Down in the Weeds

Marijuana Grassroots Advocacy Case Study

Down in the Weeds

Marijuana Grassroots Advocacy Case Study

How a Small Group of Marijuana

Activists With an Even Smaller Budget
is Using Grassroots Advocacy to Win at
the Local Level
As the holidays draw closer, you could have a fine pot party in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
You and your adult friends could each bring up to an ounce of marijuana and toke up as
you have your eggnog, gingerbread and other holiday treats -- all without any fear of the
local police crashing through the door.

What its designed

to do is to send
a message to the
Capitol that the
population centers
around the state
really want to see
a significant shift in
the way personal
possession laws
are treated

Thanks to voters who supported a legalization measure in November,

the personal use of marijuana is now perfectly legal in Mount Pleasant.
And Saginaw. And Berkley. And Port Huron, too. Indeed, this year was a
big one for supporters of legalization in Michigan, who won referendums
to liberalize marijuana in eight of 13 towns across the state -- all on a
budget so small, it would make most advocates in Washington gasp.
Of course, the slew of victories was no coincidence. Rather, they were
the result of a highly orchestrated advocacy campaign designed to build
momentum for legalizing the drug across the Wolverine State. Whether
or not they achieve that goal, the effort could serve as a model for other
advocacy groups who want to affect change and need to look outside
Washington to do it.
What its designed to do is to send a message to the Capitol that the
population centers around the state really want to see a significant shift
in the way personal possession laws are treated, said Chris Lindsey,
a legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates
for marijuana legalization nationwide. The strategy is to change local
ordinances. At a certain point the legislators have to look at that and say,
why do we maintain criminal penalties when most of the voters in the
state do not support that?

PLANTING THE SEEDS

The marijuana activists in Michigan are following a path well worn by advocacy groups
that cannot get legislation in Washington. When issues cannot pass in Congress,
advocates often look to the states. And if they cannot win in state legislatures, they
sometimes turn to the locals. Over the years, advocates have used a state-focused
approach to push everything from same-sex marriage initiatives to electricity
deregulation. It often works. And it appears to be gaining traction in Michigan.
But that doesnt mean its easy. In Michigan, the cities and towns were relatively small -turnout in some cases was in the hundreds -- and the margins were sometimes narrow. In
Lapeer, for example, voters were so split that the measure failed by a mere six votes, and
a recount is underway.

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Winning the Weed War in Michigan*

With a small group of volunteers and an even smaller budget, marijuana advocates were
able to win ballot measures in 8 out of 13 cities and towns across Michigan in the primary
and general elections. Heres how they fared.

CITY

YES VOTES

NO VOTES

Clare
Harrison
Lapeer
Onaway
Frankfort
Mt Pleasant
Saginaw
Port Huron
Pleasant Ridge
Berkley
Huntington Woods
Oak Park

341

432

190
921
82
249
2705
5237
3383
1011
3811
2295
2161

330
927
148
306
1639
4717
3192
430
2311
993
1913

Primary Election

Hazel Park

763

461

Primary Election

(Recount scheduled 12/8)

APPROVED

5
DEFEATED

Presque Isle Co.

City of Onaway

Benzie Co.

City of Frankfort

Saginaw Co.
City of Saginaw

St. Clair Co.

Clare Co.

City of Port Huron

City of Harrison
City of Clare

Isabella Co.

City of Mount Pleasant

Oakland Co.

Lapeer Co.

City of Lapeer
City of Berkley
City of Huntington Woods
City of Hazel Park
City of Pleasant Ridge
City of Oak Park

* Source: Marijuana Policy Project and Ballotpedia.org

Down in the Weeds

Marijuana Grassroots Advocacy Case Study

Gerry Gunster, a veteran issue advocacy professional and CEO of Goddard Gunster
in Washington, said ballot measure campaigns are won by leveraging solid research,
tapping into local concerns and nuances and -- perhaps most important -- tying the
marijuana issue to the self-interest of Michigan voters.
If you want to convince voters that decriminalizing marijuana is in their best interests,
you have to explain how the issue will impact them at a local, personal level, he wrote in
an email. When were talking about local initiatives and referenda of any kind, connecting
with the self-interests of voters often means making your issue feel tangible to the voter.

LISTEN TO THE POLLS

Because every state, city and town is different, local knowledge is as important to ballot
initiatives as it is to hunting and fishing. Those who know the local terrain and waters will
be the ones who come home with the prize.
Knowing your territory inside and out is a fundamental first step to fielding a local
campaign, Gunster wrote. That means hiring local experts is key. These ground teams
and consultants will understand the nuances of your issue better than anyone.
Thereafter, polling becomes the campaigns best friend, providing a radar
that shows where the issue is gaining traction and which messages are
resonating. This allows campaigns to allocate resources accordingly.

That means hiring

local experts
is key. These
ground teams and
consultants will
understand the
nuances of your
issue better than
anyone.

