A record percentage of US adults, including majorities of Democrats, Independents, and for the first time ever, Republicans, believe that the adult use of marijuana should be legal, according to polling data released today by Gallup.
Sixty-four percent of adults believe that “the use of marijuana should be made legal in the United States” — the highest percentage ever reported by Gallup since they began asking adults their views on legalization in 1969, which began at 12%. The following year NORML was founded.
“At a time when the majority of states now are regulating marijuana use in some form, and when nearly two-thirds of voters endorse legalizing the plant’s use by adults, it makes no sense from a political, fiscal, or moral perspective to maintain the federal prohibition of marijuana,” said NORML Political Director Justin Strekal. “It is high time that members of Congress take action to comport federal law with majority public opinion and to end the needless criminalization of marijuana — a policy failure that encroaches upon civil liberties, engenders disrespect for the law, and disproportionately impacts communities of color.”
There are multiple pieces of legislation now pending that would deschedule marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and allow states to regulate marijuana for responsible adult use in a manner similar to alcohol. You can click here to contact your member of Congress to support HR 1227, The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act.
Since its founding in 1970, NORML has provided a voice in the public policy debate for those Americans who oppose marijuana prohibition and favor an end to the practice of arresting marijuana consumers. As a nonprofit public interest advocacy group, NORML represents the interests of the tens of millions of Americans who consume marijuana responsibly, with over 150 chapters across the United States and internationally.
For nearly 50 years, NORML led the successful efforts to reform local, state, and federal marijuana laws — as well as to change public opinion. Today, NORML continues to lead this fight through our legal, lobbying, and public education efforts. Among other activities, NORML serves as an informational resource to the public and the national media on all topics specific to cannabis, marijuana policy, and the law; lobbies local, state, and federal legislators in support of reform legislation; publishes a regular newsletter; hosts an annual conference; places op-eds and letters to the editor in newspapers throughout the country, publishes timely and important reports and white papers, and serves as the umbrella group for a national network of citizen-activists committed to ending prohibition and legalizing marijuana.
Our efforts are supported by thousands of people throughout the country as we work to advance marijuana reform in all 50 states and the federal level. Can you kick in $5, $10 or $20 to help us keep going?
What interesting times we live in? We’re literally teetering on a crackdown on Dec. 8th if the Rohrabacher-Blunenauer amendment doesn’t get renewed, Sessions is drooling from his little Keenler jowels and then this Gallup poll cones out… Republicans for the first time approve of marijuana legalization and want prohibition to end.
We HAVE to include that statement in our prescripted letter in the above link and any link when were writing to our Republican Reps and Senators.
This is a powerful change in the tide of our Marijuana Prohibition Tragedy. Let’s not waste it! Click on the Act tab and send your Republican a Gallup poll on marijuana!
*Blumenauer*
*Keebler*
Cannabis shouldn’t have ever become an illegal plant in the first place. Why is it that there a literally thousands of common house plants that are deadly if ingested by humans and or a lot of animals, yet none of them are illegal and those are what need to be the focus on keeping people safe from, not a plant that we and our federal government have known for many yrs is safe and cures and prevents so many illnesses and diseases!!!!
I more or less answer that on my next post Paige. Our scheduling system under the CSAct was designed to marginalize and terrorize minority communities for profit by creating ghettos where our own DOJ could supply “heroin to blacks” and blame marijuana on Mexicans. But today it’s clear that Big Pharma has not only purchased the DEA and placed any natural remedy for opioid addiction in schedule 1 (whole plant marijuana and its extracts, kratom) … but whats more is that this cartel of opioids within our own government has bern targeting rural white communities. And these people voted for Trump! Figure that one out!
this is in reference to Pa. hemp law hb # 967, july 2016..WHAT A SHAME TO KILL A TREE,, for this nonesense,, instead of leading , the lawmakers are being drug towards doing the right thing … the law has so many hoops and cost involved, no one with any common sense would even atempt to grow HEMP..
Regardless of what some people think, a joint on a Saturday afternoon fishing trip with you’re friends is not a criminal act….
It’s damn near criminal NOT to toke up for that brother.
While I agree with you 100%, the current Attorney General (Little Jeffey Sessions) does indeed consider it to be criminal and says only a bad person would do that!
Fifty-one percent of Republicans!
Well, pull my teeth and call me Gummy!
Now let’s look at Republican representation in Congress. Oh, my! They still suck! From the NORML Congressional Scorecard:
KEY FINDINGS
Below are the key findings from NORML’s updated Congressional Scorecard. Among the 535 members of the 114th Congress:
330 members (62%) received a passing grade of ‘C’ or higher (270 Representatives and 60 Senators)
Of these, 22 members (4%) received a grade of ‘A’ (20 Representatives and 2 Senators)
254 members (47%) received a ‘B’ grade (218 Representatives and 36 Senators)
54 members (10%) received a ‘C’ grade (32 Representatives and 22 Senators)
172 members (32%) received a ‘D’ grade (149 Representatives and 23 Senators)
32 members (6%) received a failing grade (16 Representatives and 16 Senators)
60 Senators (60%) received a passing grade of a C or higher (Two A’s, 36 B’s, and 22 C’s)
270 Representatives (62%) received a passing grade of a C or higher (20 A’s, 218 B’s, and 32 C’s)
Of the 233 Democrats in Congress, 215 (92%) received a passing grade of a ‘C’ or higher
Of the 302 Republicans in Congress, 113 members (37%) received a passing grade of ‘C’ or higher
All of that will be updated for the 115th Congress in the next two months. One of our biggest problems is that we don’t have votes to hold freshmen accountable in the House so it’s a lot of legwork.
