It is time to stop the persecution of marijuana users. It is time for OUR government to concenrate on real crime. It is time for marijuana law reform. Activists need only push harder, armed with the truth about marijuana, in order to dispel the myths of Reefer Madness. I believe that we have never been closer to the legalization of marijuana and the more support legalization gets, the more pressure we can put on our state and federal government to “do the right thing“. Yet only a few of us are active, in some way, working toward marijuana legalization. It seems that many others want to get involved, but don’t know how to get started. So, to help you out, here is a list of a few ways to get involved in the marijuana legalization activist movement.
1. Join NORML
In my humble opinion, the best way to start your activism is by putting your money where your heart is by joining NORML.
NORML’s mission is to move public opinion sufficiently to achieve the repeal of marijuana prohibition so that the responsible use of cannabis by adults is no longer subject to penalty.
There are different levels at which you can join. From the Basic Member at $25.00 a year to Super Member at $500.00 a year. You can also donate lesser amounts of money for this noble cause easily by using the Stash Tip Jar.
You can also get together with your toking friends and start a local NORML chapter. For information about starting a chapter contact NORML’s outreach coordinator Russ Belville at stash@norml.org
2. Write or send e-mails to your local, state and federal politicians, including the President of the United States.
This is one of my favorites. As I sit here I think about my own state senator. I wonder if she thinks, “Oh God, not him again!” when she gets another email, letter or postcard from me. NORML keeps a list of legislative issues and contact information for your legislators and has made it easy for you. The email or letter for the issue is already written out and all you have to do is fill in your personal information and click the button. Of course, a personal message in your own words is highly effective also as the politicos’ office gopher may get weary of reading the same thing over and over… then again…
Something that I have done every year since 2000 that is cheap and easy is when tax deadline time comes around (April 15) I like to write to all my representatives on a local, tourist type post card . The message is simple and to the point. It reads something like… “I support the legalization of marijuana“. The simpler and to the point your message is, the better. I like to time dropping the post card in the mail for it to be delivered as close to April 20th (4/20) as possible. This time of year is also a good time for the…
3. Tax Day Protest
While most American idea of a tax day protest is to protest having to pay taxes, our protest is a bit different. We want the tax… on marijuana and the only way this will happen is if marijuana was legalized. The government simply won’t tax an illegal substance.
It has been estimated that by legalizing marijuana, the government could make at least $13 billion per year from tax money and the savings by not wasting money on enforcement, persecution, (yes, it’s spelled correctly) and incarceration of marijuana users. I believe that amount to be much more. A large number of persons in prison are there because of marijuana. It is time we stopped incarcerating folks for using a plant that grows almost everywhere on earth, without human involvement.?
NORML has a list of things you can do to plan your tax day protest.
To Be Continued…
[...] part 1 of this series I offered a few suggestions on getting started as an activist. In part 2 I dealt [...]
You must be psychic… or is it psycho… No! wait,I am the psycho.
Jury nullification is covered in part 3.
Two words: Jury Nullification Anyone who is on a jury in a marijuana case should refuse to convict. Send a message to the government that marijuana laws are unjust
You don’t have to wait until the next election to be heard.
[...] are a few more suggestions to go along with the suggestions in Part 1 to get you on your path, all of which are also activist [...]
I owned a party store never drank a beer, always a smoker(W/cluster headeachs)my ex gets to retire young and rich ,I will work till im dead my drug slows headaches hers creates them?Two Drunks=problems two smokers=solved problems?Are people to drunk to figure that out?I had a sucsessful business man(that hides the fact he smokes) in my home town tell me(while we were getting high) I could never exspect my business to do so well cus to many people know I smoke and his wouldent have done as well if he dident drink sociably WTF if I cant be myself FTW
I want to open a store in michigan that sells medical marauana,Tomarrow!need some investors probably gonna start with the sign, dont think im gonna need much more than that and the place to do it. In the town im from,I dont even think ill need any product to get busted one small step for man one giant leap for man kind mail enqires to schooms@netzero.com
I think letter writing is the easiest way to begin to become an activist. Going to protests lets you meet people. Joining a drug policy reform group like MPP or NORML or LEAP or what ever and donating to the organization helps too.
But you don’t have to do that. Letter writing is your voice directly to our politicians or news media and the more letter or emails they get about legalization the faster it will happen.
If every Cannabis consumer did this the powers that be would get the message real quick about how much support for rational change there is out here.
whats up guys your right I think picking a day would be a big impact on the lawmakers of all the states this is our country if we want to smoke a plant that grows in it then let us smoke the corruption that the pharmaceutical companies have in the government is a disgrace to politics lets do something about it lets speak up for the public, theres plenty of us. I think a good day that we could rally behind is 4:20 lets make a change…
-Kyle
smoke weed everyday.
I truly believe if all smokers would just take one day and write letters and encourage others to do the same we could end this. Too many times I try to get others involved and they talk a big game, “Yes I want refrom of our laws”, or “man, some day we can buy a pack of blunts in a store”
Yet these folks do little to help! These smokers need to get off their butts and start getting involved, sitting and sayign the facts over and over to the same group of friends doesnt do it. We have to get active and it needs to haappen now!
We can not let them talk the big game, instead ask well what have you done this week to help? Did you write a letter or an email? Did you make a call, did you write an artical for the paper? Have you talked with anyone in your community, have you done anything that would be considered helping? You may sound like a jerk but its has to happen. If they havent done any of those things then they are not helping, in fact they are the reason we havent won this and you should be mad at them.
Im a lone activist in a state where fear has driven all to keep their mouths shut and even with my help Im getting no responce to anyone willing to join me. But I still write my letters and emails every week, I still go and talk to anyone that will listen, and i still donate $2 a wing, 25 total, for a Norml Live show.
I have stopped going over to a few folks homes because of their lack of support and Im the dick, but I cant sit there with them knowing Im working so hard for their freedoms that they dont care about, I cant do it.
So it may take many of us to cut the ties to those that wont get active, it may take us getting uopset with folks that smoke and are un-willing to help us. I t amy take us holding their hands or writting letters for them to sign and uis mail them. I dont know if this is the right way to deal with it or not, but Im dam sure not going to sit there and listen to all their BS about how great it will be when they can go buy a pack of blunts, when its me putting myself out there to save them!
We all have to step up and for those who wont, if a push wont do it, then a shove may, but then again, at some point like me, you may say why even bother with them! I hope some day allthis will be a thing of the past and we wont need anyone to fight for our rights but untill then we all, every single one of us has to at least do something and right now that something is to get all these sit on my butt smokers up off their butts and out helping our fight!
Excellent advice Hippy!! I love the postcard to legislators around tax time idea.
..I’m going to do that next year – mine’ll say “TAX ME! Allow me to commercially produce and sell marijuana to adults and you’ll make millions off me, and prevent the brutal murder of thousands of children, police officers and politicians!“