Who is the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition?

Our mission is to reverse the trend of mass incarceration in Colorado. We are a coalition of nearly 7,000 individual members and over 100 faith and community organizations who have united to stop perpetual prison expansion in Colorado through policy and sentence reform.

Our chief areas of interest include drug policy reform, women in prison, racial injustice, the impact of incarceration on children and families, the problems associated with re-entry and stopping the practice of using private prisons in our state.

If you would like to be involved please go to our website and become a member.


Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Medical-pot advocacy group pushes for compromise at Capitol - The Denver Post

Medical-pot advocacy group pushes for compromise at Capitol - The Denver Post

The medical-marijuana dispensary owners who gathered last week for a regular meeting of the group Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation were anxious about rules lawmakers are considering for the booming industry.

But Matt Brown, a former business consultant who is now the group's executive director, stood before the crowd and gave it reason to believe the concerns would be heard.

"They're really looking for anyone willing to compromise," Brown said of lawmakers.

He would know.

With its message of professionalism and compromise, Coloradans for Medical Marijuana Regulation — an organization that didn't even exist until a few months ago — has emerged as the marijuana community's most powerful voice at the Capitol.

That's largely due to a massive advocacy campaign the group has assembled, hiring four lobbyists and a public-relations company, working with a prominent political polling firm and generally taking on the polish of every serious industry group under the dome.

The group, known as CMMR, has dozens of members — including some of Denver's most prominent dispensaries, including Peace in Medicine and the Apothecary of Colorado — and a five-figure monthly operating budget.

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