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Edward Bulwer-Lytton famously said, "The pen is mightier than the sword." The pen may long since have been replaced by the keyboard, but no matter how it arrives, the written word remains a very powerful tool for public education.
Letters to newspaper editors are especially effective because they tend to be widely read. Opinion pages are often the most-read part of a newspaper. Messages from the heart are usually most effective, but if you feel you need help getting your message put together we will be happy to assist you. Just contact us and we will help you compose your letter.
How to Write Letters to the Editor
by Richard Rider
Short, concise letters are always more likely to be published than long, meandering ones; try to keep them under 150 words. The longer letters are also more likely to be edited. It's better that you do your own editing.
Ever notice how you read letters to the editor in the paper? Most people read the shorter letters first and then perhaps later read the longer ones. Thus your shorter letter has a better chance of being read.
Be timely; try to respond within two or three days of the article's publication. Pick an issue of particular importance to you - don't be afraid to let some passion show through.
Special Thanks to Robert Sharpe and MAP, Inc for these excellent tips.
State the argument you're rebutting or responding to, as briefly as possible, in the letter's introduction. Don't do a lengthy rehash; it's a waste of valuable space and boring to boot.
Stick to a single subject. Deal with one issue per letter.
Don't be shrill or abusive. Editors tend to discard letters containing personal attacks. Even though you're dying to call Jesse Jackson a preachy parasite, stifle the urge.
Your letter should be logically organized. First a brief recitation of the argument you are opposing, followed by a statement of your own position. Then present your evidence. Close with a short restatement of your position or a pithy comment: ("Jimmy Breslin says possession of firearms should be limited to law enforcement officers. I say when only the police have guns, the police state is just around the corner.").
Use facts, figures and expert testimony whenever possible. This raises your letters above the "sez you, sez me" category. For instance: "Anthony Lewis calls for taxing the rich as a way to balance the budget. Is he aware of the fact that if we confiscated the entire income of the top wage earners in this country (those with income above $200,000), this would run the federal government for exactly 8 days?" Readers respect the opinions of people with special knowledge or expertise. Use expert testimony to bolster your case ("George Will claims we need to draft to defend America. But General Edward C. Meyer, Army Chief of Staff, recently stated . . .").
Proofread your letter carefully for errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar. Newspapers will usually edit to correct these mistakes, but your piece is more likely to be published if it is "clean" to begin with. Read your letter to a friend, for objective input.
One suggestion is that a letter shouldn't be mailed the same day it is written. Write, proofread and edit the piece. Then put it aside until the next day. Rereading your letter in a fresh light often helps you to spot errors in reasoning, stilted language and the like. On the other hand, don't let the letter sit too long and lose it's timeliness.
Try to view the letter from the reader's perspective. Will the arguments make sense to someone without a special background on this issue. Did you use technical terms not familiar to the average reader? Should your letter be typed? In this day and age, generally yes. Double or triple space the letter if it is short. For faxing purposes, the letter should be all on one page, so single spacing might be the only option available. Direct your missives to "Letters to the Editor," or some similar sounding title.
Always include your name, address, day-time phone number and signature. The papers will not publish this information, but they may use it to verify that you wrote the letter.
Most important - WRITE! Do not try to do a perfect letter. Just give it a good effort and send it off. Letter writing is the one thing that any one of us can do on our own without the need to work through a group. No committees are necessary. Just do it!
Don't be discouraged if your letter isn't published. The editor may have received more responses on that issue than he feels he can handle.
Letters written in response to editorials are more likely to be published than letters written in response to wire stories (does not apply to major news stories). Avoid scathing criticism. Civility will increase the likelihood of your views being printed.
Respond to major news stories while they are still hot. Nonetheless, investing time in editing pays off. Always spell-check your letter.
Local newspapers are far more likely to publish letters than out of state papers (does not apply to major newspapers).
Adding local relevance helps, especially when replying to an AP wire story. Repeat information found in the article if necessary.
