Monthly Archives: January 2013
Pot Prohibition, Regulation and Danger to the Young
Letters to the Editor
Pot Prohibition, Regulation and Danger to the Young
January 28, 2013
http://online.wsj.com/public/page/letters.html
The defenders of the status quo say that we can’t end marijuana prohibition because it “sends the wrong message to the kids” and will increase teen drug use (“Legalizing Pot Won’t Make it Any Safer” by Mitchell S. Rosenthal, op-ed, Jan. 17).
Ironically, prohibition is a complete failure when it comes to keeping young people from using drugs. Despite decades of DARE programs with the simplistic “Just Say No” message, 50% of teenagers will try marijuana before they graduate. Young people also feel the brunt of marijuana enforcement and make up the majority of arrests. Arresting young people will often cause more damage than drug use itself. Teenagers need honest drug education to help them make responsible decisions. We have cut down on teen smoking without tobacco prohibition and without one arrest.… Continue reading
We Can Change the Law: Referendum on Nashville Marijuana Arrests
There is an effort underway to get a petition for a Nashville referendum on the next election. That referendum would lower marijuana arrests on the priority list of Metro Police. Since Nashville is a Democratic stronghold with a large music and medical community, our efforts to educate on medical marijuana dovetails nicely in this direction.
If you’re interested in joining in this effort in Nashville, come to our next meeting February 10 at Sunset Grill in Nashville.We hope to develop and train membership in writing Letters to the Editor, Legislators and taking presentations before civic groups. If you’re ready to change the laws in TN come see the film Feb 9 (see previous blog) and attend our Next NORML monthly meeting, Sunday February 10th.
Remember, our job is to educate people and stimulate the debate in our State!
Drug Film Big Success
Did you know that the U.S. has the highest prison rate per capita than any other nation in the world?
That half of the people in U.S. prisons are non-violent drug offenders? And that while African Americans are only 17 percent of the U.S. Population they make up 50 percent of those people in U.S. prisons today? According to one speaker in the film, In This House, The U.S. Drug War is a slow motion Holocaust and its victims are the poor.
There was a recent screening of this film on Saturday Feb 9th in Nashville, sponsored by the Federal Public Defender’s Office, which also hosted a panel with a Federal Dudge, Assistant District Attorney and Prosecutor after the film. Kudos to the organizers and those who attended.
The discussion was lively at the packed Looby Theater in Nashville that day. The message from those Federal panel members was to get out and… Continue reading
Nashville Fox 17 News reports on TN Medical Marijuana Feb 13th 9 p.m.
John Dunn, Nashville Fox 17 News
Nashville TV Reporter John Dunn recently visited Bernie Ellis’ farm and interviewed NORML Chairman Paul Kuhn and Tennessee Chapter President Doak Patton in Patton’s law offices.
Dunn asked several questions about the 2012 legislative initiatives on medical marijuana and what it’s looking like for 2013. Don’t miss the report on Feb 13th 9 p.m. I’m sure the station would appreciate our feedback. They have a Facebook page and we do too.
Remember, our job is to educate and stimulate the debate in our State to reform marijuana laws. Tell your friends and let’s watch to make sure they do a good job!
Overkill in the war on pot
Lost in this fray is the fact that marijuana is medicine.
By Marie Myung-Ok Lee
January 22, 2013
As a candidate in 2008, Barack Obama emphatically stated that medical marijuana use was an issue best left to the states. One of the first promises he made as the newly elected president was that he was “not going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws.” This was even reiterated formally in the so-called Ogden memo of 2009, in which the Department of Justice instructed U.S. attorneys that federal enforcement should apply only to medical marijuana operations that were not in clear compliance with state law.
Obama has since “clarified” those promises, but it still makes no sense that Matthew R. Davies, a business school graduate who set out in 2009 to create a medical marijuana dispensary that would be in full compliance with California law, is… Continue reading
Marijuana restrictions: Appeals court backs DEA, rejects pot advocates argument
A marijuana starter plant is shown at Canna Pi medical marijuana dispensary in Seattle on Nov. 20
By Pete Williams, Justice Correspondent, NBC News
Advocates of looser federal restrictions on marijuana suffered a significant legal setback Tuesday, as a panel of three judges found that the federal government acted properly in refusing to loosen restrictions on pot.
Pro-marijuana groups and a disabled veteran who said it improves his medical condition asked the Drug Enforcement Administration to put marijuana on a lower tier of federal restrictions. They said the agency was ignoring a growing body of scientific evidence that it has some medical benefits. When the DEA refused, they sued.
But by a 2-1 vote, a panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said Tuesday that the DEA did consider all the available information. “We find nothing in the record that could move us to conclude… Continue reading
Michigan also had five city-wide important votes that demonstrate the will of the voters.
Michigan also had five city-wide important votes that demonstrate the will of the voters. The City of Detroit voted 3 to 1 to legalize marijuana. Even extremely conservative Grand Rapids (more churches per square mile than any city in the USA) made simple possession a civil infraction, like a parking ticket. All five votes ended in victory for the anti-prohibition side. Politicians have been put on notice of the will of the people. They ignore these votes at their peril.
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