NORML Chapters Energized and Organized for 2018 Lobby Days

As support for marijuana legalization in America reaches an all-time high, NORML chapters are hoping to tap into the energy and enthusiasm of their most ardent supporters for their 2018 lobby days. According to the most recent nationwide polling data compiled by Gallup, Sixty-four percent of US adults support the legalization of adult-use marijuana. That’s why NORML chapters are gearing up for an aggressive push to advance marijuana law reforms in states across the country.

Looking Back

As the year comes to an close, NORML chapters have certainly earned the right to celebrate their hard work and a very productive year. With a record number of state-level lobby days, the passage of several decriminalization measures and a strong presence at congressional town hall meetings, and legislative offices, NORML chapters had an undeniable impact on marijuana policy in 2017.

To kick things off earlier this year, NORML chapters around the country organized more than two dozen lobby days, where legislative victories ranged from an effort by Virginia NORML to end automatic driver’s license suspension for marijuana possession, to a push by Delaware NORML that resulted in the passage of a marijuana legalization bill out of committee. A first for the Delaware legislature.

After wrapping up state legislative sessions, NORML chapters continued their work well into the summer months, but shifted their focus to local efforts. While some chapters dedicated their time to collecting signatures for statewide marijuana law reform initiatives and others to community outreach projects, NORML KC, Peachtree NORML, Madison NORML and Ohio NORML set their sights on decriminalization. Each chapter was successful in reducing the penalties for personal possession of marijuana in their community from a criminal infraction to a simple fine or no fine at all.

Following a busy summer filled with local activism and congressional town hall meetings, chapter leadership from around the country gathered in our nation’s capital for NORML’s 2017 Conference and Lobby in Washington DC. With the help of NORML’s political team led by Justin Strekal, NORML coordinated more than 150 meetings with congressional offices, and to the surprise of many, a face-to face meeting with Senator Cory Booker, who recently introduced The Marijuana Justice Act of 2017.

Looking Ahead

With the new year quickly approaching, NORML Chapters around the country are busy mobilizing supporters in advance of their 2018 lobby days. NORML activists will be meeting with state representatives where they’ll help educate them about the advantages of ending marijuana prohibition and encourage support for dozens of statewide reform bills. To date, Virginia NORML, NORML KC, NORML of Florida, Lehigh Valley NORML, NORML Women of Washington, Pittsburgh NORML, Ohio NORML, Missouri NORML, Illinois NORML, Delaware NORML, Kentucky NORML, Maryland NORML, New Mexico NORML, Wyoming NORML and Greater St. Louis NORML have scheduled the first round of NORML lobby days for the new year.

In Pennsylvania, Jeff Reidy, executive director of Lehigh Valley NORML will be in Harrisburg with a broad coalition consisting of marijuana activists from the Keystone Cannabis Coalition and several other NORML chapters for what’s expected to be one of the largest grassroots marijuana-centric lobby days in the state’s history. With Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana patients now receiving their state registration cards and the expected opening of dispensaries in early 2018, the coalition will be pushing for statewide decriminalization.

“Marijuana activism begins with NORML. Being a member of this organization implies a desire to push our agenda, while engaging policy makers,” said Reidy. “Lobbying our elected officials is the simplest way to deliver the voice of the people to our politicians. We only win when we engage, speak out, endure, and fight for our freedoms. It’s time to Lobby!”

In Washington State, where medical and adult-use marijuana is already legal, Danica Noble, executive director of NORML Women of Washington and her colleagues with Washington NORML will be focused on protecting progress and expanding the rights of marijuana consumers by addressing issues like home cultivation and workplace discrimination.

“In Washington State, our top legislative priorities will be on legalizing homegrows, expunging felony convictions for simple possession, and establishing workplace protections for marijuana consumers, said Noble. “In addition to not having the legal right to grow our own marijuana, marijuana consumers in Washington are being denied employment opportunities and still carry the burden of a felony conviction for simple possession. This has to change.”

While the legislative priorities of each NORML chapter can vary, the goal of protecting the rights of marijuana consumers and ending marijuana prohibition are shared by all.

