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NORML: Reefer Resolutions for 2005
As many NORML supporters may already know by now on the first day of 2005 Allen St. Pierre
assumed the leadership position at NORML as executive director.
He wants to offer Thanks to all the many citizens, lawyers and especially activists who've
provided him the education, spiritual support and trust to lead
NORML after the retirement of his friend and mentor Keith Stroup.
Keith is still active and can be reached via email at:
See > the story.
We want to
briefly apprise you of FIVE important projects and new directions NORML is pursuing to advance
and hopefully hasten cannabis law reform in the
United States:
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1.) NORML and the drug policy law reform movement is too white and male to succeed in
substantial social and legal reforms; NORML and the
drug policy law reform movement must successfully reach out to women, African Americans and
Latinos if we are to achieve genuine social change and law reform measures;
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2.) NORML needs to better employ emerging technology communication innovations,
principally through the internet, which will make it more
private, secure, cheaper, easier and faster to increase the size and influence of the
organization;
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3.) NORML needs to increase the financial and in-kind support the organization receives
from small businesses and like-minded business professionals;
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4.) According to national polling data, 26% of the country knows who NORML is and the
issue for which the organization serves as chief
advocate. For the successful passage of state and federal legislation ending cannabis
prohibition, many more millions of Americans
in the next few years must discover NORMLs important advocacy work. For example, One way to 'spread
the good word' about NORML (aside from you, the people) is through a series of small, but sustained regional advertising
campaigns;
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5.) Decriminalization and or legalization bills must be regularly introduced at both the
federal and state level. It appears unlikely that the
courts or executive branches are going to end cannabis prohibition anytime soon, leaving the
legislatures as cannabis law reformers' most
obvious target. However, these legislative efforts will fall upon deaf ears if cannabis
consumers and concerned citizens are not part
of an active and robust lobbying campaign.
In the 'chicken and egg' game that is often played out in Washington, DC, elected officials
and their staff must first be convinced that their
constituents support cannabis law reform measures before they?ll get behind most pro-reform
legislation. Often, in the twenty or so
states that allow them, binding (and non-binding) state initiatives are a good way to
demonstrate public sentiment.
While NORML simultaneously manages dozens of cannabis law reform projects on an annual
basis, the five above listed projects are NORMLs top-tier for 2005.
-Fun and easy project for all cannabis consumers in 2005-
There is one more project that you and your like-minded friends and family can have a definitive role in making a success and that is by making
plans to attend the 2005 NORML conference.
Input from NORMLs supporters is crucial for the national office's staff, NORMLs 115 chapters,
the 350 lawyers who comprise NORMLs National Legal Committee and officers to effectively
represent the interests of cannabis consumers and the general public.
You're invited to communicate directly with NORML by emailing
to: director@norml.org
Thank you for all the help and support which you generously provide NORML/NORML
Foundation. These organizations' important work, and cannabis law reform on the whole,
is not possible without the care and charitable support of cannabis consumers and
liberty-loving citizens like you.
Please make a 'reefer resolution' and start 2005 off with a donation to
NORML/NORML Foundation; visit:
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6371
Better yet, next time you consider consuming some cannabis, consider taking a brief moment and
let your elected policy makers know exactly how you feel about cannabis
prohibition. Go to: http://capwiz.com/norml2/dbq/officials/
How to effect change?
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chg the people
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chg the laws
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register, vote ...
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... nag everybody else to.
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to effect people, boycott
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other action ... activism!
Want to help? Want to do something?
[ACTN] - Take action!
[by yourself, at the least …]
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-register & vote. > where, when, how <
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-study the issues.
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-get involved, encourage others! …
fam, friends, co-workers, boss, public speaking
TALK & [WRITE] inform & ed; write Letters to-
IMPORTANT; send us copy and any
(feedback> Voters Guide [!] < ! )
[CONX] taking it to the streets …
making & entering CONTACTs (SignUp Sheet, Voter Reg, Pets, …)
as you ED people with COMMs; Signs, Chat, Handouts
[register & VOTE] - by …
[ORGZ’g] - Organizing
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-Do it yourself > the Jeff & Tracy story
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(b)-form Study & Letter writing ‘groups’ (!)
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-“tabling”; setting up booths at malls & events (campus!) to (a) and (b)
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-forming Groups, sub-Groups & COALITIONs
see refs to -ORGS & other Activists >
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-PET’g
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(!)-[How to] Petition; gathering signatures.
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-BOOTH’g & REG’g Voters
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(a)-[How to] Registering Voters and ...
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-helping (driving?) people to Vote.
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-“broadcast” the Issues! Form Study groups (campus!)
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-talk it up at home, work & play (!) > ORGZ’g
or, specifically Volunteer for an existing project …
[VOL!] - Volunteer
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-N/L > contributors, sales, graphics & photo
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-TECH > websters, DBAs, Hwre
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-STAFF > ? …
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-deliv
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-transp
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-art, music, etc.
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-acct’g
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-office
-
-constr
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-+! What do you do? (work) what do you want to do? (hobby)
or start up a project of your own with our -or-
other support > existing Orgs can use people to …
all this and more > List <
How can I help?
Members and others are needed to carry out these efforts:
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What you can also do to help the cause:
Write. Contact the media and legislative representatives and tell them how you
feel about the war. Write, email, call and fax your concerns on a regular
basis.
Spread the word. Tell your friends and neighbors about the cause and get them
involved. Speak before public interest and community groups. Form/join
neighborhood and local organizations.
Research. Look up information. Write stories and contribute. Update us with
News/info and help keep this Library current and functional.
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Some ideas 
* Water pistols and bong water
- is considered by some to be sophmoric in its roots and really will do little to help.
* Just Think,
3/4 of a million people arrested for marijuana charges last year.
If every one of those arrested demanded a trial for those charges,
It would shut the courts down.
*
With 10,000-12,000 USA marijuana arrests every week the media attention
(positive OR negative) alone could bring the issue to a head with
lightening speed.
* If hundreds of thousands of people were demanding jury trials, others
would go out of their way to get arrested just to join in the fun and
bring it all down faster-- especially if everyone filed a COUNTERSUIT in
response to their arrest! Countersuits could be for constitutional
issues, false arrest, improper procedures, overuse of force, infliction
of pain, etc.
* This could actually be the largest non-violent civil disobedience action
in the history of America. It could be a flashpoint.
* When you think about it, violent criminals demand jury trials much more
often than non-violent drug prey, becasue the violent system supports
the violent criminal and they get off easy, while thoughtful, peaceable
smokers, tokers, artists, trippers, intellectuals and seekers are the
bloody beef in the bull prison industry because they are the EASIEST
PREY.
* They will mercilessly intimidate you to plea bargain, but get out the
message:
"When you are assaulted by the Armed Prohibitionist Forces for
non-violent drug involvement--
DEMAND A JURY TRIAL!"
If you get busted demand a trial and
Tell everyone to demand a trial.
Also, the broader DPR movement should co-ordinate and mobilize a clear
and vocal physical presence at the most prominent drug trials of any
given moment anywhere in the country -- it doesn't have to be large --
but it should be constant.
* In florida, Cannabis Action Network is now applying for grants with several
foundations in order to be able to provide a toll free 24 hours legal
referral and screening service. So that we can clog up the courts with pot
cases and shut it down. I urge all other organizations to look at starting
a similar service with a network of attorneys willing to take low cost or
pro bono cases which have a good chance of being won on illegal search
grounds, etc.
ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE:
Meet With Your Representative! If your Representative voted against medical marijuana last year, set up a meeting with his or
her office. Contact them in any case and Give them stories from patients to use as testimony.
BUT DON'T STOP THERE! While this action item is focusing on the federal laws take this opportunity to express your
opinion to public servants at all levels. It is past time State, County and Municipal officials recognized and followed the will and law
of the people on this issue and stop aiding and abetting this war on sick and dying Americans.
Join With Others and start a Letter to the Editor campaign as well. Have an LTE Party of friends, family and other supporter
where everybody sits down and writes a letter to their congress-person, or to the local newspaper.
THEY need to hear testimony form Patients. Write it down where possible so they will be able to take it and show others.
Hand deliver it, email, fax. Put your stories forth.
Spread the Word. Recruit other Orgs and Biz. Survey and share the results. To congress, to the editors of all the
local media, to the organizations and businesses who support the war. This is the time to speak out, for your selfs and your loved
ones - for the now and the future.
Register, Vote and get Everyone You Know to Do So Also! Check out the initiatives and campaigns available and affecting
you in your area. Publicize and support voter registration events and awareness-raising action items such as Petition signature
gathering.
Thank you for your participation. With your help we can put an end to the senseless raids of medical marijuana patients and
providers, and assure that sick and dying patients have safe and legal access to their medicine. ALSO, Check Out OMMA/2 and
take Direct Action TODAY, TOMORROW and On Until Victory!
Things we can do:
* Marches, Rallies, HempFests and other
such Events for raising awareness and few $.
See Events
for ideas. Not only do we get our days in the sun but the sign making
parties and other team activities are learning & growing opportunities
as well.
* Put together a Film Fest. Get
all the old favorites ("Reefer Madness", "Assassin of Youth") as well as
the latest ("Grass", "Saving Grace", "Traffic"). Educate as well
as entertain.
* Hemp Fashion Show. A very good
way to demonstrate the value of hemp.
People are learning that hemp
clothing is not only more durable and comfortable but as versatile as any
other material. Find a local retailer and establish a mutually beneficial
relationship.
* Hemp Pot Luck. (pun intended)
Get together and have a hemp food cook off. If we do it right, it
could be a yearly event (like a chili feed) and draw media as well as be
a tasty way to inform & educate.
* Lobbying and other political action.
Letter writing and calling campaigns do have an effect, especially when
legislators get them in batches.
WHAT SHOULD I DO for Medical Marijuana?
1. ORGANIZE YOUR COMMUNITY: Call a meeting of all activists who are committed to human rights, health rights,
civil liberties, and democracy to help join your community into the emergency response network. Set up a phone
tree and get going!
2. COMMIT YOUR NETWORK: Print out the "Pledge of Resistance" at and build up your
local network.
3. FLEX YOUR BRAINS: Come up with creative, non-violent actions that will disrupt business-as-usual at your local DEA outpost
and demand that they "evict the premises" for violating human rights' by expanding their war on medical marijuana patients. A
citizen's arrest? A people's moving truck? A banner hung for the world to see? You decide! We'll provide
you with materials, media support, local contacts and all the assistance you need to pull off a great action.
4. CHOOSE YOUR TARGET: Find your nearest DEA office. A list of office locations is pasted at the end of this message.
Call to confirm.
5. GET YOUR MATERIALS: Download the ASA Organizer's manuals from
Print out a "eviction" order to post at your local DEA outpost.
6. CONNECT YOUR ACTION: Drop an e-mail to info@safeaccessnow.org that includes
your name, the address of your local DEA outpost, your phone number, your e-mail address and a brief description of your action (blockade,
banner hang, non-violent civil disobedience, rally, march etc.) so we can announce your action to other activists. Next, join the
emergency response listserve with a blank email to asa-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
7. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: If you need legal support (observers or permits or other questions) contact your local National
Lawyers Guild at
8. MAKE YOUR MEDIA: A sample press release will go out shortly. If you need help reaching out to reporters,
contact us at 510.486.8083 or info@safeaccessnow.org. Also, be sure to contact your local
Independent Media Center at for videographers and independent coverage.
9. MAKE YOUR MOVE: ALL ACTIONS SHOULD HAPPEN ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH AT NOON.
If we coordinate ourselves well, we'll be able to pull off a nation-wide action to push back the DEA and demand safe access to medical
marijuana.
10. KEEP IN TOUCH: This is the fourth in a series of direct actions. In addition to proactive national days of action,
we ask folks to be prepared to do direct action in the case of more DEA raids on medical marijuana patients and providers. Through
the emergency response listserv, we will notify folks of DEA raids as soon as they happen. To keep the pressure on, we need to
respond to these raids FAST. We encourage sustained resistance to these events as they unfold through creative non-violent
tactics. From phone calls to sit-ins to spontaneous street theater, we'll work to support your local actions with a national network of
assistance and support.
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Things you the individual can do:
* Join up & speak out. Spread the word.
* Write to & meet with media and legislators on your own.
One on one communications can be effective if done right. The effort
to educate this sector is neverending.
* Vote!
* Recruit others to all the above.
* Support your local chapter or affiliate. Not only
with membership (financial) but in their daily operations. (database, web
page maint, answering phones & emails)
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What can you do right now to support hemp?
Educate learn about the benefits of hemp and educate those around you, including your community and political leaders.
Purchase and read such informative guides as Chris Conrad book Hemp: Lifeline To The Future,
HempTechs Industrial Hemp, The Emperor Wears No Clothes by Jack Herer
and The Great Book Of Hemp by Rowan Robinson. Donate copies to your local library and/or send copies to your elected
officials along with a letter informing them of the many practical uses or hemp. During hearings regarding industrial hemp
legislation in Vermont, hemp proponents in the House of Representatives both cited and distributed copies of industrial hemp to members
of the state legislature. Many legislators were positively influenced by the booklet.
Teach farmers about the value of hemp: even though the sale of American hemp products are on the rise, federal prohibition of
industrial hemp cultivation continues to effectively shut out the Americana farmer from this booming market. Educate the farmer
in your area of the value of hemp as a vital agricultural resource and make them aware of the need to end hemp prohibition. In the
wake of declining tobacco sales, many farmers are actively searching for an economically viable, low maintenance alternative crop.
Explain to them hemp is the answer.
Encourage farm organizations to endorse hemp cultivation: the American farm industry is one of Americas most
influential lobbies on both the national and state level. For example, two chief backers of Colorado's hemp proposal were the
Colorado Farm Bureau and Colorado State Grange. Encourage local farm organizations in your state to become involved in the
movement to end hemp prohibition and actively lobby for reform. In addition, contact the American Farm Bureau
(call 202-457-3600 or write to: 600 Maryland Ave. SW, #800, Washington, DC 20024) and tell them that you support endorsing domestic
hemp production. Request that they become more active and vocal in their support for industrial hemp on the federal level.
Target the media: people in general and the media specifically are receptive to hearing about new job and business opportunities
that will also benefit the environment. Encourage your local media to feature articles on industrial hemp by writing letters to the
editor, op-eds, and/or sending corespondents weekly press releases (call for more details). Recent articles in such publications
as Wired, Vegetarian Times, New Age Journal, The Environmental Magazine and The Washington Post have provided needed publicity
to the blossoming hemp movement and have heightened national awareness of hemp's industrial value. Encourage additional
media outlets to cover the latest hemp-related stories such as the recent planting that took place on American Indian soil so they can learn
the truth about hemp.
Write your representatives: write a letter to your local representatives and members of congress informing them that, as a voter,
the issue of industrial hemp is important to you. Elaborate on the many uses of industrial hemp and explain why you support
repealing its prohibition. Be sure to stress hemp's ecological and economic benefits, including the creation of jobs. (Its
very difficult for a politician to argue against an issue that is good for both the environment and the economy.) Request that they
introduce legislation that would amend the federal and/or state law to allow research to take place on the viability of domestic hemp
cultivation.
Join the nearest (or form your own!) cannabis law reform organization. It is their mission objective to educate the public
and national media and lobby for hemp reform. Often comprised of a staff of dedicated volunteer individuals, they work to
establish teams that will feature a variety of distinguished activists, scientists, researchers, and farmers, well as host legal committees that
they hope will include many skilled attorneys statewide and nationally who will specialize in cannabis law. They, through you,
serve as a local voice with national connections to the millions of Americans who believe it is both counter-productive and unjust to deny
individuals the right to cultivate hemp as an industrial source.
Many organizations are planning important steps to end Cannabis Prohibition and now is a good time to begin taking a more active role in
the marijuana law reform efforts in your region and nationally. For nominal membership dues you often receive monthly
newsletters and other publications that will keep you apprised of the latest developments in the field and in capitol buildings, and alert you
when a vote is scheduled and the need is crucial for a letter to your state or federal elected officials. And you’ll be informed of
national and regional activist meetings where you can meet other reform advocates and help shape reform efforts around the country.
Buy hemp products: support the growing hemp market by purchasing hemp goods and frequenting retail outlets that distribute
hemp products. As hemp becomes more common in the marketplace, it will become harder to stigmatize. In 1990-1996,
American sales of hemp products have grown from less than $1 million to an estimated $50 million. Let your political leaders and
manufactures know that the hemp market is a legitimate and growing industry and not just a passing fad. Encourage local retail
outlets to carry hemp-based products. The most effective way for a community to learn and appreciate the value of hemp is to
become familiarized with its various products and practical uses in daily life. The retail community and the consumer can make
this a reality.
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Also, here's yet another idea for Cannabis Law Reform activists and other Friends of Freedom,
Check out the online petition "Stop Arresting Marijuana Users" hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com, the free online petition service, at:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/samu2002/
Sign up & speak out!
At the same time we would like to put out a call for information. All activists and organizations that want to be listed on our ORGs Links pages should send their contact info to the OpdxN Librarian at:
librarian@pdxnorml.org
The info will be listed on the ORGs pages and will also be used to promote & help organize activism thru the web and other media including print (newsletters, etc).
Just send as much public contact info: who, where (location), when (if you hold regular meetings), what (you have a medical focus, hemp, or basic liberty. Initiatives or other action?), how to contact (phone, org email, URL) and we'll post it and update you with the responses.
Thanx and good luck to you! Once more into the breach, my friends …
Perry, a NORML person,
Librarian
the Old pdxNORML
Website & Online Library
E-mail the Librarian
with questions, comments ... or ideas! Please give us some feedback - stop
by and sign the Guestbook.
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how does imprisoning and fining marijuana offenders and trying to make them unemployed and
homeless promote "family values"?
