Atlanta City Council voted to pass Ordinance 1700-1152, decriminalizing marijuana possession offenses. This measure amends the local law so that the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana is punishable by a $75 fine — no arrest, jail time, or criminal arrest record.
Georgia lost a key player in the reform of marijuana laws last Friday. James Bell was a part of the NORML movement in Georgia back in the 70s, and went on to form Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform, and Education (Georgia C.A.R.E.). James was dedicated, driven advocates/activist and will be sorely missed.
Earlier this month, citing racism, bigotry, and mass-incarceration, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party adopted a resolution to “support Democratic candidates and policies which promote the full repeal of cannabis prohibition by its removal from the Controlled Substances Act, and to support the creation of new laws which regulate it in a manner similar to other culturally accepted commodities.”
In March of this year, Oakland City Council implemented the Equity Permit Program for marijuana businesses. This program is designed to address the past disparities in the cannabis industry by giving priority to the victims of the war on drugs and minimizing barriers of entry into the industry.
Now, as NORML KC approaches it’s chapter’s two-year anniversary at the end of August, they have a victory in hand and sights set statewide for access.
At the Georgia Republican Assembly Convention on 8/12/2017 David Baker, the Executive Director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition of Georgia, used a portion of a 1993 quote from the then Executive Director of NORML, Richard Cowan.
NORML Chapters across the country are starting to shift their focus from state-level lobbying efforts to Congressional Town Hall meetings for the August recess. In addition to engaging their representatives, activists will be encouraging participants to join the marijuana law reform conversation.
After successfully working with local governments to pass marijuana decriminalization measures in Philadelphia, State College, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, marijuana advocates in Pennsylvania have set their sights on the City of York and several other municipalities.