Marijuana Anonymous

MA World Services Committees

“MA, as such, ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.”

-MA Tradition 9 

MA World Services currently has thirteen committees, subcommittees, and ad hoc committees (as needed). Conferences & Conventions (CoCo), Ad Hoc Conference Agenda Committee, Finance, Hospitals & Institutions (H&I), Internet, Literature, Literature Translations Subcommittee, Newcomer Support, Outreach, Representation & Accessibility Outreach Subcommittee, Public Information (PI), Website Redesign PI Subcommittee, and Policies and Procedures (P&P). 

The MA World Service Committees serve as an example and provide guidance for District-level Subcommittees through Committee Handbooks. Contact the Committee’s Trustee to receive the Committee Handbook. 

Committees Descriptions and Responsibilities:

Conferences and Conventions (CoCo) Committee

  • Acts as liaison between past, present, and future Host District Convention teams to facilitate communications, information sharing, and collaboration.
  • Works closely to distribute information, develop an information repository, and related tasks such as Convention Host District/Region support.

Conference Agenda Ad hoc Committee — [email protected]

    • Facilitates the MA World Service business Conferences.
    • Assists members to develop Conference Agenda Items.
    • Format the Conference Agenda Packet with appropriate support materials.
    • Sets the business event schedule for the entire Conference.
    • Distribute Conference Agenda Packet at least 90 days before the event.

Current Conferences & Convention Committee Projects:

    • Curating the Convention Planning Handbook.
    • Assisting Districts with Convention planning. 
    • Preparing for the 2024 Conference.

Conferences & Conventions Trustee Job Description – Contact: [email protected]

Finance Committee 

  • Charged with the responsibility of organizing the financial affairs of Marijuana Anonymous World Services.
  • Drafts, manages, and reconciles the MA World Services annual budget and recommends other financial priorities.
  • Communicates quarterly with the fellowship as to the current status of the World Services finances.
  • Ensures MA Districts are accurately recording their finances by providing templates.

Current Finance Committee Projects:

    • Finalizing Finance Handbook for Districts and Groups.

Treasurer Trustee Job Description – Contact: [email protected]

Finance Committee Special Workers: Assistant Accountant – [email protected] and Treasurer Liaison – [email protected]

Hospitals and Institutions (H&I) Committee 

  • Helps carry the message to marijuana addicts who are confined or in-treatment.
  • Sets forth suggestive guidelines and provides support to Districts and MA members for service at hospitals and institutions.
  • Reviews the H&I Handbook, related pamphlets and literature.

Current Hospitals & Institutions Committee Projects:

    • Developing template materials that any District or group could use for contacting hospitals and institutions.
    • Responding to requests for information and literature from those who are institutionalized.

Hospitals and Institutions Trustee Job Description – Contact: [email protected]

Internet Committee 

  • Responsible for serving all of MA World Services’ internet-related functions.
  • Maintains the MA World Services Meeting Finder listings.
  • Supports the implementation of the PI website redesign.
  • Management and development of the websites and the MA App.

Current Internet Committee Projects:

    • Maintaining and updating the MA App.
    • Integrating the multiple separate WordPress websites that MA World Services holds folded into one.

Internet Trustee Job Description – Contact: [email protected]

Internet Special Workers: [email protected] and App Developer – [email protected]

Literature Committee

  • The Literature Committee is responsible for drafting and recommending for approval Marijuana Anonymous’ literature.

Literature Translations Subcommittee – [email protected]

  • Oversee the creation of new foreign language translations and share the translations handbook as guide for this process.
  • This includes translated versions of Conference-approved material such as Life with Hope and all MA pamphlets.

Stories Subcommittee – [email protected]

  • Seeks story submissions shedding light on stories of recovery that may not always be told. (e.g. detoxing, CHS, identity (gender, racial, religious, sexual), mental health, psychosis, seeking sobriety during different stages of life, cross addiction and support from other 12-Step fellowships.

  • The Stories sub-committee needs support to review these stories for their implementation in various projects.

