So I've been looking around for a while now, keeping close watch on the NORML Georgia site, but haven't heard of anything very promising for the state of Georgia as far as decriminalization and medical mary is concerned. Has anyone seen or heard anything?
It's quite as hell here in Georgia! ..maybe you and I can come up with a good plan? We need people talking about the prohibition and asking why we have it at all!
That's true. I heard there was a NORML chapter in Athens at the UGA campus, but that's crazy that there's nothing going on here in Atlanta other than the occasional Million Marijuana March, which I went to a few years ago, have you? It was at Freedom Park I believe. We were all holding up signs and shouting, it was a great day. I personally called Channel 2 news, but we saw the news SUV driving past us just as we were leaving, it was total crap.
I don't know what happened to that Norml chapter. They were active until a few weeks ago and then nothing. ..and you're right carvershores, it's not quite as hell here in georgia, it's quiet as hell here lol
Supposedly there is a guy who is resurrecting the Ga. NORML chapter. We used to have a good one years ago. Remember the Atlanta Pot Fest. put on my the Ga. chapter. It's hard to maintain a membership here. Decriminalization or Medical will probably never see the light of day in Ga.
There is the UGA chapter but it seems to be undergoing changes right now.. Marijuana Law Reform - GA NORML There's an election coming up next year, we should be writing to all the candidates right now asking about their commitment to legalization. We need them going into office knowing that legalization is a big deal to Georgians!
Privately some know it's a good idea. But publicly they will never come out in favor of it. They all want to be reelected and favoring legalization is no the way to do it in their eyes.
Amsterdamage is right on the money; we need future legislators to know that this is a point that does matter to some Georgians, silence can kill this move.
We have to focus on the greatest harm caused by the prohibition, and that's the 6,000 brutal murders that were committed last year by the cartels in order to protect their drug routes into the U.S. They've also killed another 2,600 people so far this year. These are daily on-going murders that will continue until the prohibition is ended. The cartels are the Al Capones of the marijuana prohibition. We must get the public and our legislators to see that they are killing in order to protect their annual $10 billion cash flows from selling us drugs. The ONDCP estimates that when the production and sale of marijuana is legalized in this country the cartels will lose 60 - 70% of their incomes. That will decimate them and take from them both their incentive to commit these murders and their ability to finance them. No matter how much benefit our legislators claim the prohibition is giving this country (and in reality it is nothing) they cannot claim that it is worth more than the lives of these thousands of innocent people. This is what we need Georgia to talk about.
I was thinking the same thing. The Mexican drug cartels are a big issue for Atlanta, especially since we are a major hub. I think I even recently saw a news story involving their presence here. This may be the strongest argument for legalization in GA.
I totally agree man. It was the brutality of Al Capone and the other gangsters that made people in 1933 demand an end to the alcohol prohibition. It was NOT a sudden realization that alcohol "wasn't so bad after all" that made them repeal the prohibition. It'll be the same thing with marijuana. We will never convince non-smokers that marijuana is safe to be used and legalized. Our only hope is to drum into them the horrific consequences of the prohibition and demand that they find in themselves the humanity to press for an end to the prohibition.
This would be a dream come true, I would stay here forever... Sadly, I've always been under the impression Georgia is much too conservative for marijuana law reform.
I don't think Georgia's so much traditional as just plain silent. People here just don't talk about issues. I've been thinking about standing on a street corner near my work at lunch times with a sign. I'd have to find out the laws controlling this but I see other people doing it advertising store closures and stuff. If we got just a dozen or so people all over Georgia doing the same thing it might make it into the AJC. That'd be a start... We need to get people talking about the cartels and the violence they're bringing into Georgia. The cartels are the Al Capones of the marijuana prohibition and are the one thing that non-smokers across Georgia should be rallying against. Home invasions and murders are foremost on people's minds, we need to get them talking about ending the prohibition in order to eliminate the threat the cartels pose to them.
GA keeps its mouth shut. It will not be a trendsetter anytime soon. The fact that the state is red and that it is deep in the South has a lot to do with it... -C
I understand it's going to be difficult, that's obvious in the Baptist and baby boomer state we live in, but that's the whole meaning of paving our own road, not relying on those set by other states. How one state gets it's reform is not always the best angle for the next state, so let's work our angle. Right now you guys seem to be very on track, the mexican cartels might just be our working point. We need to do some research on the protesting/demonstration laws here in the metro Atlanta area, you want to take charge on that task, amsterdamage? Next we've got to organize for a meeting to discuss points and make signs, although we can also distribute out responsibility for agreed-upon signs to each of us and we can all just meet at the demonstration area. In my opinion, the signs don't need to simply say "Legalize it!" or "Free pot!"...although that last one might get us some attention huh? The signs we need are "End the Mexican Cartel's Grip on Atlanta!" and "Atlanta + Drug Reform = Broke Cartel" or something along those lines. Let's focus on that central point in most of our arguments and just use the obvious benefits of reform as supporters. To do this though, each one of us have to be more than just a sign post. We have to be wells of knowledge that can inform anyone who will listen. I've been in contact with NORML to see what's going on with the Athens NORML chapter, and even if it's still there, I thought a few of us might get a Metro Atlanta NORML going. Anyone interested?
Yes, amsterdamage, as admirable as it would be to have individuals rallying, I doubt this would be a good way to spread the word quickly. But you should definitely do anything you can. The bold text above is what makes me pessimistic. But as marijuana smokers, what we can do is not commit crimes while under the influence or while possessing, and be courteous to others. Sometimes I go to work high and feel that people notice; then I don't mind because if I'm high, nice to customers, and efficient at my job, even if they can tell I'm bringing up the reputation of marijuana users. (But I doubt many can tell.) Change the individual to change the community.
Alright, so I've been refered to David Clark of the GA NORML by Russ, National Chapter Coordinator. I sent him an email on our intentions, and will hopefully hear back from him soon Georgia Norml Working to reform marijuana laws I agree, we are the world we live in, so when people see that more and more people who use marijuana recreationally are not fitting the stereotype, it won't apply any longer and people will start to see through the junk they've been fed all their lives. All we can do is keep chugging along. I don't know about you, but I prefer to strive to solve a problem than to wait for someone else to do it for me