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NORML To Launch New Marijuana "Truth" Campaign Next Week
Report Will Offer Point-By-Point Rebuttal To Drug Czar's Office
"Open Letter" To U.S. Prosecutors Claiming, "No Drug Matches
The Threat Posed By Marijuana"
Washington, DC: A point-by-point refutation to a recent "open letter" from the Drug Czar's office to America's prosecutors claiming, "No drug matches the threat posed by marijuana" will serve as the centerpiece of a new marijuana "truth" campaign to be launched by NORML next week.
To definitively counter the increasingly extreme anti-marijuana rhetoric spouted by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, NORML will be issuing a comprehensive report next week separating marijuana fact from fiction," NORML Executive Director Keith Stroup said. "We encourage anyone who is interested in drug policy to read the ONDCP's letter, and then read NORML's rebuttal, and decide for themselves who is lying about marijuana and why."
The ONDCP's letter and NORML's response will appear online next week on NORML's website.
In a so-called "open letter" to America's prosecutors, ONDCP Deputy Director for State and Local Affairs Scott Burns urges prosecutors to "aggressively prosecute" marijuana violators, and "work with your legislators to update local laws [that] impede marijuana prosecutions" (such as state laws legalizing the use of medicinal marijuana). The letter further urges prosecutors to "tell Americans the truth" about marijuana, and then lists more than a dozen unsubstantiated, misleading and fallacious statements regarding cannabis - including the allegation that pot is more addictive than "alcohol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, ecstasy, and all other illegal drugs combined."
"Has this administration forgotten about the very real risks of truly
dangerous drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine?" Stroup responded, adding that, "NORML has decided it is time to blow the whistle on this shameful exercise in government propaganda. Ultimately, this type of rhetoric only serves to undermine our nation's anti-drug efforts because it adversely impacts the current administration's credibility, and with it, their ability to effectively educate teens on the harms of legitimately dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine."
Stroup further questioned whether it's appropriate for prosecutors to be engaged in the sort of direct lobbying requested by the ONDCP. "For years, law enforcement have alleged that they don't make the laws; they merely enforce them. However, this letter asks America's prosecutors to publicly spread misinformation about marijuana in order to justify a failed federal policy, and further requests them to lobby against any legislative reforms that seek to liberalize that policy. Are either of these activities an appropriate use of taxpayer funds?"
NORML expects to launch its new "truth" campaign early next week.
For more information, please contact either Keith Stroup or NORML
Communications Director Nicholas Thimmesch at (202) 483-5500.
__________________________________________________
Canadian Justice Minister Reaffirms Plans To Remove Criminal
Penalties For Pot
Ottawa, Ontario: Justice Minister Martin Cauchon reaffirmed plans this week to act swiftly to remove criminal penalties on small amounts of marijuana.
"I will move ahead as quickly as I can" to implement the law change, Cauchon told the Canadian National Post. Cauchon's statements came just days after a MacClean's Magazine poll revealed that 50 percent of Canadians support decriminalizing marijuana.
Support for decriminalization was fairly consistent among respondents of all ages, and was strongest among those earning more than $100,000.
Last month, Cauchon pledged to introduce legislation within the first four months of this year decriminalizing the possession and cultivation of up to 30 grams of marijuana. His announcement came in response to the release of a Canadian House of Commons report concluding, "The consequences of conviction for possession of a small amount of cannabis for personal use are disproportionate to the potential harm associated with the behavior," and recommending decriminalization.
Recently however, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien has indicated that Parliament must further debate decriminalization before acting on the House's recommendation. US officials responded that trade sanctions and increased security could be imposed along the US/Canadian border if Canada moves forward with decriminalization.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500.
Local Missouri Decriminalization Initiative To Go Before City Council, Possibly Voters
Columbia, MO: Proposed municipal language to decriminalize the possession of up to 35 grams of marijuana for personal use, and limit the criminal prosecution of medicinal marijuana patients will go before the Columbia City Council for a vote later this month. The Columbia Alliance for Patients and Education, in conjunction with the University of Missouri chapter of NORML, drafted the petition and collected the necessary signatures to place it before the City Council.
If the Council rejects the initiative, it will automatically be placed
before the city's voters on the April 8 ballot.
Proponents of the initiative argue that its passage would benefit
students, who under federal law risk losing their student aid if they have a pot conviction, and encourage local police and prosecutors to apply marijuana laws more consistently. Under the proposal, all minor marijuana infractions would be directed to municipal - not state - court. First time possession of 35 grams or less of marijuana is a misdemeanor in Missouri, punishable by up to one year in jail.
Several municipalities in other states - most notably Mendocino County, California and Ann Arbor, Michigan - have previously enacted marijuana decriminalization ordinances.
For more information, please contact either Sarah Duff of The Columbia
Alliance for Patients and Education at (573) 442-9719 or Dan Viets, Esq.
Of Missouri NORML at (573) 443-6866.