It is helpful to include credible statistics to make your point, especially when government statistics are used. Include links to government websites whenever possible.
Write with a specific target audience in mind, i.e. soccer moms, fiscal conservatives, etc.
Tailor letters for specific newspapers. If you're going to write to the Wall Street Journal you can be pedantic, but you'd better dumb it down for certain papers. You're always better off preempting editors.
Use an organizational affiliation if possible.
Most newspapers require that letters submitted be exclusive. When recycling letters make slight edits.
It's important to keep track of when you last sent a particular newspaper a letter. Likewise, avoid sending the same letter to the same newspaper twice.
Last but definitely not least, visit the newspaper's website and find out what their policy is for publishing letters. In general, letters should be under 250 words. The shorter the letter, the greater the chance of it being published. Most papers will edit letters down to less than 200 words anyway. You're better off aiming for roughly 200 words and sticking to one or two key points. There are many brilliant activists out there who would be published far more often if they just shortened their letters.
How to write an Op-Ed
Opinion-editorial pieces are longer than letters to the editor, and there is more competition for space. Check with the paper you are writing for regarding the length of their Op-Eds. Anyone can submit an Op-Ed, but by developing a relationship with the media you might see yours printed more often. If you need help we can review your message, offer suggestions or even ghostwrite and help you submit it.
Be on the lookout for opportunities to write on medical cannabis. If you can use a professional title that suggests authority, do so. If you work for an organization ask for permission to sign the op-ed as a representative of that organization.
You may send your op-ed to papers far from where you live, but avoid sending it to two newspapers in the same region. "National" newspapers like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor and USA Today generally do not accept op-eds that are also being offered to other papers. You can, however, submit the same piece to three or four local dailies in different regions, greatly increasing your chances of being published.
Assure the op-ed editor in your cover letter that the piece has not been submitted to any other paper in their market. If, on the other hand, you sent it to only one paper, let that paper know you are offering them an exclusive.
In writing op-eds, avoid excessive rhetoric. State the subject clearly and concisely. You are trying to persuade a middle-of-the-road readership. If you rely on facts not commonly found in mainstream media, cite your sources. Use a source like Drug War Facts to assure accuracy.
Try to think of a catchy title. If you don't, the paper will be more likely to run its own, which may not emphasize your central message. (Even if you do write your own headline, don't be surprised if it appears under a different one.)
Be prepared to shorten and re-submit your article as a letter to the editor in case it does not get accepted as an op-ed.
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Quick Quotations
Quotations are good for giving written messages some pizzazz. Use one of these to emphasize your point. Or build your entire message around a quote. Remember, for letters to the
editor, the shorter the better.
"Not everybody needs marijuana for medical illness. But for those who really do, it's very helpful. As more and more states are taking medical marijuana ... eventually it will just be overwhelming. And it will happen. But I'm shocked that it's taken this long."
Dr. Thomas Ungerleider, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at UCLA: LA City Beat, March 29, 2007
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"In states where patients are permitted to use marijuana medicinally for serious and/or chronic illnesses and a patient's physician has recommended its use in accordance with that state law and that state's medical practice standards, the patient should not be subject to federal criminal penalties for such medical use."
HIV Medicine Association, October 30, 2006
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"Well-designed and scientifically rigorous research, including all FDA-approved Phase II and Phase III clinical trials . . .should be encouraged, and production facilities that meet all regulatory requirements should be licensed by the DEA to produce pharmaceutical-grade marijuana for use exclusively in federally approved research."
HIV Medicine Association, October 30, 2006
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Cannabis will one day be seen as a wonder drug, as was penicillin in the 1940s. Like penicillin, herbal marijuana is remarkably nontoxic, has a wide range of therapeutic applications and would be quite inexpensive if it were legal."
Dr. Lester Grinspoon, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Los Angeles Times, May 5, 2006
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"We must make sure that the casualties of the war on drugs are not suffering patients who legitimately deserve relief."
