The message from our big wins on Election Day has already begun to reverberate around the nation. Right on the heels of the votes in Washington and Colorado, several other states (and countries!) are already beginning to consider similar measures in their legislature.
Last week, representatives from Maine and Rhode Island announced their intentions to introduce legislation that would tax and regulate marijuana in their respective states. Rep. Diane Russell of Maine and Rep. Edit Ajello from Rhode Island will be submitting these bills soon. Reports from Marijuana Policy Project indicated that Vermont and Massachusetts intend to follow suit.
Reform is spreading as far as Iowa. Today, Rep. Bruce Hunter announced his intentions of not only reintroducing his medical marijuana measure, but also a bill that would decriminalize the possession of cannabis.
The push for sensible reforms does not end at the state level, this week 18 members of the House of Representatives cosigned a letter sent to Attorney General Eric Holder and Drug Enforcement Administrator Michele Leonhart urging them to respect states that chose to experiment with new approaches to marijuana. You can read the full text of the letter here.
Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) also declared that she will soon introduce legislation, entitled the “Respect States’ and Citizens’ Rights Act,” which would exempt states where voters have legalized cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances Act provisions related to the substance.
Leaders outside of the United States have also been following these recent reform efforts closely. Uruguay has just introduced legislation into their congress that would legalize the possession, cultivation, and state-controlled production of marijuana. In Mexico, lawmaker Fernando Belaunzaran of Party of the Democratic Revolution has introduced legislation that also aims to legalize the production, sale and use of marijuana.
Now that two states have legalized marijuana, the floodgates of reform have opened and each day more Americans, and people around the globe, are waking up to the reality that the prohibition of marijuana has been an utter failure. The statement delivered by the voters of Colorado and Washington is that we must regulate marijuana and do away with the societal ills caused by prohibition. Further, it showed that if the government isn’t willing to take the first step, the people will do it for them. We can only hope this recent wave of reform measures is just the beginning and we must work diligently to spread these rational policies nationwide. If history is any indication, like alcohol prohibition before it, the one on marijuana will crumble at an accelerated rate as more Americans continue to stand up, in growing numbers, and demand sensible marijuana policy.
Ruminating on the ‘domino effect’ of change, President Eisenhower once stated, “You have a row of dominoes set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly.”
May it be so with marijuana legalization.
I don’t do cannabis, ever. But I would volunteer to knock on doors and stand on street corners with signs to see that it is legalized in the USA.
This means so much to so many. Repeal can’t happen fast enough for us old guys.
Beautiful movement lets keep up the positivity
Well said Erik……….the political bandwagon has started.
Free the weed
Thanks NORML
I think Obama is not touching this cause he knows whats happening,am sure Obama had this looked into before hes reelection on nov 6 .But i bet even he didn’t see this coming tho 🙂 4 states and 2 countries following CO WA lead !!!
Virginia needs to do something…
Somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming!! Everyone kept saying 5 more years it will be legal, but this is happening faster than we all know it!! We all have to stand up for nature though and not let the greedy corporations take this over and rape us with it…Soon we will have GMO cannabis that doesnt reproduce like most other crops in america. (like 80% of our corn is GMO) Or….they will tell you; sure you can have a license to grow or possess cannabis, but you cant own a gun or any weapons…you choose….im glad we are leaning towards a more sensible policy but we have to be careful where this may end up.
My thoughts are that they probably will never be able to regulate all the cannabis (yes lets stop calling it marijuana, it is a name used in the light of racism) as far as controlling seeds, it is a weed for crying out loud, a very useful weed at that!! And if it is legal to possess something that can be found growing in a ditch, then why would we not be able to have plants, any number of them. If everyone can access it and grow it themselves there will be no need to commercialize it. It will be as common as an herb garden and might be mixed with rosemary and thyme and other herbs you may be growing.
But what will probably happen is, you will be taxed based on how many plants you are registered to grow and if you break the rules you could be fined a hefty tax, and possibly face jail time. I would be ok with that i guess as long as the tax wasnt too much and it didnt require inspections as long as you were not distributing it to wholesalers, etc.
We are going to need a lot of people with microscopes and a minor in biology to identify foreign objects / contaminates in cannabis. Also do basic chemical tests for Ph levels and residual fertilizers, possibility of being toxic (which everyone knows, cannabis, in its natural form, has never harmed anyone or anything). This will qualify whether or not a batch of cannabis can be sold. That batch will then be stamped with your grower registration number or maybe just your id number / driver license, so that if medical evidence finds that you are responsible for poisoning someone, that batch of cannabis can be traced back to its grower…sorry got bored for a moment, i could go on and on about regulations and how they could control it….someone please contact me if you want some good ideas. (and yes they are just ideas, some can be dumb, its called brainstorming, you just write down everything that comes to mind.)
First! Take that derik
I hope Mexico legalizes. That would really shake things up. If they do that, It would hurt the cartels bad.
Experiment!? I am outraged… this is and will NEVER be an experiment. This is our destiny and let it manifest like it did back then! ^_^
Its great to see that many members of congress are looking at this with open eyes, and more importantly open ears. One only has to look at the polls, blogs and petitions to see that the voters want change. The People in America and around the World are grow ever more tired and angry seeing just how the feds and dea spend the tax payers money, and now we have reached a tipping point (or are close to it). I just hope they start getting the message the voters, the American People, are saying. “Not only are we not going away. But we are gaining speed and numbers.” Sometimes its that one voice that can make the difference. Speak up and Vote!