####################
Support NORML's efforts to change marijuana policy and educate the public to alternatives to marijuana prohibition. You can join or donate online at: https://banqa.uaqa.com/norml/join/
You can join, donate or purchase a NORML-related product online at: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3454
Report Will Offer Point-By-Point Rebuttal To Drug Czar's Office
"Open Letter" To U.S. Prosecutors Claiming, "No Drug Matches
The Threat Posed By Marijuana"
Washington, DC: A point-by-point refutation to a recent "open letter" from the Drug Czar's office to America's prosecutors claiming, "No drug matches the threat posed by marijuana" will serve as the centerpiece of a new marijuana "truth" campaign to be launched by NORML next week.
To definitively counter the increasingly extreme anti-marijuana rhetoric spouted by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, NORML will be issuing a comprehensive report next week separating marijuana fact from fiction," NORML Executive Director Keith Stroup said. "We encourage anyone who is interested in drug policy to read the ONDCP's letter, and then read NORML's rebuttal, and decide for themselves who is lying about marijuana and why."
The ONDCP's letter and NORML's response will appear online next week on NORML's website.
In a so-called "open letter" to America's prosecutors, ONDCP Deputy Director for State and Local Affairs Scott Burns urges prosecutors to "aggressively prosecute" marijuana violators, and "work with your legislators to update local laws [that] impede marijuana prosecutions" (such as state laws legalizing the use of medicinal marijuana). The letter further urges prosecutors to "tell Americans the truth" about marijuana, and then lists more than a dozen unsubstantiated, misleading and fallacious statements regarding cannabis - including the allegation that pot is more addictive than "alcohol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, ecstasy, and all other illegal drugs combined."
"Has this administration forgotten about the very real risks of truly
dangerous drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine?" Stroup responded, adding that, "NORML has decided it is time to blow the whistle on this shameful exercise in government propaganda. Ultimately, this type of rhetoric only serves to undermine our nation's anti-drug efforts because it adversely impacts the current administration's credibility, and with it, their ability to effectively educate teens on the harms of legitimately dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine."
Stroup further questioned whether it's appropriate for prosecutors to be engaged in the sort of direct lobbying requested by the ONDCP. "For years, law enforcement have alleged that they don't make the laws; they merely enforce them. However, this letter asks America's prosecutors to publicly spread misinformation about marijuana in order to justify a failed federal policy, and further requests them to lobby against any legislative reforms that seek to liberalize that policy. Are either of these activities an appropriate use of taxpayer funds?"
NORML expects to launch its new "truth" campaign early next week.
For more information, please contact either Keith Stroup or NORML
Communications Director Nicholas Thimmesch at (202) 483-5500.
__________________________________________________
Canadian Justice Minister Reaffirms Plans To Remove Criminal
Penalties For Pot
Ottawa, Ontario: Justice Minister Martin Cauchon reaffirmed plans this week to act swiftly to remove criminal penalties on small amounts of marijuana.
"I will move ahead as quickly as I can" to implement the law change, Cauchon told the Canadian National Post. Cauchon's statements came just days after a MacClean's Magazine poll revealed that 50 percent of Canadians support decriminalizing marijuana.
Support for decriminalization was fairly consistent among respondents of all ages, and was strongest among those earning more than $100,000.
Last month, Cauchon pledged to introduce legislation within the first four months of this year decriminalizing the possession and cultivation of up to 30 grams of marijuana. His announcement came in response to the release of a Canadian House of Commons report concluding, "The consequences of conviction for possession of a small amount of cannabis for personal use are disproportionate to the potential harm associated with the behavior," and recommending decriminalization.
Recently however, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien has indicated that Parliament must further debate decriminalization before acting on the House's recommendation. US officials responded that trade sanctions and increased security could be imposed along the US/Canadian border if Canada moves forward with decriminalization.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500.
Local Missouri Decriminalization Initiative To Go Before City Council, Possibly Voters
Columbia, MO: Proposed municipal language to decriminalize the possession of up to 35 grams of marijuana for personal use, and limit the criminal prosecution of medicinal marijuana patients will go before the Columbia City Council for a vote later this month. The Columbia Alliance for Patients and Education, in conjunction with the University of Missouri chapter of NORML, drafted the petition and collected the necessary signatures to place it before the City Council.
If the Council rejects the initiative, it will automatically be placed
before the city's voters on the April 8 ballot.
Proponents of the initiative argue that its passage would benefit
students, who under federal law risk losing their student aid if they have a pot conviction, and encourage local police and prosecutors to apply marijuana laws more consistently. Under the proposal, all minor marijuana infractions would be directed to municipal - not state - court. First time possession of 35 grams or less of marijuana is a misdemeanor in Missouri, punishable by up to one year in jail.
Several municipalities in other states - most notably Mendocino County, California and Ann Arbor, Michigan - have previously enacted marijuana decriminalization ordinances.
For more information, please contact either Sarah Duff of The Columbia
Alliance for Patients and Education at (573) 442-9719 or Dan Viets, Esq.
Of Missouri NORML at (573) 443-6866.
####################
Support NORML's efforts to change marijuana policy and educate the public to alternatives to marijuana prohibition. You can join or donate online at: https://banqa.uaqa.com/norml/join/
You can join, donate or purchase a NORML-related product online at: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3454