Thanks for all you do to advance the conversation Mark! If you see folks talking about replies they got from their federal lawmakers, tell them to forward those responses to Politics@norml.org where we are compiling them.
Will do.
In my email inbox, I have several replies which I have personally received from Colorado representatives, and I will send those along shortly.
Good work Mark. (Glad to hear we have an update coming Justin… I think you know what my reps like Lamar Smith, and Senators Cornyn and Cruz have to say about legalization, but I’m working with other Texas federal Congressman to get the vote out).
It’s time to vote in a Congress that reflects the values of a majority of the American people. I’m taking my fight to the ground here in Texas gathering signatures for Beto O’rourke to become our next Senator and replace Republicans like Senator Cruz who do not reflect what a majority of his constituents understand about marijuana. The conversations I have with people, the voter registration cards I hand out make the difference. It’s just printer ink and passion… and a little herb for the conversation.
http://www.Betofortexas.com
Why not!…people drink and drive. And no one seems to care.
From my personal experience with people in several different countries around the world I would be willing to put a number of about 87 percent of the population is in favor of Cannabis legalisation across the board, I have never really came across any individuals that was against it every one has spoken in favor of legalisation and they say they have no clue as to why it’s even illegal in the first place ..
I think must people follow the status quo so that number is probably higher in reality ..
Legalization is past time , so let’s get it legal wants and for all . I’m more friendly when i catch a little buz on cannabis and my stress is gone .yippy ky yae
There is enough evidence for someone to sue the Government for it’s illegal prohibition. Prohibition is based on discrimination, payouts from pharmaceutical companies.The government needs to accept the facts and true testimony that Marijuana has medical benefits contrary to their opinion.
That is what have been trying to convey to people !! I’m surprised there is not a class action law suit against the DEA for negligence and cause of irreparable damages to the Commonwealth of the people of the United States.
Trump’s opioid commission is a sham.
They wont acknowledge or mention the increasing studies like those from JAMA that reveal a %37 decrease in opioid addiction and suicide in states with legal medical or recreational marijuana. An open letter to the Commission from NORML Dep. Dir. Paul Armentano can be found here:
http://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/356702-trumps-opioid-agency-fails-to-cite-marijuanas-benefits-despite-mounting#.We5IOfzvtW8.twitter
Trump is scheduled to order the Secratary of Health to declare a state of emergency on the opioid crisis today. Of course, depleting FEMA when were already squeezing Congress (our tax dollars) after dealing with three hurricane landfalls we werent prepared for due to more administrative denial of facts and science… means that the only existing money would come out of a Health Emergency Fund. Except there is no money in that fund. Congress would have to fill it with our unaccounted tax dollars.
I was listening to this story on NPR this morning on the way to work muttering profanities at opioid commission member Dr Bertha Madras when she said “We felt it in our heart to declare an emergency…” For those who don’t know, Dr. Madras is one of Big Pharma’s puppets who testified against marijuana in the Judge Mueller case that determined marijuana should remain illegal because “Congress does not have to be right.”
But what really got me yelling at my dashboard was when NPR asked her “people who are addicted to opioids dont want to seek treatment because they dont want friends and family to find out…”
And I yelled “And because theyll get ARRESTED you ignorant %#€*£¥$!!!!”
(Deep breath…)
Please don’t forget to link the JAMA study in our next letter to Congress, Republican, Democrat or Independent;
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1898878
As the past shows. Laws are made by rich powerful evil fools. It wasn’t so long ago men and women would be braking the law. Terrorised and incarcerated. . As a person who loves peace, books and music, highly educated I laugh at the laws that have myself been subjected to. I have had my home invaded by police and jailed. How dare tell me i can’t smoke a herb. Fools
I, was and still am being targeted by Big Pharma. They prescribed me corticosteroids, but they have had an adverse effect and now I have a severe allergy to Opioids. I have been prescribed corticosteroids for a majority of my life and I feel they have tried to turned me into some kind of lab rat for long term side effects study. If that is so, then I demand compensation! The ECS (Endocannabinoid System) should be prioritized. It is our ticket to longevity, as far as civility is concerned. I am a medical cannabis patient and probably will be for the rest of my life. Let’s avert the Opioid Epidemic, it’s much worse off then you know. Some of these are DAV’s. Why the VA can’t get on the same page and allow VET’s to get medical cannabis, for PTSD’s, is beyond common sense? A presidential executive order could change this dilemma. Time to “man up” because there are to many good men down, Mr. President Trump.
Now if only the feds would take their heads out of their butts. http://blog.norml.org/2017/10/26/jeff-sessions-we-will-do-our-best-to-enforce-the-laws-as-were-required-to-do/
Jeff needs to go, and they need to start listening to what is a majority. Legalize already and stop making criminals out of good people.
I dream of the day that the FDA has a recommended minimum daily requirement for Cannabis.
Federal legalization of weed may be a distant dream for now. But the fact is that various US states are actually realizing the public welfare aspect of cannabis and are supporting recreational marijuana to be legalized.
Take California, for instance. With only 2 months left until cannabis is legalized for recreational use in Cali, it is imperative for users to buy a medical card and save up to 14% in taxes. This is because, state taxes would not be applicable on medical marijuana, unlike recreational cannabis.
Online Medical Card is a perfectly safe, legal and easy way to get access to a medical card at the earliest.
Now lets get Jeff listening to these numbers.
http://blog.norml.org/2017/10/26/jeff-sessions-we-will-do-our-best-to-enforce-the-laws-as-were-required-to-do/
It is time to listen to the majority.
As if the Dems are any better? Why didn’t Obama legalize it when he had total control of Congress?