“Stop the Lies, Legalize!”
So apparently the process is different in MN, making it impossible to do exactly what CO and WA did in the same way. What can we do in this corner of the country? I’ve already contacted one of my local representatives, what now?
More like a snowball rolling down a hill – It always goes faster than you expect and gets larger than you imagined. No one is making any predictions about how fast change will happen but how many states need to be in conflict with federal law for them to actually do something ? (positive or negative). The federal government can’t simply just go after the state-legal enterprises once they open up since it requires additional funding and it attacks a fundamental part of American life – free enterprise. People may have disagreed with the feds before now but they are fast loosing any respect and credibility they had left.
Alcohol prohibition was still going strong a year before it all fell apart. I am looking forward to watching marijuana prohibition’s demise.
“Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) also declared that she will soon introduce legislation…”
Tell us when this happens, NORML, so we can write our Reps.
…and in the meantime until your state legalizes learn all you can about jury nullification. Go to sites such as FIJA and NHJury.com to learn how good people (jurors) can nullify bad laws…going to jail over a plant doesn’t have to happen.
My hope is not only legalization of cannabis but the reclassification of hemp as well. This is an exciting time to bear witness, to the change occurring is this great nation.
write your reps now, it’s on it’s way down the pike anyway!
you all have to realize this is not something that is going to come across federally easily (hemp) the timber companies will fight this tooth and nail because it will take away their business, paper, rope all kinds of things that are made from wood can be made of hemp. that is going to be the biggest hurdle of all, i’m sorry to say.
Let the Southern States and especially the state of Georgia get on board with the rest of the nation. Let Georgia be out front in the South and lead on this issue. Where are you Georgians???
Ain’t it funny how the politicians’ opinions on things seem to change with that of the public’s? Sure, some will go down fighting, and politically “die in their boots,” so to speak. But don’t feel sad for them – no. They will be okay. Some rich business owner with the same crusty, old opinion on the same, carbon-dated policy will give them a nice job in some cubicle somewhere. They’ll be paid well, that you can count on.
“Hey, former Sen Snuffy was voted out just because he voted against drugs and children, and puppies and rainbows. He actually BELIEVES in Santa and the Easter Bunny and junk. I gotta hook him up!”
It won’t be as MUCH money, mind you. Oh, they’ll have to downsize that house by a few bedrooms, and trade in that new Lexis for a nice, used Ford. Also, they won’t be able to give their friends those new Rolex watches each year, but hey…their idiotic, ideological, out-dated, nobody-wants-it-and-thinks-it’s-a-dumbass-waste-of-lives-and-money policy is based on truth and sound science, and only helps protect the public and our children by keeping drugs out of the hands of people.
LMFAOROTFF!!!
Sha-Na-Na – HEY
Sha-Na-Na – HEY
Hey hey hey – GOOD-BYE!!!!!
Uncle Larry,
What do you mean we can’t vote to change our state consitution? We just voted this year against Voter ID and the Marriage Ammendment which would have done those exact things. For bills to make the ballot they must be approved, for vote by the public, by a 60% majority of the legislature. If we let our elected officials know our desires they will vote to put in on the ballet.
Come on people in Minnesota let your voice be heard to get the movement going here. Please contact your state rep and nicely tell them how feel about marijuana. We need everyone to speak up. So far we haven’t heard anything about moving towards medical or leaglization here in good ol Minnesota.
OMG it’s happening!
You can be whatever you want
When you’re high, walk slowly
With a spirit by your side 🙂
@Justin: “Virginia needs to do something…”
Haven’t you noticed? Virginia is doing something! They are dead set up keeping marijuana illegal and locking up as many of us as they can catch. If you want legal marijuana your best bet is to leave this land of big tobacco since the political leaders here have not seen the sun (because of where their heads are stuck) for years…
A perfect example of what I’m talking about is David B. Albo (born April 18, 1962). He’s a Republican politician from the Commonwealth of Virginia, USA. He represents the 42nd District of the Virginia House of Delegates and has been a member since 1994. This guy seems to have made it his life’s work to do all he can to prevent anyone from ever experiencing the joy that cannabis can provide or to allow any kind of medical treatment from it. It boggles my mind that this jerk is one of the leaders of our state… We have got to get rid of this guy and others like him. For now, this is why we are so far behind other states and may be one of the last to make any progress on this issue.
When you try writing to Virginia’s leaders, they ignore you. They don’t care! I’d love to hear from anyone out there that knows of any Virginian politicians that don’t match up to my description of them.
I hope this all changes soon but for now I sort of wish they would all just die! Surely whomever might replace them will be an improvement.
NORML has been at the forefront on legalization and deserves a lot credit. Thank you NORML. I contribute to our cause as I can and hope new people here understand that you need cash to keep up the good fight. Please contribute to NORML for all our sakes.
No, I don’t have any affiliation with NORML other than financial support. Please give a little if you can.
Where going to win this…just a matter of time, resources, and education.
The flood gates of change are wide open…Wake up Kentucky!!! Legalize cannabis and hemp!!!
