.
12. “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/.
13. “About Sal Pace.” Sal Pace and Associates. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://salpaceassociates.com/#about.
15. Smith, Ben and Robertson, Katie. “Jeff Zucker, CNN’s Longtime Leader, Says He Expects to Leave at Year’s End.” The New York Times, February 4, 2021. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/04/business/media/cnn-jeff-zucker.html. ¹⁴ Smith, Ben and Robertson, Katie. “Jeff Zucker, CNN’s Longtime Leader, Says He Expects to Leave at Year’s End.” The New York Times, February 4, 2021. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/04/business/media/cnn-jeff-zucker.html.
16. “Sheri L. Orlowitz.” Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://uscfcr.org/about/leadership/board-members/sheri-l-orlowitz.
17. “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/.
18. “Jeff Brown.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-brown-098676105/.
19. “Jotaka Eaddy.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jotakaeaddy/.
20. “Bridget Hennessey.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridget-hennessey-35106760/.
21. “David Abernathy.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dabernathy/.
22. “MPP and MPP Foundation Board of Directors.” Marijuana Policy Project. Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.mpp.org/about/mpp-foundational-details/.