Current Literature Committees Projects:

    • Develop new pamphlets for symptoms of cannabis abuse such as CHS and Psychosis, along with member detoxing stories.
    • Translations Subcommittee drafting a translations handbook and assisting with the literature translations.
      • In process: French, Spanish, Japanese, Farsi, Icelandic
    • Curating new stories for their use in various projects.

Literature Trustee Job Description – Contact: [email protected]

Newcomer Support

  • The Newcomer Support Committee responds to requests for support from those who are new to the MA fellowship by offering program and meeting information.
  • Newcomer Support occasionally hosts introductory workshops about Steps 1,2, and 3 and Sponsorship.

Current Newcomer Support Committee Projects:

    • Seeking committee members, (bilingual if possible) to help with responding to support requests.
    • Planning upcoming Steps 1-3 workshops and Sponsorship Q&A Panel.

Newcomer Support Trustee Job Description – Contact: [email protected]

Outreach Committee

  • Supports MA by facilitating correspondence and supportive guidance to Groups/Meetings and Districts throughout the world.
  • Works to ensure that new and established groups/meetings and districts receive support.
  • Maintains and develops the Outreach and Safety Handbooks, the New Meeting Starter Kit and the Resources Library.

Representation & Accessibility Subcommittee – [email protected]

  • Seeks ways to best support “our common welfare” (Tradition One), fulfill MA’s primary purpose of carrying “the message to the marijuana addict who still suffers” (Tradition Five), and ensure that all marijuana addicts with a desire to stop using marijuana feel welcome and safe in MA, and have access to the message of recovery (Tradition Three).
  • Assists with supporting underrepresented or marginalized identities so that all MA groups might feel free from the exclusion.  
  • Supports members, meetings and Districts by providing MA literature and business meeting information for handling safety issues, disruptive behavior or harassment. 

Current Outreach Committees Projects:

    • Contacting all registered Groups/Meetings within the Meeting Finder to ensure the meeting attributes are properly listed.
    • Curating the Outreach Handbook, Safety Handbook and resources.
    • Revising the New Meeting Starter Kit.
    • Creating an online library of meeting scripts, literature, and resources.

Outreach Liaison Trustee Job Description – Contact: [email protected]

Outreach Policies Trustee Job Description – Contact: [email protected]

Policies and Procedures (P&P) Committee

  • Responsible for issues concerning the structure and organization of Marijuana Anonymous World Service.
  • Considers the relationship between MA as a Society, MA World Services as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, and MA’s legal rights and obligations. Including debating and recommending policy changes in the Service Manual and other policy documents of MA.
  • P&P subcommittee “Service Inventory Group” (consisting of the President, Secretary, and P&P Trustees) helps to regulate any internal issues that may arise regarding 12 Traditions and placing Principles before Personalities.

Current Policies and Procedures Committees Projects:

    • Review the legal relationship between ANLP & MAWS Board & review ANLP Charter.
    • Forming a subcommittee to curate the History of MA.

Policies & Procedures Trustee Job Description – Contact: [email protected]

Public Information (PI) Committee

  • Sets forth the guidelines for information shared with the general public and includes investigating and developing ways to carry the message of recovery to marijuana addicts worldwide.
  • Functions include creating and recommending for approval: the Public Information Handbook for Districts on organizing and maintaining MA public service announcements and guidelines when communicating with the public at-large.
  • Responsible for the website content and social media and Social Media Handbook.

Website Redesign Subcommittee – [email protected]

Subcommittee of both the Public Information and the Internet Committees

  • Responsible for updating the MA World Service website content and functionality.
  • Boosting keyword usability and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Current Public Information Committee Projects:

    • Social Media Handbook for Groups/Meetings, Districts/Regions and World Services.
    • Website Redesign Subcommittee  has the goal of increasing the visuals throughout the website, curating the content in a way that utilizes storytelling, and facilitating a user’s journey that invites them to learn more about MA.

Public Information Trustee Job Description – Contact: [email protected]

Have general questions? Contact us: [email protected]