I want to toke anywhere in PA and all other 49 states. I want to legally buy nugs either in quarter ounces, 20-pak joints or 5 pack blunts for ~$20 + I want to pay taxes on it so my country will get better and put those greedy worms in the cartels OUT of business. I want to smoke a phat doobie to the head on my lawn when it’s daytime.
Keep it going, NORML!!! Although I’m an Obama supporter, marijuana reform is the one of the few issues I disagree with him. I’m not an one-issue voter and the only politician I would ever agree with 100% is me running for public office (which ain’t happening anytime soon). So, despite his views on this issue, he still got my vote.
However, changes doesn’t come from within Washington. It comes from outside of it. NORML and others engaged in this cause are going about it effectively and are pushing the federal government in a way that can’t easily be ignored. And they are working the issue from more than one angle.
For those of you who are doubtful about the impact of what happened in Washington and Colorado, you need to understand that as long as states continue to enforce their own laws against marijuana, the federal laws remain strong. If more states stop playing along with this, increasingly the feds will be on their own. This is exactly how Prohibition ended in 1933. And this is also why former DEA officials frantically wrote to Eric Holder begging him to do something about Washington, Colorado, and Oregon. They knew the possible ramifications and were justifiably frightened.
So, keep it up NORML!!!
We need to provide legal access to marijuana to the sick in every state. There are so many people suffering. It would be nice to legalize and handle it like alcohol. It is a huge cash crop already. Imagine the taxes it would raise. Also think about all the other uses for hemp (paper, cloth and bio-fuels)
I noticed that Jim Mran signed the petition and I think he represent a district in Nothern Virginia. Yeah Jim.
@Ruth: Jim Moran is indeed the representative from Northern VA. He also was a co-sponsor of HR2305: The Ending Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2012.
If Obama had a brain he would look at marihuana legalization as an opportunity. FDR was the one who ended prohibition in 1933. Ending marijuana prohibition would definitely put him in the history books. Along with his Noble Peace Prize.
Looking back on all the things that marijuana laws have brought on us.
1. Overbearing law enforcement
They have proven there is no limit to what they would do for federal funding.
2. Drug testing.
Not only has the constitution been rewritten but this attacked the very lively hood of its citizens.
3. Federal Distrust
The absolute arrogance in which Our Federal Government has orchestrated such system of Lias and Misinformation on its own citizens.
Thanks NORML
*!!!FORWARD MOMENTUM”!!!*
*!!ONWARD HO!!*
Where are the ‘hacktivists’ like Anonymous? It might be quicker if they just wiped out some DEA files.
OMG! Jim Moran of Northern VA!!! It seems that some VA Representatives are worthy after all 🙂
Let’s get rid of the rest of them though!
I recently learned that Mark Warner won’t run for Gov of our state again. He, in my opinion, has been a good governor in most ways but his stance on marijuana is unacceptable unfortunately so I’m glad he will be replaced. I only hope it is by someone who is sympathetic and knowledgeable about marijuana prohibition and will help to end it.
I like this. Alcohol is so much worse and I can grab a six pack that can mess me up but I can’t roll joint and eat some fritos. Thanks to my generation people will appreciate the drug that doesn’t cause car fatalities and domestic disturbances. We the people. We choose choice. We choose change.
I only wish that Mr Herrer could see all this happening.
@ Miles
I’m from Alabama and we have the same problem as you when contacting elected officials. They simply ignore e-mails or won’t take telephone calls when they find out what you want to talk about. I was told to not contact them again because their stance will not change. That’s not a democracy. I had sent an e-mail to the director of NORML to talk about this but it got forwarded to someone else who copied and pasted like 3 statistics about support for legalization and to try again. I really don’t like using that many statistics because they can just throw some others back at me that back up their point
What I also asked about in the e-mail was to try and get NORML to start a campaign dubbed “Let’s blow the deficit UP IN SMOKE” for legalizing and taxing it, but whoever wrote me back didn’t even respond to that. They just gave me more statistics to send to my senator. I didn’t even ask for that, I asked about getting a campaign started because that’s the only way some of us are going to have a voice, a national campaign. I think its a little childish and naive to believe that playing e-mail and phone tag copying and pasting numbers is going to get this done. We need this in the public’s eye to gain even more support.
@Erik Altieri, what do you think about that? A national campaign advocating for the end of federal marijuana prohibition?
[Editor’s note: 1) goofy publicity stunts don’t change laws (try such in Alabama and see where this gets with your legislators…) and 2) unfortunately, the federal and state budget deficits are so enormous that the taxes derived from legalized cannabis will not substantially reduce the deficits, rendering publicity stunts like “Let’s blow the deficit UP IN SMOKE” as being little more than hyperbole.
FYI: The high end estimates on America’s currently Prohibition-priced cannabis economy is about $40 billion annually, while the country’s budget deficit is around $16 trillion.
>A national campaign advocating for the end of federal marijuana prohibition?
What do you think you’re participating in? This is a forty-two year old ‘national advertising campaign’….and many other groups (ACLU, DPA, LEAP, SSDP, SAFER, MPP, etc…) have been doing the heavy lifting for years. You seem to not be knowledgeable of such and want to re-invent the wheel.
Join a cannabis law reform group, including your local NORML chapter in AL, so you’ll be up to speed.]
You gotta move fast on these bills. It has to be done within the first 100 days, along with whatever other shit hits the fan. Who knows what that could be? More war in the Middle East, and the U.S. remains mired there as the world’s policeman. That costs money.
