Grasscity.com Forums - View Single Post - Exhale, Stage Left: Keith Stroup Retiring from Norml

IndianaToker · #2 (**permalink**) 01-12-2005, 09:08 AM

Letters To The Editor
Source: Washington Post

If Peter Carlson's caricature of Keith Stroup was the story, why dedicate a page to the man's retirement ["Exhale, Stage Left," Style, Jan. 4.]?

The story did not give Mr. Stroup and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) credit for bringing about major change in the nation's drug laws.

Mr. Stroup and NORML won precedent-setting litigation that required a U.S. environmental impact statement for U.S.-funded herbicide spraying of Mexican marijuana. Mr. Stroup and NORML filed a petition in 1972, leading to the Drug Enforcement Administration's chief administrative law judge finding in 1988 that marijuana was safe and had an accepted use in medicine. That litigation laid the groundwork for the laws we have in 10 states that permit medical use of marijuana. In a few months, this issue may result in the most important Supreme Court ruling in 60 years on Congress's power under the Constitution's commerce clause (Ashcroft v. Raich).

No contemporary book on drug policy fails to credit the central role Mr. Stroup and NORML played in helping to achieve marijuana decriminalization in the 1970s. Mr. Carlson's attempt to capture Mr. Stroup's legacy went awry when he succumbed to the temptation to write of Mr. Stroup's accomplishments in pot-related cliches.

ERIC E. STERLING

President

Criminal Justice Policy Foundation -- http://www.cjpf.org/

Washington

•

A couple of clarifications regarding Peter Carlson's excellent profile of Keith Stroup:

First, no state ballot initiative to legalize medical use of marijuana has ever been defeated at the polls. All have passed overwhelmingly -- the most recent being in November in Montana, where medical marijuana received 62 percent support, outpolling George W. Bush by three percentage points in this quintessential "red state."

Second, while the Marijuana Policy Project does receive considerable support from Peter Lewis, our more than 18,000 members are the foundation of our organization. The financial support and volunteer efforts of this army of ordinary Americans have made possible a variety of accomplishments, including passage of medical marijuana laws in Montana and Vermont last year.

BRUCE MIRKEN

Director of Communications

Marijuana Policy Project -- http://www.mpp.org/

Washington Source: Washington Post (DC)
Published: Tuesday, January 11, 2005; Page A14
Copyright: 2005 Washington Post
Contact: letterstoed@washpost.com
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com

#2 (permalink) 01-12-2005, 09:08 AM
IndianaToker Indy :Administrator: Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 9,049	Setting The Story Straight On Marijuana Letters To The Editor Source: Washington Post If Peter Carlson's caricature of Keith Stroup was the story, why dedicate a page to the man's retirement ["Exhale, Stage Left," Style, Jan. 4.]? The story did not give Mr. Stroup and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) credit for bringing about major change in the nation's drug laws. Mr. Stroup and NORML won precedent-setting litigation that required a U.S. environmental impact statement for U.S.-funded herbicide spraying of Mexican marijuana. Mr. Stroup and NORML filed a petition in 1972, leading to the Drug Enforcement Administration's chief administrative law judge finding in 1988 that marijuana was safe and had an accepted use in medicine. That litigation laid the groundwork for the laws we have in 10 states that permit medical use of marijuana. In a few months, this issue may result in the most important Supreme Court ruling in 60 years on Congress's power under the Constitution's commerce clause (Ashcroft v. Raich). No contemporary book on drug policy fails to credit the central role Mr. Stroup and NORML played in helping to achieve marijuana decriminalization in the 1970s. Mr. Carlson's attempt to capture Mr. Stroup's legacy went awry when he succumbed to the temptation to write of Mr. Stroup's accomplishments in pot-related cliches. ERIC E. STERLING President Criminal Justice Policy Foundation -- http://www.cjpf.org/ Washington • A couple of clarifications regarding Peter Carlson's excellent profile of Keith Stroup: First, no state ballot initiative to legalize medical use of marijuana has ever been defeated at the polls. All have passed overwhelmingly -- the most recent being in November in Montana, where medical marijuana received 62 percent support, outpolling George W. Bush by three percentage points in this quintessential "red state." Second, while the Marijuana Policy Project does receive considerable support from Peter Lewis, our more than 18,000 members are the foundation of our organization. The financial support and volunteer efforts of this army of ordinary Americans have made possible a variety of accomplishments, including passage of medical marijuana laws in Montana and Vermont last year. BRUCE MIRKEN Director of Communications Marijuana Policy Project -- http://www.mpp.org/ Washington Source: Washington Post (DC) Published: Tuesday, January 11, 2005; Page A14 Copyright: 2005 Washington Post Contact: letterstoed@washpost.com Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com Last edited by IndianaToker; 01-12-2005 at 09:10 AM. Reason: Forgot source.