Empowerment Resources

To support these grassroots lobbying efforts, we recently updated NORML’s Citizen Lobby Guide. This comprehensive guide will assist NORML activists in the planning and execution of a successful lobby day and also provides organizational checklists and a legislative questionnaire. So regardless of the state or legal status of marijuana, NORML activists will be fully prepared to discuss meaningful marijuana law reforms and effectively communicate NORML’s message of ending the prohibition of marijuana on the local, state and federal level.

NORML Lobby Guide: http://norml.org/pdf_files/NORML_CitizenLobbyGuide.pdf

NORML’s Action Center

In addition to offering support through NORML’s Citizen Lobby Guide, we have created more than a dozen action alerts targeting lawmakers across the country urging their support for marijuana law reform legislation being considered in their state. To join the conversation, simply click on the link below, find the action alert for your state and enter your information!

NORML Action Center: http://norml.org/act

For more information about a NORML’s 2018 Chapter Lobby Days, please email Chapters@NORML.org or visit http://norml.org/about/chapter-calendar for list of upcoming chapter lobby days and meetings.

Source: http://blog.norml.org/2017/12/31/norml-chapters-energized-and-organized-for-2018-lobby-days/

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source https://gigglesndimples.com/2017/12/31/norml-chapters-energized-and-organized-for-2018-lobby-days-2/

NORML Chapters Energized and Organized for 2018 Lobby Days

As support for marijuana legalization in America reaches an all-time high, NORML chapters are hoping to tap into the energy and enthusiasm of their most ardent supporters for their 2018 lobby days. According to the most recent nationwide polling data compiled by Gallup, Sixty-four percent of US adults support the legalization of adult-use marijuana. That’s why NORML chapters are gearing up for an aggressive push to advance marijuana law reforms in states across the country.

Looking Back

As the year comes to an close, NORML chapters have certainly earned the right to celebrate their hard work and a very productive year. With a record number of state-level lobby days, the passage of several decriminalization measures and a strong presence at congressional town hall meetings, and legislative offices, NORML chapters had an undeniable impact on marijuana policy in 2017.

To kick things off earlier this year, NORML chapters around the country organized more than two dozen lobby days, where legislative victories ranged from an effort by Virginia NORML to end automatic driver’s license suspension for marijuana possession, to a push by Delaware NORML that resulted in the passage of a marijuana legalization bill out of committee. A first for the Delaware legislature.

After wrapping up state legislative sessions, NORML chapters continued their work well into the summer months, but shifted their focus to local efforts. While some chapters dedicated their time to collecting signatures for statewide marijuana law reform initiatives and others to community outreach projects, NORML KC, Peachtree NORML, Madison NORML and Ohio NORML set their sights on decriminalization. Each chapter was successful in reducing the penalties for personal possession of marijuana in their community from a criminal infraction to a simple fine or no fine at all.

Following a busy summer filled with local activism and congressional town hall meetings, chapter leadership from around the country gathered in our nation’s capital for NORML’s 2017 Conference and Lobby in Washington DC. With the help of NORML’s political team led by Justin Strekal, NORML coordinated more than 150 meetings with congressional offices, and to the surprise of many, a face-to face meeting with Senator Cory Booker, who recently introduced The Marijuana Justice Act of 2017.

Looking Ahead

With the new year quickly approaching, NORML Chapters around the country are busy mobilizing supporters in advance of their 2018 lobby days. NORML activists will be meeting with state representatives where they’ll help educate them about the advantages of ending marijuana prohibition and encourage support for dozens of statewide reform bills. To date, Virginia NORML, NORML KC, NORML of Florida, Lehigh Valley NORML, NORML Women of Washington, Pittsburgh NORML, Ohio NORML, Missouri NORML, Illinois NORML, Delaware NORML, Kentucky NORML, Maryland NORML, New Mexico NORML, Wyoming NORML and Greater St. Louis NORML have scheduled the first round of NORML lobby days for the new year.

In Pennsylvania, Jeff Reidy, executive director of Lehigh Valley NORML will be in Harrisburg with a broad coalition consisting of marijuana activists from the Keystone Cannabis Coalition and several other NORML chapters for what’s expected to be one of the largest grassroots marijuana-centric lobby days in the state’s history. With Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana patients now receiving their state registration cards and the expected opening of dispensaries in early 2018, the coalition will be pushing for statewide decriminalization.