This problem has to be dealt with. The bills need left and right support, and from both the state and federal levels. Limbaugh had better be for legalization. It’s going to happen anyway, and since his guy lost he may become less relevant to some on this. Look, if you want to reduce the tax increase on the rich (R), and if you want to reduce the number of federal jobs that are going to get cut in the sequestration process to reconcile the budget (D) then pass this into law.
Everybody is hurting. Everybody benefits from this money to spread the financial burden over a wider number of people. People need that money. They need jobs. They want to pay taxes to enforce unnecessary laws prohibiting cannabis.
It’s a minor thing. People are focused on Gaza and Thanksgiving. Convene an international meeting to allow cannabis legalization according to international treaty. Make it an exemption, remove it altogehter, just have the damn meeting to give the green light to the lawmakers around the world whom the U.S. has been holding back all these years.
Big Pharma had better back off. Bill Clinton was on doing his part to inform the public that prescription meds kill more people, etc. Did he mention anything about in 5,000 years there’s been no recorded death of cannabis use basely soley on cannabis, not a car accident to boot.
It’s all about Responsible Use, people. Just like the responsible use of alcohol. If you have any kind of public service ads after legalization, they should be about responsible use. Well, if you don’t have them, then what the hell are you going to respond to the criticism about what the government is doing to mininmize the negative consequences like with alcohol.
They can advertize booze on tv, so will you let them advertise pot? No leaf? Not at all because it’s smoked. Like alcohol, it can be ingested. Well, what’s your answer? That’s what the international meeting/convention, whatever the hell you want to call it, is for.
I want to see things coming together next week, after Thanksgiving, when Obama’s team gets going to avoid this fiscal cliff shit. Publicly announce the progress of the bills. Schedule the damn international meeting! Schedule the hearings and subsequent vote and passage of the bill into law after the international meeting to give the attendees time to put together reports and presentations in favor of legalization. The Dutch dick wants to make hashish illegal in The Netherlands. Well, that can be discussed, too, but just forget about making hash illegal. I’m going to dictate what the outcome is: you can make the amount of hash adults can buy at one time lower than for bud. It’s 5g for bud, so make it 2g or 3g for resin, so many ml for oil.
Hold the freakin’ meeting already.
You could be putting money into the cash flow stream by this spring.
Do it! Do I have to think of everything!
I read that, in states that legalized marijuana, there are actually a few counties where the police/lawyers announced their intentions to prosecute Prohibition right up until the very moment freedom takes effect. They are proving that Prohibtion is only about $$$.
Every prisoner in jail, every death in this drug war, is merely about supporting the Prohibition enforcement industry. When freedom and liberty finally spreads across America, what will these killers do?
John McClane: Not if it stays predominately illegal in the States. The Cartel revenue comes from exporting. What this will do, however, is give the US Government an ultimatum. Either face a huge influx of Mexican imported marijuana that will likely increase violence by the cartels, or legalize marijuana on a federal level in the US.
Getting rid of medieval prohibition could never have happened on the shoulders of a single individual, a president passing an executive order. The backlash would focus on “one bad guy who is a druggie” or other personal attacks.
Congress would never have done it since their re-elections and the continuance of their career politician status would be held in jeopardy. Congress is like a high school debate where two factions constantly try to one-up each other, and the people observe this and think “politics” is about bickering, stonewalling, and self-interest.
The people had to get the ball rolling. Special interests and their paid shills/lobbyists/kickback distributors constantly interfere in the legislature by dishing out “campaign contributions” which is a euphemism for bribery, since campaign success almost always hinges on the amount of money spent. That’s why legislators spend a great deal of time on the phone, fundraising (begging for dollars), to stay in office, where their votes are easily bought and sold.
The people are starting to lead and the elected officials we call “leaders” (even though that is absurd) better figure out how to prevent what I see, imo, as an imminent backlash against obvious corruption and stupidity, derelictions of duty, and pointless, baseless “scheduling” of drugs. Nixon and attorney John Mitchell created this joke of a drug classification, not for safety, but to create a policy of imprisonment for people who use substances they disapprove of, regardless of relative safety. Schedule 1 means a substance is 1) lacking any medical use and 2) has a high potential for [potentially lethal] abuse. CANNABIS CLEARLY FITS NEITHER OF THESE DESCRIPTIONS. And these bureaucrats have parroted this nonsense at the expense of intellectual honesty, serving the public through reasonable policy, and not being swayed or bought-out by the highest bidder.
There is no way to justify schedule 1 status is justified for cannabis. It was part of an unscientific, manufactured scheme by Nixon and his AG, within the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). After the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act (obscenely corrupt), Timothy Leary won in a Supreme Court decision that made the Stamp Act unenforceable, unlawful. So Nixon started the drug war. Attorney General John Mitchell, ONE GUY, then arbitrarily and wrongfully inserted cannabis into the schedule 1 pigeon hole. ONE GUY. Then the legislature, who did not realize Mexican Marijuana, the new threat, was the very same thing as Hemp, an invaluable crop for myriad uses, likely the first plant cultivated by humans.
The history of corrupt legislative attempts to eradicate the plant to extinction and to also control people by controlling their appetites and liberties as free people, would be laughable if it were not so tragic in terms of wasted resources, wasted time, productive people imprisoned, people killed, proliferation of murderous drug cartels, and letting the “elite” keep down the minorities by penalizing them disproportionately in for-profit prisons.
