WASHINGTON - March 31 - Rob Kampia, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, will testify on Thursday at a hearing of the House subcommittee whose chairman called him "an articulate advocate for an evil position" at their last such encounter, in March 2001. Kampia and MPP Director of Government Relations Steve Fox will be available for interviews before and after Kampia's testimony.

The hearing of the Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources Subcommittee, scheduled for 2:00 p.m. EST, is titled "Marijuana and Medicine: The Need for a Science-Based Approach."

Subcommittee Chairman Mark Souder (R-IN) is one of the House's most vehement opponents of medical marijuana. In remarks prepared for the hearing, Kampia castigates Souder for his long history of ignoring scientific findings on medical marijuana: "Last year, during a debate on the House floor, Chairman Souder said, `[Marijuana] does not help sick people. ... There are no generally recognized health benefits to smoking marijuana.' Chairman Souder could not be more wrong. ... I hope that he eventually abandons his reliance on myths and lies and embraces an approach based on science."

Kampia will also address the multiple ways in which current federal policies continue to obstruct and delay scientific research into the medical uses of marijuana.

WHAT: Hearing of the Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources Subcommittee, "Marijuana and Medicine: The Need for a Science-Based Approach."

WHO: MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia and other invited speakers. These are expected to include representatives of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

WHEN: Thursday, April 1, 2004, 2:00 p.m. EST

WHERE: Room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building

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