“Marijuana activism begins with NORML. Being a member of this organization implies a desire to push our agenda, while engaging policy makers,” said Reidy. “Lobbying our elected officials is the simplest way to deliver the voice of the people to our politicians. We only win when we engage, speak out, endure, and fight for our freedoms. It’s time to Lobby!”

In Washington State, where medical and adult-use marijuana is already legal, Danica Noble, executive director of NORML Women of Washington and her colleagues with Washington NORML will be focused on protecting progress and expanding the rights of marijuana consumers by addressing issues like home cultivation and workplace discrimination.

“In Washington State, our top legislative priorities will be on legalizing homegrows, expunging felony convictions for simple possession, and establishing workplace protections for marijuana consumers, said Noble. “In addition to not having the legal right to grow our own marijuana, marijuana consumers in Washington are being denied employment opportunities and still carry the burden of a felony conviction for simple possession. This has to change.”

While the legislative priorities of each NORML chapter can vary, the goal of protecting the rights of marijuana consumers and ending marijuana prohibition are shared by all.

Empowerment Resources

To support these grassroots lobbying efforts, we recently updated NORML’s Citizen Lobby Guide. This comprehensive guide will assist NORML activists in the planning and execution of a successful lobby day and also provides organizational checklists and a legislative questionnaire. So regardless of the state or legal status of marijuana, NORML activists will be fully prepared to discuss meaningful marijuana law reforms and effectively communicate NORML’s message of ending the prohibition of marijuana on the local, state and federal level.

NORML Lobby Guide: http://norml.org/pdf_files/NORML_CitizenLobbyGuide.pdf

NORML’s Action Center

In addition to offering support through NORML’s Citizen Lobby Guide, we have created more than a dozen action alerts targeting lawmakers across the country urging their support for marijuana law reform legislation being considered in their state. To join the conversation, simply click on the link below, find the action alert for your state and enter your information!

NORML Action Center: http://norml.org/act

For more information about a NORML’s 2018 Chapter Lobby Days, please email Chapters@NORML.org or visit http://norml.org/about/chapter-calendar for list of upcoming chapter lobby days and meetings.

Source: http://blog.norml.org/2017/12/31/norml-chapters-energized-and-organized-for-2018-lobby-days/

NORML Chapters Energized and Organized for 2018 Lobby Days See more on: Giggles N Dimples

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The Cops and Politicians Joining Canada’s Cannabis Business

As Canada moves towards legalising recreational cannabis, there's a surprising group of entrepreneurs jumping into the market: cops and politicians. In 2015, former Toronto police chief Julian Fantino was "completely opposed" to marijuana legalisation and supported mandatory jail time for minor cannabis offences. Mr Fantino, who was also a Cabinet minister in the former Conservative government, criticised the now governing-Liberals' plan to legalise the drug, saying it would make smoking marijuana "a normal, everyday activity…

Source: http://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2017/12/30/cops-politicians-joining-canadas-cannabis-business

The Cops and Politicians Joining Canada’s Cannabis Business is courtesy of GigglesNDimples.com

source https://gigglesndimples.com/2017/12/30/the-cops-and-politicians-joining-canadas-cannabis-business/

2017 Canna-Women Impact List: Eight Female Movers and Shakers

DR. DINA BROWNER

Cannabis consultant, Disjointed; owner, Alternative Herbal Health Services

• On being a cannabis consultant for TV shows and movies: “It’s fun and exciting, but representing the industry I love can be stressful. Working on Disjointed required me to be present in the writers’ room to help guide them along, using my 15 years of cannabis-industry experiences. I worked with wardrobe, set designers and the prop department to make sure everything on set felt as authentic as possible. I was on set during rehearsals and tapings to work directly with the cast. It’s so important for the actors to feel comfortable, which is why I had them all spend time inside my real dispensary in West Hollywood.”

• On making the move to recreational sales: “We’re lucky to be located in a very progressive city. West Hollywood gave us a business permit back in 2005, so we’re one of the only four licensed dispensaries in all of Los Angeles. We’re ready for 2018, just in time to celebrate Season 2 of Disjointed on Jan. 12.”