Only the people could put an end to prohibition because the assumption that elected officials are “leaders” and care most about you (ha) is nonsense. Elected officials are not leaders or anything, they are the guardians of the status quo.
NORML should strongly encourage Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) to introduce her legislation immediately and push to get it included with the “Fiscal cliff” legislative bargain in the lame duck session of Congress. There will probably be other major legislation wrapped up in that bill as well, such as the Agriculture Bill and possibly an immigration bill. That will likely become effective on January 1, and then pot would be a states’ issue that quickly. The Controlled Substances Act and Justice Department prosecution of pot could be history in just six weeks from now! The timing is perfect to push hard for that to happen.
[Editor’s note: Post the recent election, there are numerous members of Congress who’ve met with reform groups like NORML, and there will be competing legislation in the coming session to reform federal cannabis laws (which may mean just passing legislation not challenging states’ efforts to legalize cannabis).]
Maryland needs to hop on the bandwagon.
Fingers crossed Iowa Gov. Branstad said he will veto any Legislation on Marijuana reform.
Anslinger is spinning in his grave 🙂
J H- Apparently there is a difference in the process. I think the deal is that we can’t get an initiative/measure on the ballot as easily as in some other states- I believe the distance/stages between a petition and a vote is greater. Something like that. They brought up this issue on our local news a couple of weeks ago, saying it’s just not as easy in our state as in WA, CO. It’s a bummer!
This whole thing (prohibition) is on the verge of falling apart right before our eyes! This is a very historic movement in our country and will be compared to the repeal of alcohol prohibition.
Although I am very perplexed at the notion that alcohol prohibition required a Constitutional Amendment, whereas marijuana prohibition was merely enacted by Congressional statute. Our nation should be incensed that the CSA is even constitutional in the first place. I believe that NORML has even litigated this very issue, and regrettably, the courts sided with the government. The constitutional upholding of the CSA truly represents the dilution of many Constitutional principles. It’s a sad day in America when the Government is more powerful than the Constitution. (In my opinion, the CSA is also an unconstitutional, governmental interference with private contract, but that’s another issue altogether.)
Texas needs to step up being the largest state and all.
@jedthehed: Amen.
@matt: A lot of good points, but there’s no reason we should we have to be registered and taxed to grow our own. After all, we can make wine, brew beer or grow tobacco for personal use without that kind of oppressive oversight.
Life has just gotten better.
Thank god! Tennessee needs to hurry up!
So industrial hemp cool now?
: )
I think that alot of this is up to Barack Obama now and I can only hope that he makes a good and proper choice.
Although I’m having a hard time believing the progress of these initiatives, I’m extremely excited that NORML and other organizations are pushing forward like a locomotive running behind schedule. Like snapu23 (4 spots before my post), I am a die-hard Obama supporter, and I firmly believe Obama will support these initiatives if enough Americans let their voices be heard just as they did in our recent election. In my humble opinion, once five or six more States follow in the footsteps of Colorado and Washington, the federal government will have their backs against a very hard wall and will have no choice but to the back off and let States do their thing regarding this issue. Thanks again NORML
Are there any lawyers here that could shed some more light on the differences between the different processes in different states?
Unfortunatly i live in South Carolina. I too have wriiten to all my representatives and only recieved one response. That was from senator lindsay grahman who is against any form of legalization, including medical use. If im ever gonna get pain relief i will have to move, since morphine isn’t working anymore, cause South Carolina will definitly be the very last state to follow suit if ever! 🙁
.
I can’t wait for Kentucky to jump on board.
Remember, votes count folks. The establishment will listen to nothing else. Votes in the jury box, votes in the ballot box, votes for money for the politicians. Someone should post a note all over the city that Zach Walker is in, he is going trial in Texas for possession, he is pleading no guilty and three NORML attorneys are helping on this one. But the word out to the jury pool would spell a death knell to the prosecutors case. NORML can you spread the word in this town for Zach?
[Editor’s note: Zach and his legal team are profiled here.]
This has me so emotional i almost got tears in my eyes
sorry Melissa but I believe that Wyoming will be the last state in the Union to pass anything positive in the regards to cannibus
@Melissa Hopkins
you might not have to go far. i firmly believe NC will be among the states that eventually legalize. This state is becoming more and more progressive by the day
Washington passed. Colorado passed. Oregon did not pass.To many witch burners in Oregon.
I just wanted to wish everybody a happy Thanksgiving and to give a special thanks to the promoters and contributors of norml, but also a thanks to the law enforcers for standing by us and demanding what is right. Too long has our country been ensnared by the bile of past government initiatives. It is time to prosper anew in ways which we really do have equal opportunity.
Hey Hempster Alaska is the largest state by far.
Come on PA. We got Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. People like to toke here and it’s safer than cigarettes. Legalize recognize analyze. You smell the chronic in the air? Like Dr. Dre said, We’re taking over in here. Old republican farts are dropping like flies! ALWAYS VOTE EVERY 2 (TWO) YEARS ON THE EVEN NUMBERED YEARS. Vote these suckers out of office!!!
I think it’s time we start legalizing Marijuana everywhere. Stop living in fear and start thinking about how great the future will be! LEGALIZE IT!
