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Special: “Marijuana’s Cultural Moment” panel at Drug Policy Alliance Int’l Drug Policy Reform Conference
Moderated by “Radical” Russ Belville
Deborah Small – Break the Chains Executive Director
Chris Goldstein from NORML New Jersey handled the media outreach for the NORML Conference this year and knocked the ball right out of the park. Our press conference was a huge success and many media took it further and covered the whole conference. The 8′ x 10′ logo curtain I designed also made a big impact with our logos appearing in many mainstream media photos. Check the links after the jump…
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 at 2:18 pm | By: Missippi Hippy
I know many of us are frustrated.  It seems that sometimes none of our toking friends are willing to take part in any activist activities, and would just rather sit around and get high.  Perhaps they even said they would be at that protest rally and didn’t show up, leaving you with a dozen or so placards in a pile, unused.  Well, look on the bright side. Those protest signs will still be valid until “that day of rejoicing” when marijuana is legal for all responsible adults.
Many of our toking friends are afraid to do anything due to the stigma of an non-approving family or the fear of losing a job. Perhaps many of them are fearful of persecution.
All I can say is this. Sometimes, at the start, the activist’s life can be somewhat lonely.  Sometimes, it is time to say goodbye to former friends and seek out new ones. You have to decide. I, personally, have no problem cutting “those guys” out of the discussion. I simply will not put the energy into repeatedly trying to enlist them in this war.  I would rather do something else to help me find like minded folks.
Here 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 activities.
4. Be dressed for the Protest
Know your audience. At the bike rally, concert, beach, college campus, or party, rock your NORML t-shirt...
Finding like minded potential activists and protesting existing marijuana laws can be as easy as putting on a t-shirt. All some folks need is a nudge in the right direction. By wearing a NORML, High Times or any t-shirt with a marijuana friendly message when you are in a public setting will serve as a protest as well as a way to meet other potential activists. Fellow Stasher, Urb Age, has some clothing with our friendly little flower on them. You may even be able to go down to your local mall and find something suitable, after all, the issue of marijuana legalization has gone mainstream and now many outlets are trying to capitalize on it.
I wear these t-shirts only when I am going to be in public. They serve no function wearing them around the house where nobody else except family can see them. Keep them clean and wear them where they will do the most good… in public.
...but for the public protest, legislative hearing, media presentation, "mainstream" luncheon, or "cocktail party", dress it up a little.
As you walk in this public setting watch the reactions of the folks around you. Very few folks who see it (and understand it) will do so without some body language giving away their sentiments. Look for the nods of approval and smiles of the folks you meet. That nod or smile, or even the remark, “That’s not how “normal” is spelled”, is your opening for conversation. Take advantage of it. [Russ notes: Try wearing a 100% hemp cap with a pot leaf on it everywhere you go! I've given out more cards and talked to more people and recruited more new members to Oregon NORML from strangers passing by saying "nice hat" than every classified ad I've ever placed.]
Don’t be afraid of the police. They cannot bust you for your choice in wardrobe or your beliefs. You might even find that (some of) them are willing to listen and talk sensibly to you. While you have that police officer’s ears, you might even mention Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (L.E.A.P.).
5. Attend a Mass Protest
Do you want to carry your activism to gargantuan levels. Well, you can do so by joining up with hundreds or hundreds of thousands of like minded activists as they take part in one of the many mass protest rallies, also known as “Hemp Festivals”, marches, seminars or conferences and they happen throughout the world. It is here that you may encounter other like minded folk who live just down the block from you and you had no idea they existed, or find new friends who live halfway around the world.
These type of festivals serve to rejuvenate my spirit and “fire me up” and they may you also.
You can find information on many of these rallies at the NORML Calendar of Events.
6. Start a Petition Drive
Here is another way to be an activist and at the same time meet other like minded, potential activists.
Get permission from your own local “smoke shop” to set up a table in their store and start a petition demanding “Legalization and Taxation of Marijuana”. Most shop owners should be open to this suggestion as … well, this is a capitalist world and it could mean more business for them. [Russ notes: Well, maybe not. Lots of smoke shops flee from the word "marijuana", as they are playing the "wink wink nudge nudge" game that those big glass sculptures are actually for tobacco smoking. But a record store, music club, sandwich shop, pizza joint, or bookstore will usually be open for the extra business - they know stoners like music, food, and books.]
Don’t just ask the shop customers to sign the petition and leave it at that. No! Rather, try starting a conversation with them as they sign, and try to steer the conversation to see how far they are willing to go and possibly enlist them as a warrior (because that is what we are) in this war. Don’t forget to mention NORML in the conversation. Write down any links for them to do their own research and be sure to “give it to them”.
