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Friday, May 15th, 2009 at 12:20 pm | By: Radical Russ
That’s a rather bold pronouncement. It’s hard to tell whether decriminalization would’ve passed without the unfortunate NORML CT email incident, but it is pretty safe to say it did nothing to help pass the bill. But you know what they say, “perception is reality”. As far as news media in Connecticut are concerned, NORML killed decrim.
Lorenzo Jones and other advocates of marijuana decriminalization spent the past six months talking to tens of thousands of Connecticut residents about their effort. It all came undone when another activist sent a threatening email to a state lawmaker.
The bill calls for decriminalizing possession of less than a half ounce of marijuana for adults 18 and older. Supporters, including Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said it would save the state millions.
But Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, led a passionate attack on the measure, which effectively ended Tuesday’s debate in the finance, revenue and bonding committee. Boucher was the subject of a threatening email from Dominic Vita, the vice-president of the Connecticut chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Vita’s family has said the email was sent by mistake.
“At end of the day, [Vita] is a neighborhood person who does not know the rules of engagement at the Capitol,” Jones said. “Whether or not he meant it, I don’t know…but him doing that has nothing to do with whether decriminalization is right or wrong.”
Lawmakers have said the marijuana measure may come up again before the legislature adjourns on June 3. But Jones said he isn’t holding his breath. “It’s a long shot,” he said, adding that budgetary matters will likely consume the rest of the session.
Meanwhile, A Better Way and the other organizations that are part of a coalition devoted to reform of the state’s marijuana laws, will spend time preparing activists. “We need to be more diligent in training our activists on the rules of engagement, and having them better trained on stressful situations,” he said.
Everyone at NORML was just as devastated by the news of the unfortunate email received by Sen. Boucher. We have extended our apologies to the senator and assured her that in no way does NORML condone threats of violence, intended or joking, even within interoffice conversation, much less directed at a state legislator. To see so many people’s hard work crushed by one poorly-timed incident breaks our heart and knowing that innocent citizens of Connecticut will suffer from insane prohibition laws yet another year is tragic.
Lorenzo Jones is right about the need to better train activists on the rules of conduct, decorum, and engagement. As the new Chapter Outreach Coordinator for NORML this will be one of my top priorities. Since I’ve come aboard, NORML state activists in Oregon, California, Massachusetts, Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey have been engaged in their statehouses, working diligently with legislators crafting positive reform of those states’ marijuana laws. Of course, the good work and positive relationships won’t garner the headlines that one incident of poor judgment will; I just hope everyone understands that polite, effective, professional activists are the rule at NORML, not the exception.
NORML will return to Connecticut with new leadership and a commitment to professionalism and courtesy. I encourage anyone in the Nutmeg State interested in rebuilding anew to contact me at chapters@norml.org.
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Tanya Burgess, aspiring attorney and winner of the Colorado NORML 2009 Hunter S. Thompson Scolarship to atten NORML Aspen Legal Seminar in June 5-6, 2009.
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 at 2:20 pm | By: Radical Russ
(Connecticut Post) HARTFORD — A 1:30 p.m. deadline for action came and went in the Finance Committee this afternoon, killing a bill that would have decriminalized penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana.
The legislative inaction came as a defeat for Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, who wanted to model Connecticut law on a Massachusetts referendum last fall that made possession of small amounts of pot punishable by infraction penalties.
The bill, along with legislation that would have prohibited smoking in the state’s Native American casinos, died as a chief opponent to the pot legislation, Sen. Antonietta Boucher, R-New Canaan, talked on the subject through the early afternoon deadline.
…Boucher seemed to gain momentum last week when Capitol police arrested a state officer in a national marijuana-reform organization on a disorderly conduct charge after state officials intercepted a threatening e-mail he directed toward Boucher.
So the representative who received a threatening email by mistake from a former NORML VP filibustered marijuana decriminalization to death. That must be how state legislators “go postal”.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead, famed anthropologist.
“Never doubt that just one person in that small group can screw it all up for the rest.” — Russ Belville, NORML podcaster.
