Common sense suggests that you get back what you put in. Writing your letters to people in office is all great, but we all know it takes very little effort to send an automated message and it takes just as much effort to mass delete them all without reading them. I know you guys like doing it... but really, how effective is it. Is sending automated letters really going to do anything? Eh, highly unlikely. I think the most effective form of activism doesn't take place behind a computer. It can be organized behind a PC, of course, but eventually you gotta get up, go outside, and actually do something in your local community in order to be effective. My question is.. Aside from the simple educating others who think marijuana is more dangerous than it really is and letting others know it should be legal.. What else can we realistically do in our local communities?
Weednotcrack goes around his neighborhood hanging pro-cannabis pamphlets on poles and things. And when they get taken down, he hangs them right back up. I like his persistence.
Wonder how effective that is. I also remember somebody talking about the idea of hanging up stickers that had those QR (think that's what it's called) codes that people could scan with smartphones and be directed to a page of information. My town is HORRIBLE when it comes to shit being hung up. There are already so many fucking poster and billboards up asking to keep drugs out of the city and a bunch of things that are super Christian. It's pretty annoying. I've been considering defacing some of the bigger ones but that could be a bad idea. I wouldn't mind throwing up some posters. Haha I'd love to pool money with other people and have a pro-marijuana billboard that contains a collection of important facts that detail the problems with the war on drugs and that marijuana is not harmful
I love the big billboard idea. I think it would be awesome to drive down an interstate highway and look up and see a pro-cannabis billboard. I wouldn't deface any posters that are already hanging in your area. You could get into trouble for that. But if it's legal for people to hang anti-drug posters and pamphlets up, then it should be legal to hang pro-cannabis pamphlets up to counter the other. What's good for the goose, ya know?
Yeah we do need to do more to help. A simple bumper sticker will not do in times like this. Look at how gay rights totally changed with their persistence. We could learn a thing or two from them. Have you looked around your neighborhood for a group for a sensible drug policy or something around those lines? Joining a club is a great start.
I know its not really big but I always post facts about cannabis and the war on drugs on my facebook so everyone I know has a chance of seeing it. I know a lot of them just blow it off and consider me a dumb pot head for it though, but haters are gunna hate. I've been trying to think of something that's really original and would get peoples attention to do outside so a lot of people can see it. I just can't think of a good one yet haha
What about putting signs out around your city saying "Garage sale, all items are FREE". Then once they get there have a bunch of premade t shirts with facts printed on them to give out to people so it can spread even more.
Free T-shirts could get expensive, but free pamphlets, well made pamphlets with loads of good info in it, would be great.
Print out Granny Storm Crows list (its cheaper to do this at a print shop, in many cases), put it in an attractive ring binder and take it to your local police chief, news paper, state Representative, mayor (you can arrange to meet your state reps in person at their office) If its a nice three ring binder they will at least glance at some of the studies when they are pulling them out to use the binder for something else
^^This This This!! Or...if you send Granny an email, she'll email her BIG list so that you can put it on a disc. Make bunches of copies of the disc and pass them out to everyone!
It would be expensive, but the knowledge you could spread with having people wearing that shirt would be worth it in my opinion. Might be just because I hate the idea of money anyways haha. But free pamphlets is definitely a good idea too.
No offense but I know well that if I took a big book of marijuana facts to a police station they're gonna toss it in the garbage after I leave.
I get what the OP is saying, it has been a frustrating road. There were people in the 1970's that thought we were close to legalizing. When you think about all the legislation that has went nowhere, the bills stalled by guys like Lamar Smith, there is reason to feel disillusioned. I saw a youtube video the other night, where a guy from the Marijuana Policy project was asked why pot was illegal. His answer was basically, because of inertia. Think about it where we this started: racist fear mongering and corporate greed in the 1930's, suddenly the Bureau of Narcotics was created, and peoples jobs depended on marijuana staying illegal, followed by ww2 and the straight edge stereotypes of the 50's, a culture war against the hippies in the 60's, Nixon's drug war in the 70's.(Insert the beginnings of medical marijuana-) Reagan had Just Say No era of the 80's while the CIA was knee deep in cocaine that would be turned into crack, Bush 1 stroked the base by saying lets "get tough", Clinton hired Barry McAffrey(how much was that douche making???), Bush 2 had already made himself retarded off of coke, beer, and weed in his youth only to hire John Walters, propaganda puppet extraordinaire. Obama, has shown us he is a true politicians politician, barely making a stand. Will he do what is right in a second term? We don't know. But now we as a country, are broke and people seem to be waking up. Multiple states are going to be voting for legalized recreational use come 2012(Cali, Color, Oregon, and I'm hoping Missouri). The feds are on the ropes...gasping, trying to convince the public there is no acceptable use for marijuana...it is an illegal substance they scoff,-Scoff, who smokes their medicine?....even though they knew it was extremely effective for glaucoma patients in the early 1970's. So back to the OP, yes we always need to keep tweeking our efforts. But we also have to realize how far we have come. Motherfuckers were getting automatic felonies back in the day, cuz they had some stems in their car. I do think every state needs a strong voter referendum movement for full marijuana legalization(recreational/grow your own/ industrial hemp/ medical marijuana). Skip the conservative legislatures and bring the issue to the people. Make the Feds crack on this issue. Because prohibition doesn't work when demand is this high.
I've actually considered getting a sticker on the back of my car reading either "Don't support terrorism, legalize cannabis!" or "Support terrorism, not cannabis!". Wonder if cops would ride my ass for the latter...
My police chief back home started reminiscing about how his granddaddy grew hemp during "tha war" but that was the South. It helps to know your local cops.
I would do a lot of things for pot. A whole lot. But I'm not getting a pro pot bumper sticker until AFTER it is legalized. I can just see the flashing lights now........
The easiest way to get active in your community to help get Cannabis re-legalized is to set up a marijuana march(meander). Get a few friends together that are willing to hold signs and walk around your town or a busy city around your area. The marijuana march can happen anywhere and at anytime. So it takes very little planning. If you are serious about getting cannabis re-legalized you will be proud to be chanting pro-pot chants, and also you will be proud to hold pro-pot signs. I just put on a marijuana march a few weeks ago in Boston,Ma and it turned out great. There were 12-15 people all walking together chanting chants and holding sings. We grabbed peoples attention and handed out information about cannabis. We took plenty of pictures and also talked to random people to make sure people will remember that, a few of us, took a stand on that day. I plan on getting another marijuana march going on in November on the 5th, when college is back and this time it will be bigger. For some chants here are some: _ "Pee for Enjoyment, Not for Employment" _ "Dealers don't card. Liquor stores do." _ "1 2 3 4 we dont need a drug war, 5 6 7 8 tax & regulate!!!"
Another great way to get active is too see if you have any pro-pot organizations in your area and then to attend a meeting and see where they need help at. See if your area has a NORML chapter: State and Local Chapters - NORML It's a good start. Also, search facebook. Just type in marijuana and your state/area and see what pops up.