• On women in cannabis: “Sorry boys, the ladies are taking over! Traditionally, men grew and sold cannabis while the women stayed home with the kids. If there was a bust and the man was arrested, the kids still had at least one parent to care for them. Once medical marijuana became widely accepted and legal, more and more women began working as budtenders. Now we’re entrepreneurs, growers and dispensary owners. Not only are women more nurturing, we’re the ones who purchase most of the items for their households. It only makes sense to start marketing to us. We’ve made huge strides in a short amount of time, and I’m so happy to be part of this groundbreaking industry.”

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“For decades and decades, we’ve understood that prohibition doesn’t work.”

CAT PACKER

Executive director, Los Angeles County Office of Cannabis Management

• On achieving equality in cannabis: “Equitable to me means just fair. The policy up until now has been prohibition. For decades and decades, we’ve understood that prohibition doesn’t work. It hasn’t curbed the availability or consumption of cannabis. But, nonetheless, we’ve spent millions and billions of dollars incarcerating people for a plant and substance that now, under California law, is not a drug. As we move forward, we want to make sure that those community members and individuals impacted disproportionately by marijuana prohibition and its enforcement have an opportunity to participate in the legal industry.”

• On her own cannabis use: “I shy away from the question of whether or not I consume, because for some folks that’s a medical question. When we’re having these conversations, I remind folks that it might not be polite all the time to ask people about their medical history or their medical practices.”

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“Cannabis has been used practically since the beginning of history.”

SHALEEN TITLE

Commissioner, Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission

• On becoming a cannabis activist: “My roommate at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, Danielle Schumacher, wanted to start a chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. You needed two people to start a chapter, so I said, ‘Fine.’ At one of our first meetings, someone from the ACLU came and said, ‘If you’re black in Illinois, you’re 57 times more likely to be incarcerated for a drug offense.’ That number just blew me away. It became our mission to change that.”

• On her parents: “I would tell them about how, in Indian culture, cannabis has been used practically since the beginning of history.”

• On her government job: “I’m trying to be authentic. I know a lot of people are looking to me. I believe we can make the marijuana industry not just any industry, but a better one, and that we can make this a really open and transparent agency that takes people’s needs into account.”

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“I’ve had a prescription for some time for chronic pain. I’ve really become a believer.”

KATHY BATES

Actress, Disjointed

• On medical marijuana: “I’ve had a prescription for some time for chronic pain. I’ve really become a believer. I find it just as effective, if not more, than other pain relief. Originally, when I was going through breast cancer, my oncologist prescribed some, because my recovery was painful. The marijuana was a tremendous help.”

• On vape pens: “Pot is so much better now. Now they have these vape pens. You control your intake. It’s like: function, not function.”

• On shooting Disjointed: “At the end of the week, after we’ve had the show, you get the new script. I go home, take all my makeup off, climb in bed, get stoned and read the new script. They’re hysterical.”

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“The world definitely needs more cannabis journalists who know how to cover the space fairly and accurately.”

MONA ZHANG

Founder, Word on the Tree

• On her career before cannabis: “I covered tech and media, and managed social media for publications. My last full-time job was social editor at Adweek, and before that, I was an editor at Mediabistro. I wasn’t happy with the direction my career was going and decided I wanted to focus on a beat I was passionate about: weed!”

• On Word on the Tree: “It’s a daily newsletter and website that delivers everything you need to know about cannabis. My goal is to highlight the best cannabis journalism, with a focus on criminal justice. It’s going well, though it certainly hasn’t been easy. I’m also a freelance journalist and a part-time student. There’s been a proliferation of marijuana media outlets in recent years and mainstream publications have been increasing their cannabis coverage. The world definitely needs more cannabis journalists who know how to cover the space fairly and accurately.”

• On women in cannabis: “The cannabis industry is a great opportunity for women. But I think a lot of the coverage of how the industry is welcoming to women is misguided. Plant-touching sectors like cultivation and extraction are very male-dominated and misogynistic. Ancillary sectors like finance and tech bring in sexism from those industries. There have been gains, just don’t come in with the notion that the industry is particularly welcoming to women. For instance, a cannabis company held a party at a strip club in Las Vegas during the Marijuana Business Conference and Expo in November. We still have a ways to go, but the more women in the industry, the better.”