Why don’t we just start legalizing it everywhere? Why are so many people still stuck in this FEAR stage…? Stop worrying, start hoping. LEGALIZE IT!
If you live in a state where Marijuana isn’t legal yet and still want the same type of highs, I suggest checking out uIntoxicate.com. It has amazingly detailed legal highs reviews and where to get them without getting ripped off!
Also! I’m starting up a new forum dedicated to my fellows stoners. Come on over and join the high conversations! We’re quite new, but VERY welcoming.
CHECK IT: http://uintoxicate.com/
STONER FORUMS: http://www.stonersofthestates.com/forum/
In a multi-cultural Ethnically mixed Racially diverse Society We need Cannabis Reform for Peace and Prosperity
New York should legalize and regulate at recreational and medical levels. to many young kids lives are in ruins because of a simple plant that grows on earth!!!!…oh and Happy Thanksgiving Day!
Okay, first of all…
All my friends are stoners.
Everyone I know gets high.
Maybe there’s a reason
Why weed’s not legalized.
Maybe they’re afraid of
Too much peace and harmony.
Maybe they’re afraid of
Open minds, and people free.
And secondly…
We’ve got a black president before weed’s legal.
In my mind, in my time, that shit’s unbelievable.
I love Obama, I love ALL people.
I just can’t believe that a plant’s not legal.
Hey, Mister President…
A plant, a seed, that grows in the soil
And they still fightin’ bloody wars over oil?
Reefer Madness is used as propaganda.
Fear is a tool that they use to command us.
So understand us: we don’t fear no plant
So, any questions?
I can see most of the blue states going green over the next 20 yrs. That’s not really such a long time. Med Pot first passed in California almost 20 yrs ago. I know I’m getting old but that doesn’t seem that long ago. We may be half way to getting Marijuana legal in half the states and that aint half bad.
hope you all had an awesome thanksgiving…we have much to be thankful for. it was tough again this year to not be able to celebrate these holidays with an occasional bowl…so, hey floridians….how bout it? whats is happening with florida….anyone ?..i have written our wonderful…pill pushing governor and was only told that i need to take it up with the feds. in so many words….how bout anyone else in the land of flat?? thank you all supporters and workers of norml….hey florida……we just cant pick on the older folks near as much as we can the lazy asses that are not ruled by drug testing to keep a job !! doesnt it matter to you that their are MANY who share the love of herb as you but cannot consume cause YOU wont speak up ??…peace to you all…
Ya know, since our good ol’ “big brother” is looking at our social media without a warrant now, we COULD be proactive and start talking about ways our opposition could benefit from legalization. I always see posts to the effect of something like: “Screw the gov’t,” or “To hell with the DEA.” These only make us look bad to them. Instead, we could all show them that us consumers can and will be forgiving and productive. For example;
1. We could stop insisting that the DEA be defunded and shut down, but instead offer a solution to them, something like: Turning them into a legal board who oversees regulation rules set down by the industry. They could be in charge of QA, import/export markets and enforcing age restrictions – just to name a few. I certainly don’t want the DEA touching my smoke, but it’s just an idea to get us thinking.
2. Along with reforms, suggest several safety measures to ensure its regulation is on par with all agreements.
3. If a state has no MMJ laws yet, any legislation would have, or at least SHOULD have, a system in place so patients can grow the amount they need, and other things like pricing, etc. be put in place. This would ensure the MMJ industry stays strong after full-scale regulation is put into place.
These are just a few; I’ve got tons more. The gov’t looks at us like a bunch of addicts who care about nothing but our “fix.” They don’t believe we can or will be productive members of society. Let’s stop yelling so much and prove to them wrong. Let’s show them that we, in fact, can be responsible, civil and helpful with this. If we get the opposition on board with us, nothing can stop it. In other words, if everybody’s happy, then everybody’s happy.
I can only hope maryland will get it and follow colorado and washington states. We have so called medical marijuana, no arrest for possession with a doctors note. were can I buy it except on the street and still cant cultivate anything. this doesnt sound real compassionate to me.
The federal needs to amend their laws because according to them its still illegal. When are we going to put a STOP to the federal
I had a friend who had full blown AIDS His medications were really good & slowed the progression of His disease (when He would take them) But the problem was the medications which were very successful had horrible side effects He had terrible muscle aches & body pains He had bad Nasea & was sick all the time & He was lethargic & had no energy & he suffered from depression while taking his Meds because of all of this. He would quit taking his Meds & physically feal fine & normal & happy like his normal self & his diseaese would progress rapidly while not on His Meds & He’d have to be hospitalized numerous times from not taking his Meds which helped him but made him so damn sick He struggled like this for several years & eventually took his own life He was thirty years old Cannabis would have saved his life But because he lived in an oppressive police-state his government would not grant him safe access to the medicine that would have saved his life
I have been on the edge of my seat since the election. Finally, some news that hits home. I have been waiting 38 years for weed prohibiition. This is not a good thing for weed dealers, but do we want the dealers to make the money or the government? So far our government sides with the weed dealers isnt that a wonder. I cant wait for Texas to legalize, sell and tax it.
I make my living helping latin american people and guess what all of them that I have talked to about marijuana want it legalized. Most of them go on to say that their grandmothers used it for pain. Texas needs to step up and legalize it as we are one of the major problems for Mexico. So far Texas sides with the drug gangs in keeping marijuana illegal. 2013 Texas legislature needs to step up to the plate and lead the southern states, lets put a crimp in the mexican drug gangs profits.