The “art” of conversation takes practice, so it doesn’t matter if you stumble over your words for a while, because “practice makes perfect”.
Also… Remember to wear that t-shirt with the marijuana friendly message.
Monday, August 31st, 2009 at 2:28 pm | By: Missippi Hippy
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.
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.?
The weeklong series features looks at countercultural revolutionaries like Timothy Leary, Muhammad Ali, and the Black Panthers. The Tuesday show focuses on Cheech & Chong to explore the marijuana reform revolution of the 1970s and its parallels to today. NORML Founder Keith Stroup was interviewed for that show and it will appear on VH1 on Tuesday, August 11 at 8pm Eastern Time / 7pm Central.
Monday, August 3rd, 2009 at 8:20 am | By: Radical Russ
Marijuana legalization is the hottest topic in the media these days. MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, FOX, NatGeo, and CBS News have presented special features on marijuana business, medical marijuana, and the marijuana legalization movement. Google Trends is showing double the interest in searches and news hits for the term “marijuana legalization”. Showtime’s hit series Weeds, about a suburban mom turned pot dealer, is entering its fifth season. Everywhere you look, corporate media are happy to profit from America’s most popular herb.
Unless you want to address marijuana’s illegality and the lives that are shattered by the effects of marijuana prohibition. In that case, the corporate media cannot have anything to do with you, even if you want to pay to broadcast the message of ending adult marijuana prohibition.
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 at 2:20 pm | By: Radical Russ
I get to post a whole lot of “Reefer Madness” stories here on the Stash, but it is rare that I get to post some “Hemp Hysteria”. This is from a piece entitled “The Hemp Deception“, written by John English here in Portland, Oregon, “a retired professional locksmith of 27 years and a member of Drug Watch International,” who “has instituted a new approach of bringing his former out-of-control drug community to be family-friendly.”
I think that new approach is called el gringo es muy guano loco in Spanish.
Most of us don’t like liars. Lying by omission, by deception, is no less offensive.
With hemp, deception’s the rule! Honesty’s the exception.
Legislators and farmers don’t know that at least 8 of the 9 founding officers and directors (of the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) – hemp’s major U.S. trade group) are also vigorous pro pot legalization advocates. That they don’t know, … that’s intentional.
Don’t you love it when they say, “The people behind hemp (or medical marijuana) want to legalize pot!” Look, if I think everyone should have access to high-THC cannabis, how can I not support everyone’s access to low-THC hemp (or patients’ access to high-THC cannabis)? Am I supposed to say, “Sorry, I support legal pot; get that hemp crap out of my face!”
Suppose I believe in legalizing prostitution and I form an organization that provides free HIV/AIDS testing for prostitutes. Even though you may disagree with legal prostitution, is it not a good thing to offer free AIDS testing? Is my AIDS testing organization a “deception” to get people to legalize prostitution? Of course not; free AIDS testing is a good thing for society regardless of my supposed personal views that legalized prostitution would be a good thing.
Likewise, support for industrial hemp is a good thing for society, independent from and regardless if you think legalized pot is a good thing.
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Medical Marijuana Gardener Bernie Ellis of Fly, Tennessee, tells of his being labeled a “terrorist” and investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations to intimidate him to drop his campaign for free and fair elections.
Friday, June 26th, 2009 at 1:20 pm | By: Radical Russ
I just got off the phone with a delightful older lady in Nevada. She had called our Washington DC office and they referred her to me. Â I had hardly said “Hello, this is Russ” before she launched into her sputtering tirade. Â ”I live in Nevada,” she explained, “and I just made the drive to Carson City to get my medical marijuana card. Â You know I had to spend over $300 to get this card that says I can have pharmaceutical marijuana…”
“Well, it’s not phar…” I tried to interject, but she was rolling.
“…and then I ask the guy where I’m supposed to pick up some of this pharmaceutical marijuana and he tells me I can’t get any, that I have to grow my own from a plant!” she exclaimed. Â Yes, I agree, while I’m wondering “what did the DC office think I could do about this?” Â She continues, “How can they call it pharmaceutical marijuana if you don’t have some place to pick it up?!? Â He says I’m supposed to just go find a plant, like I know anybody that has marijuana plants! Â Now I’m out over $300 for a card that does me no good because I don’t know how I’m supposed to get this pharmaceutical marijuana!”