Research should guide your every step, Gunster wrote. Research

helps a campaign pinpoint effective messaging. But it takes discipline
to adhere to those findingsno matter what. Too often campaigns fail
because someone decided to go off message.
Remember: The research doesnt lie. Avoid what we call the false
consensus effect, whereby you guess at what messages will resonate
with your target audiences. When it comes to predicting the behaviors of
others, your gut isnt good enough. Listen to the polls.
Gunster also is a big believer in finding third-party advocates such
a community leader, a business owner or a local mom, to carry the
message. Whoever they are, they should be respected by your
community, he wrote. No one wants to hear messages about their
community from an outsider. Your third-party messengers should always
serve as the face of your campaign.

When it comes to predicting the behaviors

of others, your gut isnt good enough.

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Down in the Weeds

Marijuana Grassroots Advocacy Case Study

MOMENTUM FOR MARIJUANA

So, how did the marijuana campaigns succeed in Michigan? The strategy is not too
different from the playbook that Gunster described. And, while the laws and regulations
will be different in every state, advocates elsewhere can learn something useful from
Michigans marijuana campaigns.

Tolerance alone
doesnt explain the
wins. Campaigns
that made the issue
of decriminalization
important to
voters can be
credited with the
successes.

For starters, the Michigan activists had some national momentum on

their side. Colorado and Washington passed legalization measures
in 2012 and Oregon followed suit this year. Overall, 23 states and the
District of Columbia now allow medical marijuana in some way and 17
have decriminalization measures of some sort. The federal government
has made it clear it will not move to block such efforts, and activists
expect to see attempts in states like Arizona, California, Nevada, Maine
and Massachusetts next.
Some advocates say public sentiment has swung, and this is akin to the
fall of prohibition in the 1930s. Indeed, a nationwide Gallup Poll taken a
decade ago showed almost two-thirds of Americans were opposed to
legalization. In October, the poll showed they are narrowly divided, with
51 percent saying marijuana should be legalized and 47 percent saying it
should not (the margin of error was four percentage points).
At the same time, public opinion is not the entire story. Some news
outlets want to attribute the success of decriminalization campaigns to
a growing public tolerance of marijuana, Gunster wrote. But tolerance
alone doesnt explain the wins. Campaigns that made the issue of
decriminalization important to voters can be credited with
the successes.

MOMENTUM IN MICHIGAN
Indeed, the advocates in Michigan have been working for years and they started small.
Michigan law allows an initiative to be put on the ballot in individual cities by obtaining
signatures from 5 percent of registered voters. The initiatives change city charters,
and thus can be used to target local marijuana laws. While this is a tall order in a
large city with hundreds of thousands of residents, it is far more achievable in smaller
municipalities.
We cant control the legislature and we dont have the money for a statewide initiative,
said Chuck Ream, a former kindergarten teacher who is now executive director of the
Safer Michigan Coalition. The only thing we can do is keep lobbying and keep running
local initiatives, which at least we can control. We put them up there and we win. We
dont beg.
The groups that are pushing changes to marijuana laws have developed messaging
that resonates in some demographics. Often, it revolves around personal freedoms. But
another line of argument -- and perhaps one more useful across the political spectrum -is that law enforcement agencies should be using their time and resources to crack down
on more meaningful crime.
There is much more serious crime that goes unsolved and law enforcement should not
be directing its resources going after people who are in possession of a small amount of
marijuana, Lindsey said. It always comes down to law enforcement resources.
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Momentum for Marijuana*

The liberalization of marijuana laws has taken place nationwide, and is expected to
continue in 2016. The epicenter was in the west, where states like Oregon, Colorado and
Washington have fully embraced legalization.

Tax and
Regulation

Decrimalization
of Marijuana

Medical
Marijuana

Alaska
Colorado
Oregon
Washington

Alaska
California
Connecticut
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri (Pending)

Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Hawaii
Illinois
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota

Nebraska
Nevada
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
Rhode Island
Vermont

Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
New Mexico
Oregon
Rhode Island
Vermont
Washington
+ District of
Columbia

* Source: Marijuana Policy Project

Down in the Weeds

Marijuana Grassroots Advocacy Case Study

Using polling to identify areas that may be receptive, activists target towns and begin
campaigns for signatures using only volunteers. In a small town, just four or five
volunteers can create a presence. In this years efforts, there were no email, social media
or print campaigns -- and definitely no air time. Rather, the activists -- some of them local
-- chatted up leaders at City Hall and then got out and knocked on doors.
We would go and just ask the person if they were registered to vote and then give them
the pitch, said Tim Beck, the former owner of an insurance agency who is now chairman
of the Safer Michigan Coalition. Others we would go to festivals in the summer. It was
one-on-one contact. It was just old fashioned one-on-one hard work.