First of all.. whom ever feels that the DEA should be in anyway involved in regulation.. your nuts. These are militant people. They are a hinder to your freedom. They will never side for MMJ as for I know two retired DEA who both smoke, They have made it clear that weed is the only way they make the money to run the organization. The forfeitures alone make millions. If you could walk into a DEA warehouse you may find a few hundred kilos of heroin and coke but damn, the marijuana is by far the king.
Second, why should we pay taxes or be regulated. Are we not already taxed and regulated to death? Why shoud we have to give our anotomy to the government? Are we not already living in big bro state? This is an herb people! This government is corrupt and beyond the reach of its use. This is no more theirs then my tomatoe plants. But you have a Monsonto CEO running the Dept of Ag and poisons in our foods so you want these fools to run your herb? The DEA should be shot down period. Drugs should be legal, no other crime but drugs? Well then kill yourself if you must, but if you rob my home.. God help you. We are wasting our money on this organization, drugs will never stop. Criminals will get rich off of them. More dangerous “designer” drugs like bath salts will pop up and more scum will manifacture them. If we made them legal, we could shut down prisons, we could stop gang violence and I am all for manditory rehab instead of prison and I don’t mean 2 months but two yrs plus. Its cost is minimal compared to privatized prisons and we get productive people in the end instead of a young kid experimenting who enters prison a scared kid and exits a hardened broken criminal.
LETS GO FLORIDA 🙂
I think it’s great people are finally waking up to the reality of prohibition. It dosn’t work. People are going to do what they want no matter what the cost. So, I hope the courts will realize that as there is still discrimination due to urine tests. If the courts cannot distinguish between impairment and usage, soon there will be allot of unemployed people due to the invasion of privacy inaccurate urine tests reveal. I hope peole will wake up and see how unconstitutional these test are.
Hey this is great and so many positive comments suggested on here. I do have a good feeling that Obama will progress the movement in his next term in one of two ways: One is he could help facilate a change in scheduling(unlikely) or he would simply allow/support one of the bills to exempt states from the Controlled substances Act. I just don’t see him being harsh on CO And WA.
Victor, Obama could do anything, but based on his past “performance,” I would bet he will instruct his police and lawyers to crackdown on this before liberty gets out of hand.
Now is the time to act people! It’s not going to legalize it’s self.
We need NORML to hold a rally in DC. And every one must let
there voice be heard! Any one who reads this should beg every
one they know to join NORML. Its time to grow a pair and stand
up for what you want!
It would be legalized tomorrow if every one that says they want
it legalized would do something about it. Join NORML!!! Write your
Congressman. Pass around a petition. Do something!!!!!
I’m from Missouri.. Nice state, but too many meth cookers… wouldn’t it be nice to change them to growers of pot… I would feel safer at night.
Okay, maybe I misspoke about the DEA. What I meant was, they would be re-trained into positions where they would assure the standards that the industry, NOT the gov’t, would set down. For example, they would ensure things like safety and purity standards are followed, and that the ID requirement was followed (like the liquor authority does for booze).
See, the thing here with them is…they are our biggest opposition, and they only oppose us because they don’t wanna be on the unemployment line. Are they corrupt? Hell yes (that was rhetorical, BTW), but look at the rules they are paid to follow. All I’m suggesting is change the rules of the organization and the organization itself will change. This way, our strongest opposition has no reason to oppose us. Besides, wouldn’t it be nice to make them actually work for US for a change? Keep the name Drug Enforcement Agency though, so we never forget the atrocities that they have plagued us all with. Let’s never do this to another substance, regardless of what it is, so our world never has to endure this shit again.
No, we should shutdown or completely restructure the CIA, the FDA and the DEA should be disbanded and absorbed into the FBI. Maintaining it as a separate police force that cannot follow the law too well is completely stupid. The DEA is a waste of money. And they are assholes too boot. They need rehab’ed and a new mission.
Missouri state representative Chris Kelly has announced his intention to push for legalization of marijuana for responsible adult use. I have written a letter to Rep. Sheila Solon stating my support. Please, NORML, contact Rep. Kelly and offer him your support in getting legalization here in Missouri. I thank you and my Crohn’s thanks you.
WE NEED CANNABIS LEGAL IN MISSOURI everyone smokes here and the nazi police are crazy they make up reasons to pull you over just to search your vehicle
There is a new petition on We the People, a new feature on WhiteHouse.gov, and it needs your support. It asks the Obama administration to decline prosecution of federal marijuana laws that conflict with State laws. Will you please add your name to the petition? If this petition gets 25,000 signatures by December 27, 2012, the White House will review it and respond!
While there are other petitions related to the legalization of marijuana being circulated on the website, this one is unique in that it asks the President to take an action which he can do without relying on the Congress to act. If the Attorney General will decline to prosecute marijuana laws in States that have chosen to legalize it, then medical marijuana dispensaries in California, for instance, can re-open without the threat of asset forfeiture and criminal prosecution.
You can view and sign the petition here:
http://wh.gov/IdjJ
Please cut and paste this to your Facebook pages or spread the word via your Twitter accounts. The more signatures we get, the more likely we will get a favorable response. The tide of history is on our side, but we need to act!
dennystrausserjr@gmail.com
I once said, “Once one state actually does it, it’ll spread like wildfire.”
