Today we are officially celebrating one year since the official launch of BOWL PAC! We were founded on the belief that marijuana policy reform is good policy AND good politics. Do you agree? Consider joining BOWL PAC as a sustaining supporter by making a monthly contribution OR make a one-time contribution now.
BOWL PAC has lots of allies from across the political spectrum for one big reason: It’s time for prohibitionist politicians to evolve or lose their seats in Congress.
Support for legalization has grown for decades thanks to the tireless work of activists and advocates who have made this issue a priority. For a long time, marijuana reform was considered a fringe issue, but in 2023 its political potency cannot be denied. With a supermajority of the American public supporting legalization, this is an issue whose time has come.
One candidate we were proud to support in last year’s midterm elections was now-Senator John Fetterman, who was the only 2022 candidate to flip partisan control of a Senate seat. Young people were the most likely group to support John Fetterman, backing him by a 42 point margin over prohibitionist Dr. Oz. This margin was crucial to his victory. The fact that more than half of young voters want Congress to take action to deschedule cannabis makes the connection between the issue and support for the pro-marijuana candidate undeniable. By comparison, younger Florida voters favored Democrat Val Demings, who did not take up a proudly pro-legalization stance, by only 12 points.
In a day and age when many elections are decided by razor-thin margins, it would be political malpractice for candidates to hide their stance and forfeit the political benefits. BOWL PAC was created to make sure they don’t.
OUR IMPACT
There are a lot of “scam PACs” out there. That means it’s more important than ever for political organizations to be transparent about the work they’re doing. In the 12 months BOWL PAC has been operational, our small but scrappy team has done some remarkable things. I’m excited to report to you some of our impact highlights include:
- Nearly 100,000 email members recruited in less than a year
- 315,185 actions taken in 2022 by supporters over the year through reform-focused joint actions with allies such as Data for Progress, Democracy for America, Earl Blumenauer, Ro Khanna, Rashida Tlaib, National Campaign for Justice, More Perfect Union, Hip Hop Caucus, and many more on topics like Presidential Pardons, passing the MORE Act, drug testing reform, and “Dank Brandon”
- Hundreds of unique grassroots donors, with an average donation of $13.57
- Raised awareness and funds for pro-legalization candidates including John Fetterman, Raphael Warnock, Jerry Nadler, Barbara Lee, Earl Blumenauer, and others
- Media Hits from The Daily Show, Vox, Politico, LA Weekly, Forbes, Law 360, and other distinguished outlets
- 20+ engagements per $1 spend on digital communications promoting pro-legalization candidates in tight races
During the midterm elections, we successfully advertised to legalization supporters with low-to-moderate likelihood of voting and encouraged them to support pro-legalization candidates like Fetterman. Through our work, we engaged one person for every five cents spent on advertising—collectively generating thousands of individual engagements per spend in not only Pennsylvania, but in Ohio and Wisconsin too.
That’s why I am asking you to support us with a donation, be it a one time or as a sustaining supporter, to ensure that we elect members of Congress who are receptive to the will of the people. What’s a more timely barometer for progress than legalization?
We’ve said it since we launched last February: Our goal is to mobilize citizens who strongly support legalization yet may not turn out to vote.
With the help of so many, we did that in 2022.
With your help, we will do even more in 2023 and beyond.
Thank you for being in this fight with us to elect a better government, free of those who think adults should be locked in jail cells for simply smoking a joint.
In solidarity,
Justin
Justin Strekal
Founding Organizer
BOWL PAC
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