ProCon.org
| Owner | Steven C. Markoff |
|---|---|
| Website | www |
| Alexa rank | 59,835 (worldwide); 12,184 (USA) (as of March 2012) |
| Commercial | No |
| Launched | July 12, 2004 |
ProCon.org is a non-profit charitable organization headquartered in Santa Monica, California in the United States. It operates the ProCon.org website, an online resource for research on controversial issues. The content of ProCon.org is produced by five staff researchers, and its stated mission is “Promoting critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship by presenting controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, primarily .”
ProCon.org was formed under section 501(c)(3) of the US Internal Revenue Code as a public charity in Santa Monica on July 12, 2004 by Steven C. Markoff, a Los Angeles businessman, who is also the co-chairman of A-Mark Entertainment, a film production company.
The organization's first managing editor, Kamy Akhavan, was hired on December 12, 2004. ProCon.org's first appearance in the media was on June 6, 2005, when its material on medicinal marijuana was referenced by the BBC. Akhavan was promoted from Managing Editor to President in 2010. The organization's board of directors consists of Markoff, his wife Jadwiga S.Z.-Markoff, John Kurtz, Stanley F. Shimohara and Bruce McNall.
In addition, as of November 2, 2009, these materials were regularly being used by schools in all 50 states. Twelve international governments, 27 state governments, and many federal agencies have referenced ProCon.org including the US Dept. of Education, US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the Congressional Research Service. In 2008, the Library of Congress archived three of ProCon.org's webpages as "materials of historical importance to the Congress and to the American people." Its materials on medical marijuana have been used by such governmental entities as the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Congressional Research Service.
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