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 at 1:20 pm | By: Radical Russ
(The News-Times) DANBURY — An e-mail that allegedly threatened a local lawmaker landed an official of a marijuana advocacy group in jail.
State Sen. Toni Boucher, a Republican whose district includes Bethel, Redding and Ridgefield, said she was first informed about the “disturbing” e-mail Thursday.
It was written by Dominic Vita, 28, of Somers, vice president of the state chapter of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a nonprofit lobbying group working to legalize marijuana.
When news of the e-mail broke, officials of the national organization promptly withdrew the chapter’s affiliation.
Allen St. Pierre, the executive director of NORML, said they immediately withdrew the state chapter’s affiliation from the organization after hearing about the arrest.
“As you can imagine it’s really hard to reform marijuana laws in America,” he said. “It’s even harder if someone is sending threatening e-mails to policy makers — even if they did do it by mistake.
“NORML takes a (Mohatma) Ghandian approach. Even when we do confront legislators, it’s never with violence.”
St. Pierre added that the incident will likely have a negative impact on proposed legislation before the General Assembly to decriminalize marijuana in Connecticut.
The legislation is scheduled for a vote on Tuesday before the legislature’s finance committee, of which Boucher is a member.
The lawmaker said the incident Thursday was not the first time she’d been threatened over marijuana legislation.
After an explosive debate held locally on a medical marijuana bill that was proposed last year, Boucher said she was approached by someone from a national lobbying group when leaving the event.
“He said, ‘We will win this and you better watch your step,’” Boucher said. “At the time I thought it was just someone trying to be a bully.”
Oh, how I know that feeling, to be so right about the facts, to have the cause of justice, to be the compassionate one trying to protect the weak, screaming at the top of your lungs to everyone who will listen about the futility and cruelty of our marijuana laws, and to be ignored or mocked or opposed by those in power who casually dismiss the idea with worn out tropes about children and gateways. I know the feeling, or to quote one of our last three presidential tokers, “I feel your pain.”
In those moments with legislators, I try to remember these pearls of wisdom:
“In explanations of human activities, both muddling through and incompetence are under-estimated, and both rational optimizing and conspiracy over-estimated.” — Edward Tufte
Hanlon’s Razor: “Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.”
Grey’s Corollary: “Sufficiently advanced stupidity is indistinguishable from malice.”
“‘No’ means ‘Next’” – my wife.
Don’t get mad at these legislators who oppose us. Smile at them, educate their constituents, and get them voted out of office! That’s one of the great things about democracy; if you don’t like the job they are doing, you can work to get them fired.
Monday, May 11th, 2009 at 12:20 pm | By: Radical Russ
Hartford (WTNH) – The vice president of a group that advocates for the reform of marijuana laws has been arrested for allegedly sending a threatening e-mail to state Sen. Toni Boucher (R-26th District).
Dominic Vita, 28, of Somers, is the VP for Norml CT . Capitol Police say the e-mail to Sen. Boucher was laced with profanities and said to the effect, “I’m getting ready to go postal.” The e-mail also referenced a specific act of violence directed to Sen. Boucher.
Vita was arrested Friday in Enfield and charged with disorderly conduct. He was released on a $1,000 bond and is due in court May 11.
NORMLizers, let’s make this a teachable moment. As marijuana law reform advocates, you have to be ultra-squeaky-clean in following other laws and obeying rules of decorum. Chris Rock has a saying in his stand-up, “The black man’s gotta fly to get to where the white man can walk to.” The idea is that prejudice and racism inherent in our society means a black person has to work twice as hard to get the same results and recognition as a white man.
The same idea applies – quadruple – to being an “out” cannabis consumer. Normal folks can get a speeding ticket, but NORML folks getting a speeding ticket is “reckless potheads behind the wheel!” Normal folks can get angry at someone in public, but NORML folks’ public anger is “unstable activists threaten bystander”. Normal folks can send off bizarre email rants, but NORML folks’ bizarre emails are “psycho dopers want legal pot”. As a NORMLizer, you can’t just be good, you’ve got to be better than.