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“There’s a lot of space in the industry for people of any gender, as long as you know your stuff and are willing to work hard.”

JYL FERRIS

Creative director, Tikun Olam

• On the work she does: “I’m responsible for branding, packaging and marketing for both web and print, event and display design, and video for a multistate cannabis brand. I’m returning to my entrepreneurial roots and working as an independent agency. I look forward to taking Tikun Olam to the next level while expanding my clientele.”

• On Woman Grow: “We’re evolving. I hope the organization comes out stronger. There’s a lot of space in the industry for people of any gender, as long as you know your stuff and are willing to work hard. That’s what Women Grow encourages. Opportunities are available if you show up and know what you’re doing. The most important thing is to know what you want to do and pursue it with all of your energy. Women have a huge impact. We purchase health products. We’re movers and shakers.”

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“Kansas City didn’t have an active NORML chapter, so I decided to start one.”

JAMIE KACZ

Executive Director, NORML KC

• On becoming a NORML activist: “I’d been a cannabis supporter for a long time, but I’d never used my voice to make a difference. After losing loved ones to conditions that could’ve been helped by cannabis, I no longer wanted to remain silent. As a woman, I wanted to contribute a female perspective to the cause and also encourage other women to get involved. Kansas City didn’t have an active NORML chapter, so I decided to start one.”

• On decriminalizing cannabis in Kansas City: “A small group of dedicated individuals worked tirelessly to put our decriminalization measure on the ballot. The NORML KC chapter was responsible for writing the language, gathering signatures and building coalitions within the community. By leading the Yes on 5 campaign to an overwhelming 75% victory in April, we showed what a small group of individuals can accomplish with passion and tenacity.”

• On women in cannabis: “Women are truly leading the way in creating a more diverse and sophisticated industry. In the past, cannabis consumption has been viewed as male-dominated. It was lacking a female point of view. Now that there’s a larger legal market in the U.S., more women are coming out and helping to shape this new industry.”

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“The marijuana media is a crowded space, but by targeting only the financial news, we set ourselves apart.”

DEBRA BORCHARDT

Owner, Green Market Report

• On GreenMarketReport.com: “We focus on the financial news of the cannabis industry and leave advocacy and political reporting to other sites. Our goal is to be a central hub for the industry by presenting analytics and research from a variety of companies. The marijuana media is a crowded space, but by targeting only the financial news, we set ourselves apart.”

• On 2018: “We’ll continue to see industry numbers explode, especially as California begins to record and report hard data on cannabis sales. It will be the year of Cali cannabis. With midterm elections at the end of the year, there could be some improvements in the political landscape.”

• On women in cannabis: “Women got off to a good start in the early years of the industry and then things seemed to slow lately. Perhaps the original female entrepreneurs sold their businesses, or more men started businesses, and that brought the percentages down. Creating their own networks and supporting each other will bring the numbers back up. Women are seeing that by starting these networks, they have a nonjudgmental place to ask questions and get help. We’re stronger together, and by supporting each other we will grow together.”

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The post 2017 Canna-Women Impact List: Eight Female Movers and Shakers appeared first on Freedom Leaf.

Source: http://www.freedomleaf.com/2017-canna-women-impact-list/

2017 Canna-Women Impact List: Eight Female Movers and Shakers is republished from gigglesndimples.com

source https://gigglesndimples.com/2017/12/29/2017-canna-women-impact-list-eight-female-movers-and-shakers/

2017: A NORML Year in America

In the wake of landmark cannabis victories in 2016, there was much momentum to build upon when state legislatures opened up at the beginning of 2017. With NORML chapters in nearly all 50 states, activists took the fight to the halls of state capitals and city councils from Florida to Washington State and everywhere in between. In all, lawmakers in 26 states have passed legislation to advance cannabis reform.

Victories include: Nevada expediting the implementation of adult distribution of legal marijuana, becoming the first of the newly legal states to respect the will of their voters and come online in 2017; New Hampshire becoming the 22nd state to decriminalize marijuana, making it so that an individual can be in any state in New England without fear of being arrested for a simple possession charge; West Virginia becoming the 30th state to pass a medical marijuana program, which will soon serve patients suffering from a range of conditions including cancer, HIV/AIDS, and chronic pain; In Ohio, the Athens Cannabis Ordinance (aptly named TACO) passed to completely de-penalize marijuana possession; among many other advancements and legislative tweaks around the country.

