Victory in SD MMJ Lawsuit!

[Pinch]

Dear Pinch:

Great news! On Friday, a judge rejected the South Dakota attorney general's inaccurate and biased summary of the medical marijuana initiative that will be on the South Dakota ballot this November — and chastised him for his bias.

Judge Max Gors disagreed with Attorney General Larry Long on almost every point and ruled that Long's summary "conjures up images of dope dealers preying on children ... and is an impermissible attempt to advocate against the ballot issue."

The judge ordered Long to rewrite the ballot summary — which will appear on the ballot and in voter guides — to make it objective.

Would you please help the South Dakota activists pass this initiative on November 7 by making a donation to their work today? MPP is processing donations made online and is sending checks to the campaign on a rolling basis. Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

South Dakotans for Medical Marijuana and medical marijuana patient Valerie Hannah sued after Long issued a ballot summary that, among other things, raised the specter of children using marijuana and claimed that "physicians who provide written certifications may be subject to losing their federal license to dispense prescription drugs." This is flat wrong, in addition to being biased: A federal court of appeals has ruled that physicians cannot be prosecuted or have their licenses stripped from them just for recommending the medical use of marijuana.

In rejecting Long's summary, the judge noted that — by the attorney general's reasoning — he could describe the initiative as "an act to legalize the demon weed and allow drug-crazed adults and children to run rampant" or "an act to unleash reefer madness on South Dakota."

"The whole impression leads one to believe that the attorney general wants voters to reject the initiative," wrote Judge Gors. "The attorney general should confine his politicking to the stump and leave his bias out of the ballot statement that is supposed to be objective."

The ruling is a victory for medical marijuana patients and the voters of South Dakota. Now, with only 71 days remaining until Election Day, would you please help deliver an even bigger victory by donating to the campaign today?

A win on November 7 would make South Dakota the 12th medical marijuana state in the country. Thank you in advance for anything you can do to help.

Sincerely,

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

Interesting Note from Pinch: Most of the funding for this group comes from the fellow who owns Progressive Insurance so next time you neeed auto insurance call on Progressive.

[NoDirtWeed4Me]

Great news Pinch!! Although with the SD in the title I was hoping it was news that the San Diego County crap had been tossed.

[Pinch]

Thanks Mr NDW.. you're correct.. it could be construed in the manner.. maybe it'll draw more readers.. can't hurt.