Don’t take this lightly; if you really want to call yourself a “marijuana activist”, you’ve got to take that responsibility seriously. You’re speaking for thousands of people in your area who can’t or won’t come out of the closet. You’re representing the dreams and needs of so many. Because of this one boneheaded act, marijuana law reform is likely dead for this Connecticut legislative session and probably severely hampered for the next two. How many people in Connecticut will be arrested for marijuana in that time? How many desperate patients will go without medicine or risk black market crime and arrest because of one errant email? How many eager budding Connecticut activists are now turned off of the idea of working with NORML?
We’ve got good people working in NORML CT and we’ll work hard to provide a great chapter in the Nutmeg State.
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 at 2:20 pm | By: Radical Russ
Thank you for your support on Senate Bill 349, AN ACT CONCERNING THE PENALTY FOR POSSESSION OF A SMALL AMOUNT OF MARIJUANA, which I have introduced in the 2009 session. In today’s economic crisis, it seems that the cost of arresting and incarcerating those who engage in the use of banned substances outweighs the success that we have had in fighting the proliferation of illegal drug trafficking.
Recently, Massachusetts approved a ballot initiative to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. SB 349 would provide for a similar policy in Connecticut, while saving the state a significant amount annually, by reducing the waste of law enforcement and judicial resources on the criminal prosecution of minor offenses. SB 349 would provide that possession of less than one half ounce of marijuana by a person above the age of eighteen would subject that person to an infraction penalty of $250 rather than prosecution for a crime.
Should you have any other comments or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.
Monday, April 13th, 2009 at 9:20 pm | By: Radical Russ
Thank you for contacting me to express your views on legalizing marijuana. I appreciate your thoughts on this important issue, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.
As you may know, there is a longstanding debate over whether marijuana should be used to provide therapeutic relief to patients. Advocates of marijuana for medical purposes maintain that there is enough scientific evidence to justify moving marijuana from schedule I to schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). At the same time, however, we must weigh the consequences of making marijuana readily available to the public.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is the primary federal agency in charge of enforcing CSA and is responsible for controlling the distribution of marijuana while it is still on schedule I. While marijuana remains illegal, it is DEA’s duty to enforce the laws currently in place regarding the wrongful sale, use, and possession of the drug.
Regarding the issue of medical marijuana, I am aware of reports that marijuana may provide therapeutic relief for individuals with certain ailments who feel that their symptoms are unresponsive to conventional medical treatments. I am not, however, aware of any reputable studies which support this contention. I oppose legalizing a drug that many health professionals believe is associated with health risks that far exceed any possible therapeutic benefits.
Thank you again for sharing your views and concerns with me. I hope you will continue to visit my website at http://lieberman.senate.gov for updated news about my work on behalf of Connecticut and the nation. Please contact me if you have any additional questions or comments about our work in Congress.
Sincerely,
Joseph I. Lieberman
UNITED STATES SENATOR
Yeah, we can’t have those dying cancer patients using something that might risk their health. Anybody want to fill the Senator in on those reputable studies? I’m allergic to Senator Lieberman, so I can’t expend energy on him.
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Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 at 1:25 pm | By: MrSpof
On a ground-breaking vote, the legislature’s judiciary committee voted Tuesday night to decriminalize marijuana possession for adults 18 and older who have less than one-half of an ounce of the drug.
Under a compromise, the marijuana laws would not change for anyone under 18, and the amount that would be decriminalized was reduced from less than one ounce to less than one half of an ounce. The possession of small amounts would no longer be a crime and would instead be an infraction that could be paid like a speeding ticket.
The bill passed by 24 to 14 in the Democratic-dominated committee, and the highest-ranking Republican who voted for the measure was deputy House Republican leader William Hamzy of Plymouth.
Despite the positive vote Tuesday night, the bill still faces an uphill battle as Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell opposes the decriminalization. Rell had vetoed a bill two years ago that would have allowed for the use of marijuana for medical purposes to relieve pain.
