Colorado Legislator Education Campaign

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It looks like it's going to be a very exciting year with real chances to influence medical marijuana policy in Colorado in a very positive way. Sen. Chris Romer's upcoming medical marijuana bill presents a unique opportunity to educate our elected officials about the many benefits of cannabis as medicine. We are already making plans for our Legislator Education Campaign.

Jason Lauve, medical cannabis patient and activist, has agreed to help lead the education campaign by being a patient emissary and tour guide at the Capitol next year. Since Jason's historic acquittal of marijuana charges this summer, he has been a tireless advocate for patients, despite his severe medical condition and despite the loss of his job. No one can testify to the harm that patients face better than Jason.

Our Legislator Education Campaign will consist of organizing field trips of patients to the Capitol once or twice a week so that they can meet and educate their elected officials. Jason and other CTI activists will meet the patients in the morning, give them a short tour of the Capitol, and help them find their elected representatives. We will supply the patients with educational material that they can give to their legislators, including research articles, brochures, and DVD's. We will coordinate with caregivers around the state to organize delegations from their areas to carpool to the Capitol to meet with their legislators. We will also try to spotlight the many different conditions that cannabis benefits and bring patients with similar conditions together to share their stories.

The CTI Legislator Education Campaign will allow us to put a human face on the issue of medical cannabis, by allowing patients to share their stories directly with their state legislators. The educational effort will also be empowering for the patients by enabling them to directly contribute to the legislative process. Finally, the educational campaign is guaranteed to be a fun social event for patients. Lunch will be provided by the CTI, and the field trips will allow patients to meet other patients that are concerned about protecting their rights.

CTI members have some experience educating legislators at the Capitol. Laura Kriho was a legislative aide to state Senator Lloyd Casey in 1995 and
1996 when he introduced the nation's first industrial hemp bill, and she helped get a Republican sponsor for the bill in 1997 when Sen. Casey retired. Although the hemp bills were killed due to pressure from the DEA, the hemp advocates were complimented by some of the legislators on how professional and informative their educational material and presentations were.

We hope you agree that this grassroots effort will be critical to protecting patients' rights to safe access to their medicine.

This educational campaign needs the financial assistance of our supporters. We have developed several levels of support so that everyone can participate in the effort, including a unique "Adopt-an-Activist" program that will allow your organization to support the CTI's mission on a higher level while at the same time acquiring an excellent PR tool to promote your business.

You can read the benefits of these various programs on our Sponsorship Information page: Cannabis Therapy Institutue - Medical Cannabis (Marijuana) Research, Education and Advocacy in Colorado

Please call or email if you have any questions, comments or feedback.

Thanks for your support,

Laura Kriho Public Relations Coordinator

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Cannabis Therapy Institute
P. O. Box 19084 Boulder, CO 80308
Phone: (641) 715-3900 ext. 70966#
Web: Cannabis Therapy Institutue - Medical Cannabis (Marijuana) Research, Education and Advocacy in Colorado
Email: info@cannabistherapyinstitute.com