Trump campaign sends cease and desist letter after mailers state he supports Initiative 65

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - President Trump’s re-election campaign has mailed a cease and desist letter to the Mississippians for Compassionate Care organization due to “misleading communications.”

This after the organization allegedly used Trump’s name, image or likeness in support of Initiative 65.

“President Trump has never expressed support for Initiative 65, and his campaign demands that you immediately cease and desist all activities using the President’s name, image, or likeness in support of the legalization of medical marijuana in Mississippi," the letter stated.

The campaign said that they were recently provided copies of mailers sent by Initiative 65 urging voters to “Join President Trump” in support of legalizing medical marijuana in the state. They then make clear that Trump has never pledged his support for the initiative.

“The President’s campaign strongly believes in and encourages your organization’s fundamental right to engage in free speech on issues of public importance, but this is not about that,” the letter reads. “You are misleadingly using the President’s name in support of your own agenda without authorization or justification.”

The campaign then demanded that Mississippians for Compassionate Care “immediately” cease and desist all uses of the president’s name, image or likeness that suggest he encourages citizens to vote “yes” on the initiative.

Initiative 65 proposes to amend the Mississippi constitution to allow qualified patients with medical conditions, certified by licensed physicians, to use medical marijuana.

UPDATE: Mississippians for Compassionate Care now says that they stand behind their mailers featuring quotes from President Trump in which they say expresses his support for medical marijuana.

“President Trump has clearly stated on multiple occasions that he supports medical marijuana. That is all that we’ve shared – the truth,” said Mississippians for Compassionate Care Communications Director Jamie Grantham.

These quotes include Trump saying, “Medical marijuana is another thing… I think medical marijuana 100%” at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2015 and “We are allowing states to make that decision… a lot of states are making that decision,” in 2019.

Read their entire statement below:

Mississippians for Compassionate Care stands by their recent mail piece featuring quotes from President Donald Trump expressing his support for medical marijuana.

The letter was signed by more than a dozen prominent Mississippi Republicans, who like 76% of other Republican voters in the state, support allowing access to medical marijuana for those who are suffering from debilitating conditions.

“President Trump has clearly stated on multiple occasions that he supports medical marijuana. That is all that we’ve shared – the truth,” said Mississippians for Compassionate Care Communications Director Jamie Grantham. “The politicians and bureaucrats behind Mississippi Horizon clearly orchestrated this letter from the Trump campaign. It’s just the latest example of the lengths to which they will go to prevent any form of medical marijuana in Mississippi. President Trump himself has said he supports medical marijuana and is letting the states decide. Initiative 65 is the only plan on the ballot that will create an actual medical marijuana program in Mississippi.”

Quotes included in the mail piece:

“Medical marijuana is another thing… I think medical marijuana 100%.” - President Trump, June 23, 2015 at the Conservative Political Action Conference

“We are allowing states to make that decision… a lot of states are making that decision.” - President Trump, August 30, 2019

Videos of President Trump expressing his support for medical marijuana:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4541840/user-clip-donald-trump-marijuana

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1050&v=GmnmS55_GM8&feature=emb_logo

“More than 81 percent of Mississippians agree with President Trump in supporting medical marijuana for people who are suffering,” added Grantham. “Voters see through the actions of politicians who failed to act on this issue and who are now trying to block this initiative. 65A lets politicians decide. More than 228,000 Mississippians signed petitions for Initiative 65 which lets doctors and patients decide.”

INITIATIVE 65 is supported by a steering committee of more than 70 medical and health care professionals, leaders of disease groups, law enforcement representatives, leaders in the faith community, and veterans. INITIATIVE 65 guarantees a program start date and a specific list of 22 qualifying debilitating medical conditions, while Alternative 65A leaves it to politicians to decide who would qualify and when, if ever, they would establish a program and how it would function. 65A only provides the option for the Legislature to enact a program someday, but has zero guarantees or accountability requiring them to do so.

The Legislature’s history of supporting medical marijuana is zero: they’ve never enacted a program and have blocked more than 20 proposed bills to pass a medical marijuana program legislatively. For this reason, more than 228,000 Mississippians signed petitions to qualify INITIATIVE 65 for the November 3rd ballot.

To learn more about INITIATIVE 65 and the differences in the two measures, visit www.medicalmarijuana2020.com.

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