“Whether it’s little or a lot, it is an illegal substance, and the governor does not support the bill,” Rell’s spokesman, Christopher Cooper, said Tuesday night after the vote.
It’s pretty incredible that law reform can progress through such an arduous path only to likely die at the hands of a prohibitionist governor. Why should one person thwart the will of the People as expressed through their elected officials?
The article clearly illustrates that more and more elected officials are basing their positions on fact rather than personal beliefs and outright fiction. One state official noted that a person driving 80 mph on a state parkway would get a bigger fine than someone possessing 15 joints. The reply from another state official was that the speeder was a greater danger to those around them than someone with weed. Common sense prevails!
Nutmeggers, don’t be held hostage to the whims of a prohibitionist. Governor Rell’s position is not fact based, it’s morality based. That sort of guidance is best received from your family and faith not a state governor. Why not take a moment and share that thought with Governor Rell?
RevRayGreen: I'll post a pic of me and my son....gimme a minute
Missippi Hippy: Guess what... I'm gonna be a new... ummmmm well, my pet piggie Ganja is in labor and they ain't mine in the same sense. See what your wife [...]
RevRayGreen: days they didn't talk back..or act disrespectful..
RevRayGreen: feel so lucky my son is 18 going 19 and my daughter 16 going on 17..relish the days that can't talk back
Urb Age: Congrats Spof thats awesome. My little Clara is about to hit 20 months. Im not the activist I used to be, but its made me a better man.
Urb Age: Heck I was gonna go up there, but just not feeling well this weekend..Dang it, I hate it when that happens..
RevRayGreen: wishing I was hanging at NORML cafe...
JohnH: Just a quick comment about tokin' and sperm motility....been tokin since age 14 and have 8 kids ranging in age from 30 to 9...(what can I say, I found 2 [...]
slash5city: really ..oprah 35 yr or more in the closet toker ...outed ....o my god !!
SneakerPimp: that would be huge news just imagen the headline
RevRayGreen: maybe Oprah smokes and keeps it on the DL...
SneakerPimp: and good afternoon
mr reuben: I could do without seeing Rob K. on tv. But Bruce and Eithan get a big thumbs up from me.
SneakerPimp: waitn for NSL and congrast for spofett.
mr reuben: I don't respect her opinion bluzguy.
Missippi Hippy: Something about the last year in a contract... folks become more ballsey... and Oprah has big ones.
Adam: Oprah won't actually go off air for over a year, 2011 sometime. Maybe with here leaving the network soon, she'll be more likely to speak out about MMJ.
Marijuana-Related Health Costs Minimal Compared To Those Of Alcohol, Tobacco; California Medical Association Says Pot Prohibition Is A "Failed Public Health Policy"; Oregon: State NORML Affiliate Opens First 'Cannabis Café'. […]
American Medical Association Calls For Scientific Review Of Marijuana's Prohibitive Status; Dutch Marijuana Use Lower Than European Average, Study Says […]
"Truth In Trials Act" Reintroduced In Congress; Maine: Voters Approve Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Measure; Colorado: Breckenridge Voters Overwhelmingly Decide To End Pot Penalties. […]
Some of the nation’s top athletes discuss why today's pros are turning to cannabis — and away from alcohol and painkillers — off the field, and question why pro sports leagues are continuing to sanction those who do. Moderator: Steve Bloom, Author, Pot Culture; editor, celebstoner.com * Toby Grear, MMA fighter * Sean Neumann, Documentary Filmm […]
Cannabis Law Reform's Missing Link: Law Enforcement Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper; LEAP and NORML Advisory Board; Author of Breaking Rank Putting the Mexican Cartels Out of Business Mexican drug cartels now employ over 100,000 soldiers and are responsible for nearly ten thousand deaths per year. Their largest source of income is marijuana. […]
Stash for Tue, Aug 11, 2009
waitn for NSL and congrast for spofett.
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; is she incognito like me 
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