In a time where social conservatives are the ruling force of our Federal government, it would seem to appear that the idea to legalize marijuana is not going to happen within the foreseeable future. But take heed my friend, there is a group of heros that are pushing the fight forward directly to state legislators for the first time in American history. The Marijuana Policy Project, the largest marijuana lobby in the United States, has set forward an agenda to push for marijuana legalization at the beginning of the 2005 legislative season! Wondering which? Alaska and Nevada is where the battle will officially begin. I a member of both the Marijuana Policy Project and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Although the election pushes marijuana reform back in a way, there are alternatives to the fight in these four years where the anti cannabis regime is in control of the white house. What are these alternative means of fighting? Our lobbying friends at both NORML and the MPP certainly have an idea. We go to state legislators and to the people of the states to push our agenda, and we go to the courts! That's how you change things when tyranny rules in the whitehouse. I am by no means one of those "anti bush nuts", but anyone that has followed this man knows he has some type of personal bias against marijuana and is trying to modulate himself almost as if he's a Nixon, but with a nutty twist. Just a few days before the hearings start on the most important case on marijuana (and quite possibly on states rights) for quite some time to come, I am once again asking you to put down the pipe and either get a pen or computer and begin writing to both your state and federal officials. That's not where it stops if reform is to happen. I mean this with all of my soul. You have to start speaking to people on both the internet and in person about cannabis. Word of mouth is our most powerful tool, and the internet magnifies it by leaps and bounds. Since the late 80's to 2002, support for legalizing marijuana has gone from 20 to 40 percent according to CNN/Time scientific polling data. With medical marijuana, according to that same poll support is at 80%, and numerous other polls show around the same number, give or take a few points. Marijuana won't legalize itself, it simply won't. Take a look at national suport to medicinal cannabis. Medical marijuana is just now getting on its feet, but there is still so much to be done. You can argue that it is simply logical to legalize it, so people will eventually catch on, but it's been branded as a drug that creates zero producitivity and harm. You only have to watch hippy videos from that era to realize how this stigma came about. But as we know, that hippy generation does not represent the cannabis users of today, certainly not those that depend on it for their livelyhood. The step all of us have to take is a difficult one, but we must do it if we are going to see meaningful reform in the coming years. We could see marijuana legal in two states by 2006. We could push it forward on a national level after that, but nothing will happen unless you are willing to spread the word, write, and donate to the organizations that have fought for years to fight to logical drug policy not based on irrational fear and propoganda. Don't read this and say "well one person won't make a difference". One person makes all the difference. You going and telling someone else can create a chain reaction. Word of mouth is our most powerful tool. Don't let it sit there without using it! With that I will end this seemingly endless rant about the state of cannabis reform, but remember that legalization will only happen if you take it upon yourself to make it happen.
i said this before but... why cant we just make a petition?? i mean REMEMBER all we need is more than half of americans to sign in(at least 52%-55%) yes that aint easy but, THA internet is a good start remember if we do do that it WILL BECOME A LAW, i live in cali so i know there's mill's of pot smokers here.......
A petition has no legal binding. When we get ballot initiatives, it changes the actual state law. That is alot more important. A petition could simply be ignored, and almost every petition out there is seen as uncredible and simply discarded by politicians. Instead of a petition, imagine everyone that potientially signs that petition instead writing to their elected officials with their address and telephone # provided along with everyone donating to organizations that work through the legal process. Petitions will not accomplish our goal alone.
well lothar can i help??? just tell me how, i live in cali.... man if i had a car i would love to go and fight fo' tha rights of MARIJUANA... i just never know when and where???
Shit I wish I lived in the west.. WAIT.. I live in michigan and Detroit just legalized Medical Maryjane, so maybe if it gets to Lansing it will legalize MM for all of michigan including Upper Michigan, which will be a step twords legalization (esspically for the first eastern coast state to legalize MM...
Well the good news is you don't need a car at all. All you need is your computer and the internet. Do your part by speaking in an articulate manner in other forums. Make sure you have joined a drug policy reform group of your choice. http://www.mpp.org The Marijuana Policy Project http://www.norml.org The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws http://www.drugpolicy.org The Drug Policy Alliance Pick the one that you think is doing the best job. Look over their websites and join up. If you can't afford to join, you can write to your elected officials. Additional things you can do, write to your newspapers! You must at least write to your elected officials. An email or electronic fax is free. Visit those websites. Do your part. Spread this message around to every single forum you come across on the internet and in chat rooms.