COST-EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY
Because marijuana is a captivating topic, the campaigns also typically got news
coverage, and so advocates could rely on earned media to get the word out. In cities
like Mount Pleasant, where fewer than 4,400 people voted out of a population of about
26,000, the strategy was very effective. They won with 62 percent of the vote.
It was also very cost effective. The Michigan advocates were not flooded with money
from national organizations. Nor did they need it. Rather, the entire 2014 marijuana
effort in Michigan was run with about 70 campaign volunteers, Beck said. The budget
for campaigning in 11 towns (they took on 11 towns in the general election and two in the
primary) was roughly $12,000, and most was used to cover legal expenses and the fees
associated with getting on the ballot. In many cases, the volunteers paid expenses from
their own pockets. For example, the recount in Lapeer cost less than $100 to enact. The
campaigns local attorney just paid it.
The strategy takes patience. But it does appear to be working. Pro-marijuana advocates
have helped to install legalization and decriminalization laws in 17 cities and towns
across Michigan since 2011. In fact, until this year, they had not posted any losses in
municipalities.
Of course, as in all long-term campaigns, there have been some missteps. Michigans
advocates point to the four losses (the outcome in Lapeer is still uncertain, pending the
recount) in small, rural communities as an example of where they diverted from their
playbook in order to experiment. We dropped the ball, Beck said [We] should have
drove up north, went down to city hall, talked to people and got a general idea of what
was going in those towns. Shame on uswe didnt do thatwe would have had a better
flavor of the community.
Gunster said that, compared to candidate campaigns, ballot measures in general can be
far less predictable.
You arent asking individuals to vote for or against a human being, you are asking them
to vote for or against an idea, he wrote. And that can be a challenge. Ballot measure
campaigns can often be more volatile than candidate campaigns. The campaign
graveyard is littered with ballot measures that at one time boasted broad support only to
lose steam weeks or even days prior to an election.
In the case of Michigan, the losses may not have a major impact on momentum.
Marijuana advocates have won far more than they lost. But leaders were disappointed to
see the undefeated streak end.
It was very upsetting to me personally, Ream said. We lost in these little tiny places.

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Michigan Local Elections and Marijuana-Voting*

YEAR

CITY

TYPE

YES VOTES

Ann Arbor

Medical Marijuana

75%

Detroit

Medical Marijuana

60%

Ferndale

Medical Marijuana

61%

Traverse City

Medical Marijuana

63%

2007

Flint

Medical Marijuana

62%

2011

Kalamazoo

Legalization

65%

Detroit

Legalization

65%

Flint

Legalization

57%

Grand Rapids

Decriminalization

59%

Kalamazoo

3 Dispensaries Allowed

57%

Ypsilanti

Lowest Law Enforcement Priority

74%

Ferndale

Legalization

69%

Jackson

Legalization

61%

Lansing

Legalization

63%

Berkly

Legalization

62%

Hazel Park

Legalization

63%

Hunington Woods

Legalization

70%

Mount Pleasant

Legalization

62%

Oak Park

Legalization

53%

Pleasant Ridge

Lowest Law Enforcement Priority

70%

Port Huron

Legalization

51%

Saginaw

Legalization

60%

2004

2005

2012

2013

2014

* Source: www.the compassionchronicles.com

Down in the Weeds

Marijuana Grassroots Advocacy Case Study

BUILDING THE CASE

As for the prospects of a statewide referendum, leaders approach it with a healthy
skepticism. The effort would require north of 250,000 signatures to get on the ballot
and advocates estimate that the campaign would cost at least $1 million. Advocates say
that statewide support in Michigan, which is home to nearly 10 million people, needs to
poll close to 60 percent to attract well-financed backers. And those polling numbers,
they say, are simply not there yet. Support for statewide legalization hovers around 50
percent, not too far from the national average. Indeed, a statewide initiative it has been
tried three times in Michigan, to no avail.
When you are changing statewide laws, you are going to have a battle, Beck said. The
political class is not as deeply threatened by local ballot initiatives as they are with state
[initiatives]. We have not been able to find anyone willing to do this. We have no interest
whatsoever to attempt a statewide initiative unless we run very well in the polls.
Lindsey, who works for the national Marijuana Policy Project, which could provide some
of the needed support, was not overly optimistic. There has been talk about it, he said.
I dont know how much support we are really going to see for it. Voter initiatives are
extraordinarily time intensive and cost a great deal of money.
Said Beck: We understand we have no resentment towards MPP and no attitude
towards it. The big money people want to see poll numbers. Thats the problem.
Meanwhile, however, advocates continue building the case town-by-town. They believe in
the work they do, and that each victory brings tangible benefits. My thing has
always been ideologically based, Beck said. The drug war has been a total disaster in
this country it has wasted lives, it has wasted time. Its just downright wrong and
deeply flawed.
As a result of the local strategy, however, more than 1.5 million people in Michigan now
live where marijuana is decriminalized, Beck said.
As he put it, We are building momentum.

The drug war has been

a total disaster in this
country it has wasted
lives, it has wasted time.
Its just downright wrong
and deeply flawed.

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