Business View Magazine | September 2019

25 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2019 right advertising, and how to do the research needed to understand which voters are on the fence and which message will be most compelling to them.” BVM: Funding is key. So, where does the money come from? O’Keefe: “We have thousands of people who make donations directly through our website. I’ve known supporters who send us $5 from their social security check every month, while some of our donations come from people with greater means. But it’s all individual contributions from people who believe in the cause. People who aren’t able to contribute financially, but want to volunteer their time — such as for phone banks or meeting with their lawmakers — are always appreciated, too.” Schweich: “Historically, the funding has come from libertarian philanthropists. That was really the origin of this movement. Over time, we’ve brought in other support. Now we have lots of Democrats and progressives that support our work, and we have Republicans and conservatives. As we’ve had more success, as more Americans support medical cannabis and legalization, we’ve seen the type of people who support our work evolve.” O’Keefe: “Unfortunately, there’s a perception out there that with all the positive support, marijuana is going to legalize itself. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s been a long, hard slog and we face a battle, vote by vote, to educate lawmakers. At the beginning of this year, there was hope that as many as six states would legalize marijuana, and only one did – that was Illinois, where we led the charge.” BVM: What else would you like people to know about the Marijuana Policy Project? O’Keefe: “Our slogan at MPP is “We Change Laws” and we’re single-mindedly focused on moving the ball to make it legal for more people to use marijuana and medical marijuana. That’s what we do.” Schweich: “If there wasn’t an organization like MPP, we wouldn’t have as many states with medical cannabis laws or legalization laws. And there certainly would not be a serious conversation in Congress about federal reform. It’s really important that members of the industry and the public realize that we need their support more than ever as we push to the finish line. A lot of people and groups talk about the need for reform. We get it done.”