Letter to President Obama Concerning #Reschedule420

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC

Dear President Obama,

This is our 3rd letter to you in the last two years concerning cannabis reform. DCMJ previously wrote you before Ballot Initiative 71 was voted on in the District of Columbia and after the initiative passed with over 70% of the vote. Unfortunately, we haven’t received a reply from our previous letters. This lack of correspondence is why we are writing you today.

Next month DCMJ is rescheduling the international cannabis day of celebration, April 20 to Saturday, April 2, and making it a protest of your inaction on cannabis reform. We are rescheduling the date to urge you to use your power as the president to reschedule cannabis. As a former cannabis (and current?) user, you know firsthand that cannabis does not belong in the Controlled Substances Act. While thousands of Americans die each each year due to dangerous drugs like heroin, the placement of cannabis in the same category makes a mockery of the Controlled Substances Act and breeds distrust in our law enforcement and our government .

I anticipate hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans will join us at 4:20pm for mass-consumption of cannabis on Pennsylvania Ave. as form of civil disobedience. However, I am willing to call off the mass-consumption of cannabis if you agree to a Bud Summit, where leaders of the cannabis reform movement are invited to the White House to discuss steps you can take to end the failed War on Drugs you inherited as president.

As American citizens of the District of Columbia, we do not have Senators or Representatives to advocate for us in Congress. Thanks to the 23rd amendment to the Constitution, we only have you to speak for us. I am tired of waiting for Congress to reschedule cannabis. They would rather continue the failed War on Drugs instead of actually fixing the problems facing America. DCMJ respectfully urges you to call out their failed leadership and fix a genuine problem that you have the power to fix. No more lives need to be ruined with unethical imprisonment for cannabis-related crimes if you act now.

Sincerest Regards,

Adam Eidinger
Founder, DCMJ



Photo of our previous mailing:

‘TRANSFORMATIVE’ SCULPTURE SET TO BURN ON NATIONAL MALL TO HONOR VICTIMS OF THE WAR ON DRUGS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 12, 2015

MEDIA CONTACT:
Kenny Reff
KR@LimelightDC.com
Office: 703-242-4596
Mobile: 703-626-3167

‘TRANSFORMATIVE’ SCULPTURE SET TO BURN ON NATIONAL MALL TO HONOR VICTIMS OF THE WAR ON DRUGS

Washington, DC – In an act of collective healing, an interactive art installation dedicated to victims of the war on drugs will be burned in the shadow of the Washington Monument on Saturday, November 21, 2015. “Temple of Essence” is the centerpiece of a 48-hour vigil beginning November 20. Catharsis on the Mall: A Vigil for Healing the Drug War is open to the public and will feature nationally-known speakers, exhibits, art, music, and dance.

Among the speakers: Billy Murphy, Jr., the nationally-recognized civil rights attorney; Ifetayo Harvey, who lost her father at age four to prison and deportation for a first-time drug offense; and Anthony Papa, sentenced to fifteen years to life imprisonment for a first-time drug offense. The public will also be invited to share their stories during open mic sessions.

“Through art and peaceful expression, we are demonstrating the transition to a more compassionate society,” said event organizer and civil rights attorney, Robert Haferd. “This vigil is the first of its kind on the National Mall, and we are delighted that the National Park Service, Park Police, and the D.C. Fire Department have partnered with us to make it possible.”

The highlight of the vigil will be the burning of Temple of Essence at 11:00pm on November 21. The temple is peace-building structure that offers a space for healing personal and collective trauma, engaging community, and allowing the release of negative energy. Prior to the burn, participants are invited to share their thoughts and stories by writing within the temple’s walls and leaving small mementos.

“People will see they are not alone in this struggle,” said Michael Verdon, temple artist and U.S. Air Force veteran. Verdon’s most recent work was installed at George Mason University this past May where more than one thousand people participated in its burn. “As the temple burns, we will turn our individual experiences into a collective memory and heal as a community,” Verdon explained. “Afterwards, our vigil will continue with cathartic dancing until sunrise.”

Catharsis on the Mall is organized by Washington DC-area artists, social justice advocates, and Burning Man participants. Speakers and installations will be provided by national and local drug policy organizations, including Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). The vigil coincides with the International Drug Policy Reform Conference, which will bring more than one thousand researchers, academics and advocates to our nation’s capital to work toward ending the war on drugs.

“From the recently-leaked United Nations document calling for drug decriminalization, to growing bipartisan support for ending mass incarceration and encouraging cannabis research, we are transitioning from the traumatic war on drugs to policies grounded in public health and human rights,” said Natalie Lyla Ginsberg, event organizer and Policy and Advocacy Manager for MAPS. “It’s time to come together to celebrate and heal.”


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Click here to download a PDF of this press release


Catharsis – A Vigil for Healing the Drug War

Catharsis on the Mall - Nov.20-22

You are invited to participate in Catharsis, a 3-day vigil near the Washington Monument on November 20-22. The focus of the vigil will be the burning of a ceremonial a wooden temple dedicated to our healing from the War on Drugs on the night of Saturday, November 21.

This vigil is needed because often our society doesn’t mark a transition from a destructive and harmful policy to a more compassionate one. As more voices call for an end to the War on Drugs, it’s crucial like-minded artists, activists, and the community play a public role in healing and transforming to compassionate harm reduction policies.

CATHARSIS (noun) – The purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, especially through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.

WHO: Victims of the Drug War
WHAT: Catharsis: A Vigil for Healing the Drug War
WHEN: Friday, November 20 to Sunday November 22, 2015. The ceremonial vigil will start at 10:30pm on Saturday, November 21
WHERE: Northwest of the Washington Monument on the National Mall

Please Click Here to RSVP on Facebook
Interested in volunteering at Catharsis? Please fill out this Google Form!

Watch NBC4 footage of a similar ceremonial vigil that took place at GMU last May: