Fear-mongering headlines claiming that marijuana use causes birth defects, heart-attacks, and psychosis are common in the mainstream media. But newly published scientific evidence makes it clear that what is often portrayed as ‘conventional wisdom’ is really nothing more than ‘reefer madness.’

The ongoing effort by New Jersey Senate Democrats to legalize recreational marijuana took another step forward last week with the introduction of a bill by Senate Judiciary Chairman Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, that would legalize the possession and personal use of up to an ounce of marijuana in New Jersey for anyone 21 and older. Gov. Christie has promised to veto any bill that would legalize recreational pot, but all four major Democratic gubernatorial candidates favor legalization. The two major Republican candidates oppose it. Polls in New Jersey and nationally show growing support for legalization. Eight states already have legalized it in some form.The arguments for and against legalization are debated below by advocate Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, and by opponent Kevin A. Sabet, president and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana.

Given the current opioid crisis, the fact that marijuana remains on the Schedule One list of federally banned substances is a prime example of an obsolescent, dysfunctional government regulation that this administration would do well to repeal.

 "Marijuana positive drivers possess virtually no statistically significant crash risk compared to drug-free drivers after controlling for age and gender"

While Herzberg saw the legislation as only “token” opposition to Sessions’ anti-marijuana attitude, Kandice Hawes, executive director of the Orange County chapter of NORML, said the legislation was more than merely a statement worth making. “Cannabis business owners need a state law protecting their interests after going through a lengthy regulation process,” Hawes said.

"Nonetheless, the Governors’ report purports that drug-influenced drivers are overtaking drunken drivers as America’s primary traffic safety threat — an allegation so dubious that it motivated representatives from Mothers Against Drug Driving to publicly denounce the GHSA’s claims."

A panel of four experts — Paul Armentano of pro-legalized pot organization NORML, Berkeley scientist and professor Amanda Reiman, Vallejo Assistant City Manager Joanna Altman and Maurice Solis, operator of ReLeaf Alternative Healing, a medical marijuana dispensary in town — addressed the assembly from their own areas of expertise.

“The pivotal question that guides all of this is: What do you think about people who consume marijuana?” said Judd Golden, an attorney and board member of Colorado NORML, a group that advocates for legalization.

“Every single Democratic candidate for governor, a number of Republican candidates, and 60 percent of New Jersey residents support legalizing, regulating, and taxing cannabis in the Garden State,” said NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri. “It’s only a question of when, not if, in regards to legalization in New Jersey. We applaud the bill’s sponsors for getting the ball rolling by introducing this fiscally and socially responsible legislation that would spell the beginning of the end of marijuana prohibition in the state.”

Altieri also noted NORML will strongly advocate for improvements to the current draft, including the addition of home cultivation, but believes this bill represents a strong first step in the right direction and “indicates that there is a bright future ahead once rabid drug warrior Chris Christie is no longer in the governor’s office.”

Building on the success of a course in medical cannabis offered in March, Sonoma State University will be offering more courses in cannabis for professional development.

The Regulatory Environment portion of the workshop will be co-taught by criminal defense lawyer Omar Figueroa, state director of California National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Dale Gieringer, and attorney Lauren Mendelsohn, from Sebastopol.

"The government is worried about the feds cracking down if Colorado legalizes cannabis clubs. They are afraid of what could become a negative headline."

"She has her work cut out for her as executive director of the Alabama chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), which pushes for both recreational and medical marijuana. There’s no voter initiative process in Alabama like the ones that put legalization on ballots in other states, so she’s been limited to managing Alabama NORML’s Facebook page and trying to rally support to sway legislators."

“These tourists come from all over the country and the globe, representing a wide array of personal backgrounds and political beliefs. Many of these visitors may not necessarily take a ski trip in Colorado or spend a weekend in San Francisco,” he said. “[But] given its designation as one of the premier tourist destinations in the country, it is very likely many of those tens of millions of individuals will have their first interaction with the legal cannabis industry while [in Las Vegas].”

Jax Finkel, executive director of Texas NORML, lobbied at the capitol for the entire session to help see the MMJ bill through. “While it may not feel like it in the moment, we have actually experienced some wins in Texas,” Finkel wrote in a letter to disappointed MMJ patients and supporters.

Marijuana advocacy group National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws railed against NDAA's paper, claiming that the group was calling for the Cole Memo to be scrapped and for an increase in federal enforcement.

Erik Altieri, executive director of NORML, tells USA Today that the device “could make individuals who need [cannabis] more comfortable. They won’t run into their pastor or kindergarten teacher outside a dispensary.”

Justin Strekal, political director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), said the May 5 signing statement is troubling, even if a federal crackdown is not in the offing, because it could have “a chilling effect on a nascent industry.”

“We left our mark, but there’s so much work left for us to do,” said Jordan Person, executive director of Denver NORML, at a chapter meeting.

Federal legislation legalizing recreational use of marijuana is expected to be approved and in effect within about a year. But Toronto police continue to lay thousands of marijuana charges a year, according to the latest available statistics, most for simple possession of small amounts.

The Toronto Police Accountability Coalition (TPAC) sent a letter to the board May 8 asking chair Andy Pringle to request of the chief what his officers are doing, if anything, to exercise discretion on marijuana laws. The letter also asks the board and chief to report on other methods that are helping to ensure that those who would not be offending once legislation is in force will not be charged in the interim. 

Professor Alan Young and representatives of NORML Canada, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws,  agreed to join TPAC to speak in support at the board’s next regularly scheduled monthly meeting on May 23.

Meanwhile, activists are going to have to spend another legislative session looking to gain rights that, by 2019, likely will be commonplace throughout much of the country. Heather Fazio says it’s “going to be a campaign issue.”

“People want someone’s head on a pitchfork,” Texas NORML’s Finkel said after the bill’s demise. “They are frustrated and angry. And you know what? They should be. They are dying. It’s awful. But they’re going to have to get involved during the full cycle…We finally find this bipartisan bill that so many people could agree on, and it was too late.”

If the South seems hostile to change, at least when it comes to cannabis, it's partly because of places like Dothan, Alabama. Leah Graves, 32, lives in Dothan, and grew up in a tiny town about 30 minutes away. Like her neighbors, Graves was a “hardcore” Baptist. It was “basically mainstream to be super religious, go to church all the time,” she said, pouring extra cranberry sauce onto her Cracker Barrel turkey special. “There was something wrong with you if you didn’t.” And you definitely didn’t smoke marijuana.

She has her work cut out for her as executive director of the Alabama chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), which pushes for both recreational and medical marijuana. There’s no voter initiative process in Alabama like the ones that put legalization on ballots in other states, so she’s been limited to managing Alabama NORML’s Facebook page and trying to rally support to sway legislators. But religion is getting in the way. Often, friends privately express support for Graves’ efforts on marijuana but then refuse to take a public stance because they fear being judged by fellow churchgoers.

Justin Strekal, political director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the May 5 signing statement is troubling, even if a federal crackdown is not in the offing, because it could have “a chilling effect on a nascent industry.”

"If the City Council thought it could snuff out the smoking cannabis float by cooking up a bunch of patriotic verbiage, it would seem Christopher Cano, executive director of the Central Florida Chapter of NORML, is one step ahead of the paper pushers."

“On a Friday someone can drink until they are hospitalized, but as long as they show up Monday, they keep their job,” said Jason Strekal, NORML’s political director in Washington, D.C. “Heaven forbid that individual goes out and enjoys a joint, a meal and a movie. That would result in their termination.”

Jav Tovias is with Rio Grande NORML, "People come together and it's really a way to connect the citizens with the constituents we've been working with, so it's really bringing the community together across the state."

Higher Fellowships’ leaders organized the rally and spoke at length about removing the stigma around pot. There were guest speakers from the Indiana branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), and a free flowing conversation in the crowd about how marijuana has helped close relatives and friends.

A unique perspective came from a military veteran who yelled, “I fought for you to be able to use this courthouse!” as Young recounted the legal battle with the county commissioners.

Marijuana advocacy group National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws railed against NDAA’s paper, claiming that the group was calling for the Cole Memo to be scrapped and for an increase in federal enforcement.

“A state may undoubtedly choose not to criminalize or regulate marijuana,” NDAA officials wrote. “But a state law that affirmatively authorizes the production, distribution and use of marijuana stands as an obstacle to the comprehensive federal framework and is subject to preemption.”

Cannabis opponents know that the status quo is on their side, and that if they can just drag their feet and deflate the conversation in the name of 'needing more research,' that prohibition will stay in place.

The fact of the matter is that cannabis has been studied extensively over the decades, so much so that the amount of data out there for cannabis research dwarfs many other commonly used substances that are perfectly legal.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, NORML, is lobbying for secondary laws in marijuana-legalizing states to catch up to the basic legalization statutes.

“On a Friday someone can drink until they are hospitalized, but as long as they show up Monday, they keep their job,” said Justin Strekal, NORML’s political director in Washington, D.C. “Heaven forbid that individual goes out and enjoys a joint, a meal and a movie. That would result in their termination.”

He said there’s no correlation between someone’s marijuana consumption on a vacation and a decline in employment performance two weeks later.

“There are a lot of laws that need to be amended,” he said. “It’s an unsustainable policy.”