Eventually I broke in and told her I sympathized, but, uh, how can I help you? Â ”That’s the big problem in many medical marijuana states,” I said soothingly, “you’re allowed to use medical marijuana if some should fall out of the sky into your pipe. Â But you can’t buy it or sell it or even buy seeds for it.”
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 at 9:20 am | By: Radical Russ
Public Protest on steps of Main Post Office in Manhattan, at 8th Ave & 33rd St, today at 4:20pm Eastern!
NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre with members of NY NORML in Manhattan
This morning at 8:00am, NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre presented $14,000,000,000 from the American cannabis consumers to the US Treasury, representing the money that would be saved in law enforcement costs and reaped in taxation every year from the cannabis industry, according to Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron, Nobel laureate Milton Friedman, and 500 more reputable economists.
A separate economic analysis, conducted by George Mason University senior fellow Jon Gettman in 2007, estimates that the total amount of tax revenue derived from cannabis could be far higher. According to Gettman, the retail value of the total U.S. marijuana market now stands at a whopping $113 billion per year. Using standard tax percentages obtained from the Office of Management and Budget, he calculates that the diversion of this market from the taxable economy deprives taxpayers of $31.1 billion annually.
Allen St. Pierre is interviewed by the New York FOX affiliate
Representatives from Fox News, CNN, Sirius Satellite Radio, and a few other media outlets were on hand to cover the 8am event. There will also be a 4:20pm public protest, and hopefully a few other media outlets will cover that as well.
“We represent the millions of otherwise law-abiding cannabis consumers who are ready, willing, vocal and able to contribute needed tax revenue to America’s struggling economy,” NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said at a press conference at the steps of the general post office in New York City. “All we ask in exchange for our $14 billion is that our government respects our decision to use marijuana privately and responsibly.”
“I would like to ask all Americans to stop for a moment on tax day and ask themselves if this $14 billion could be better spent than on an endless, pointless, counterproductive â€war’ against a largely harmless plant. We’re eager to start a rational, reasonable debate about changing the marijuana laws, because that’s a debate we know we’ll win,” said David Bienenstock, author of “The Official High Times Pot Smoker’s Handbook”.
“Marijuana is unquestionably America’s number one cash crop. At a time when millions of Americans are out of work, we need to legitimize this multi-billion dollar per year industry and help families get back on their feet, instead of arresting over 800,000 of our own citizens every year for possessing a plant far less harmful than alcohol,” added Danny Danko, Senior Cultivation Editor of High Times Magazine.
RevRayGreen: MASS TWEET THIS -@ChuckGrassley Truth is Chuck you follow Nixon's CSA full of reefer sadness. btw Chuck, Marijuana is not a drug.
RevRayGreen: @ChuckGrassley http://bit.ly/55Ejsi Truth is Chuck you follow Nixon's CSA full of reefer madness. btw Chuck, Marijuana is not a drug.
SneakerPimp: one last thing Puff puff pass to any one who wants it
SneakerPimp: i wanna here about the imminent MiniSpof sounds like time for some
SneakerPimp: im estatic and excited for NSL today.
SneakerPimp: mountain time wake n bake
SneakerPimp: oh yea also wake n bake
SneakerPimp: its central im high as a kite everybody
SneakerPimp: ill grab that WUD
WakeUpDead: @Russ, I dont think that wireless is going to work out for the show, it was choppy and studdered just like last week. Hardline may be the only way. Puff [...]
WakeUpDead: A MINI Spof, Lock up your Weed, in 18 years that is. Really Man congrats! Greatest days of my life when my kids were born, hell yeh, great news [...]
BenJaMin: Late night Stash!!!
SneakerPimp: heres a bong rip for spof
RevRayGreen: errr test over....
RevRayGreen: on hold..
RevRayGreen: @RR I'll try and lob a call to you.....
SneakerPimp: where is the first field of cannabis gonna be?
SneakerPimp: !
Radical Russ: Breaking News: MrSpof's wife's water just broke! A MiniSpof is imminent!
SneakerPimp: oh russ its not my fault that i dont understand choppy word:stoned:
SneakerPimp: @Mrspof congratulations tell us all about it tommrow
Radical Russ: OK, test over. Sorry. Only needed a half hour. Be back tomorrow afternoon.
slash5city: don't forget to watch CCS live on u-stream 8 pm west
thaistik: Local Crime Stoppers notice.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Pot shop burglars sought
Crime Stoppers is looking for information on the suspects who police say burglarized a medical marijuana dispensary and stole cash, drugs [...]
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 Fri, Nov 13, 2009
sounds like time for some 
mountain time wake n bake 
don't forget to watch CCS live on u-stream 8 pm west 
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