Scott Fishman, president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, February 2006
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"It cannot seriously be contested that there exists a small but significant class of individuals who suffer from painful chronic, degenerative, and terminal conditions, for whom marijuana provides uniquely effective relief."
HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America; American Medical Students Association; Lymphoma Foundation of America; Dr. Barbara Roberts; and Irvin Rosenfeld, Amicus Curiae brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court (in the case of Gonzales v. Raich), October 2004
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"The use of marijuana may be appropriate when prescribed by a licensed physician solely for use in alleviating pain and nausea in patients who have been diagnosed as chronically ill with life threatening disease, when all other treatments have failed;
"
The Medical Society of the State of New York, May 4, 2004
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"[M]arijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day."
Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, M.D., "Myths About Medical Marijuana," Providence Journal, March 26, 2004
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[The AAFP accepts the use of medical marijuana] "...under medical supervision and control for specific medical indications."
American Academy of Family Physicians, 1989, reaffirmed in 2001
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"Cannabinoids and THC also have strong pain-killing powers, which is one reason medical marijuana should be readily available to people with cancer and other debilitating diseases."
Dean Edell, M.D., March 2, 2000
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"I consider the most important recommendation made by the IOM (Institute of Medicine) panel [to be] that physicians be able to prescribe marijuana to individual patients with debilitating or terminal conditions
I believe such compassionate use is justified."
Andrew Weil, M.D., July 1999
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"[We] recommend
allow[ing] [marijuana] prescription where medically appropriate."
National Association for Public Health Policy, November 15, 1998
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"Present evidence indicates that [cannabinoids] are remarkably safe drugs, with a side-effects profile superior to many drugs used for the same indications
"
British Medical Association, November 1997
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"[We] support pharmacy participation in the legal distribution of medical marijuana."
California Pharmacists Association, May 26, 1997
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"[A] federal policy that prohibits physicians from alleviating suffering by prescribing marijuana for seriously ill patients is misguided, heavy-handed, and inhumane."
Dr. Jerome Kassirer, "Federal Foolishness and Marijuana," editorial, New England Journal of Medicine, January 30, 1997
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"[The LFA] urges Congress and the President to enact legislation to reschedule marijuana to allow doctors to prescribe smokable marijuana to patients in need
[and] urges the US Public Health Service to allow limited access to medicinal marijuana by promptly reopening the Investigational New Drug compassionate access program to new applicants."
Lymphoma Foundation of America, January 20, 1997
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"Approved medical uses for marijuana or [THC] for treatment of glaucoma, illnesses associated with wasting such as AIDS, the emesis associated with chemotherapy, or other uses
should be administered only under the supervision of a knowledgeable physician."
American Society of Addiction Medicine, April 16, 1997
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"The National Nurses Society on Addictions urges the federal government to remove marijuana from the Schedule I category immediately, and make it available for physicians to prescribe. NNSA urges the American Nurses' Association and other health care professional organizations to support patient access to this medicine."
National Nurses Society on Addictions, May 1, 1995
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"[M]arijuana has an extremely wide acute margin of safety for use under medical supervision and cannot cause lethal reactions
[G]reater harm is caused by the legal consequences of its prohibition than possible risks of medicinal use.
" American Public Health Association, Resolution #9513, "Access to Therapeutic Marijuana/Cannabis," 1995
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"Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known
It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for DEA to continue to stand between [suffering patients] and the benefits of this substance."
Francis L. Young, DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge, 1988
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"Based on much evidence, from patients and doctors alike, on the superior effectiveness and safety of whole cannabis (marijuana) compared to other medicines for many patients
we hereby petition the Executive Branch and the Congress to facilitate and expedite the research necessary to determine whether this substance should be licensed for medical use by seriously ill persons."
The National Nurses Society on Addictions
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". . . federal policy that prohibits physicians from alleviating suffering by prescribing marijuana for seriously ill patients is misguided, heavy-handed, and inhumane."
Dr. Jerome Kassirer, "Federal Foolishness and Marijuana," editorial, New England Journal of Medicine, January 30, 1997
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