Not quite, but it seems, not far off. This was back when Nevada was trying to legalize 6 OZ at once.
2003 or 2004. I don’t remember for sure.
I hope it spreads to PA by the time my SSI comes through. It does, I’ll be happily toking at the bar. 😉 xD
NO TAXATION WITHOUGHT LEGEALIZATION !
Use the money generated to fund drug treatment for Crack, Meth, heroin … drugs that BELONG in schedule one.
Use the room in jails and prisons for the white collar financial criminals ruining peoples lives
That will never happen tho
I believe the news mentioned that we would save about $600,000,000 per year if the prisons were not full of inmates for marijuana offenses and task forces hired for the control of marijuana in the black market. It also mentioned we would create about $900,000,000 each year in taxed revenue. What the hell is this country waiting for. LEGALIZE IT, TAX IT, SEW IT EVERYWHERE!
I hope they decrimilize weed here in my home state of nj because these bullshit laws a meager 1/4 and a scale could make you a felon . I know some states are legalizing but I believe nj will b one of the last .
The opposition, regardless of who they are, are nuts – no, flippin’ CRAZY – for wanting to maintain current policies. It’s not just the consumers, businesses and states that can and will benefit from regulation, but also;
1. The lumber/paper industries could just simply switch over to hemp as their main fiber. Cheaper and easier to produce, but also the work environment would be a whole lot safer for the workers. Too easy.
2. Big pharma, with all the time, money and effort put into fighting the inevitable, they could put all of that into new ways of using the plant to make new and superior meds. Face it, sickness will never go away as long as man exists. With all the cash and smart guys in long white jackets they have, they could be making a fortune with this plant; much more $ than they do, now. BTW, I LOVE mankind – long live the human race. 😀
3. Tobacco is on the way out, and alcohol will be as soon as this is legal. They are both going to need a new source. How about THC-free bud, and THC infused beverages? Cigarettes that don’t give anyone cancer, and booze that doesn’t cause an OD or make you puke (or give you a hangover, or make people beat the wife, or cause sclerosis, or damage society). Wow, what a novel concept!
3. Parents, prisons, states and everyone else will benefit due to the windfall of tax/tourism money, ID card requirements, safety and purity rules, and an entire slew of countless other benefits. Also, with police freed up to go after, oh IDK, maybe rapists and murderers, they would actually be operating how they’r supposed to; and with the govc’t having more cash, they could receive incentives for proper corrections operations and so on.
I have held to the belief that prohibition’s death warrant was signed when the first state decrimmed possession, assigning fines rather than jail. Then came MMJ (thank you, California!), which just affirmed this. I knew this day would come. I knew that the day I smoked my first doober. After all, the same lie can only be held for so long before the truth shines through.
Thank you NORML, MPP, and all other MJ organizations. Thank you Mr Jack Herrer, for getting the truth published. I only wish you were still around to see all this coming to fruition like a great big, purple and red haired Jamaican bud.
On a side note, if you haven’t seen this book – GET IT. My brother gave me one a while back when I wrote a college paper on legalization. It’s printed on hemp; I think the ink is even made from hemp. Also, it’s indispensable when speaking the truth and backing it up to one of these nazis.
I’m sorry. The book I referenced above is “The Emperor Wears No Clothes.” I love this book – LOVE it. It details the history of use, as well as a good, detailed history of laws concerning the cannabis plant. So many newspaper and magazine clippings (no pun intended) are included that…well, let’s just say there’s a lot. It’s an awesome read. If you haven’t seen it, please find it. You can thank me later.
Good article. I’m glad to see the dominos falling and appreciate the efforts of NORML. Without you this wouldn’t have been possible. Not only has prohibition been a failure, it’s senseless, it’s hypocritical, it’s not based on fact and science, it violates our rights, and it costs lives. Hemp oil should be in every medicine cabinet around the world. Aspirin is, and it can’t do 1% of what the oil can do. It’s also a shame that
Good article. I’m glad to see the dominos falling and appreciate the efforts of NORML. Without you this wouldn’t have been possible. Not only has prohibition been a failure, it’s senseless, it’s hypocritical, it’s not based on fact and science, it violates our rights, and it costs lives. Hemp oil should be in every medicine cabinet around the world. Aspirin is, and it can’t do 1% of what the oil can do. It’s also a shame that probably less than 1% of the population is aware of this. We have a plant that hurts nobody, heals the sick without side effects , has never killed anyone in the history of man, can be turned into 50,000 different products many of which are better than the ones we have… not only has prohibition never worked, it makes as much sense as a football bat. We have been lied to for decades in the personal interest of big business and we should have revolted and changed this a long time ago.
And Oklahoma or Texas will be last.
Marijuana kills more people each year thank snakes, sharks, crack, bears, bears on crack, spiders, and lightning combined
I also wrote a college paper on hemp from the book “The Emperor Wears No Clothes.” It is a MUST read if you want the ability to back cannabis up with facts.
all the states that are legalizing marijuanna and all the ones that will follow in the same steps this is all good news but what about all the people that are in federal jails for marijuanna without violent crime that serving 1 to life in prison shouldnt they be a reform from congress to allow a get out of free card as long as it aint a violent crime