Nationwide, with public support for reforming marijuana laws at an all-time high, Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Jared Polis (D-CO), and Don Young (R-AK) have formed the first-ever Congressional Cannabis Caucus to develop and promote sensible cannabis policy reform and ease the tension between federal and state governments. As of this writing, (December 2017) 96 members of the House of Representatives, or 22% of the legislative body, have either authored or co-sponsored legislation to reform our nation’s outdated marijuana laws.

This progress has come as a result of years of organizing and conversations with our fellow citizens about the role of government in relation to a plant. The tough conversations about the scope of the government’s right to stop, search, and incarcerate individuals for possessing or consuming marijuana for either personal or medical benefits may not always be easy, but they are necessary in order to advance reform efforts.

And all said, the public is now strongly with us. The national polling outfit, Gallup, recorded for the first time ever outright majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents supporting the legalization of marijuana, representing 64% of Americans. For context, in 1969, the year before NORML was founded, only 12% of Americans supported legalization.

2018 is going to be no different. With over two dozen states on the books with scheduled lobby days and more to come, now is the time to take action. To help increase the likelihood of success for these volunteer-led lobbying efforts, NORML has updated our citizen lobby guide, a comprehensive booklet that will assist activists in the planning and execution of a successful lobby day. It also provides organizational checklists and a legislative questionnaire so that marijuana activists, regardless of the state they’re located in, will be fully prepared to meet with state lawmakers to discuss meaningful marijuana law reforms and to most effectively communicate NORML’s message of ending the prohibition of marijuana on the local, state and federal level.

So use us as a resource – NORML.org has fact-sheets, talking points, and visit our Action Center at norml.org/act to track legislation moving in 2018 and to plug in with a chapter near you or start your own.

As we look toward an uncertain future, we know we must work to both sustain our existing gains and to win future victories. Thanks for all that you do.

Source: http://blog.norml.org/2017/12/29/2017-a-norml-year-in-america/

The blog post 2017: A NORML Year in America was initially published to GigglesNDimples.com

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ASA Activist Newsletter – December 2017

http://www.safeaccessnow.org/opioidblueprintIn the December 2017 Issue:

• Veterans Administration Loosens Cannabis Policy
• Federal Protections for Patients Extended to Jan. 19
• ASA Releases State Policy Blueprint for Medical Cannabis
• WHO Initial Report Says CBD Needs No Restrictions
• PFC Trainings and Talks Span the U.S. in December
• Activist Profile: Amy Catterton, North Carolina
• ACTION ALERT: Save Federal Patient Protections!

Source: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/asa_activist_newsletter_december_2017

The following blog post ASA Activist Newsletter – December 2017 was originally published on GigglesNDimples.com

source https://gigglesndimples.com/2017/12/29/asa-activist-newsletter-december-2017/

Adult Use Retail Sales To Commence In California

Select retailers will begin engaging in adult use marijuana sales on the morning of Monday, January 1. California joins Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington in permitting cannabis sales to those over the age of 21.

Two additional states – Maine and Massachusetts – permit adults to legally possess and grow cannabis, but have yet to enact regulations permitting the plant’s commercial cultivation and sale.

Under California law, retailers must possess a state license and also be compliant with local regulations. Numerous municipalities — including Berkeley, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Los Angeles — have approved local regulations to permit marijuana retailers. Existing medical cannabis dispensaries are allowed to engage in adult use sales if they possess dual licensing.

Separate regulations governing the production, testing, packaging, and sale of medical cannabis also take effect on January 1. The regulations are the first broad set of rules governing medical cannabis production in California since voters approved of the practice in 1996.

Source: http://blog.norml.org/2017/12/28/adult-use-retail-sales-to-commence-in-california/

The following blog post Adult Use Retail Sales To Commence In California is republished from The Giggles N Dimples Blog

source https://gigglesndimples.com/2017/12/29/adult-use-retail-sales-to-commence-in-california/

Freedom Leaf Interview: The DPA’s Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno

After 23 years at the helm of the Drug Policy Alliance, Ethan Nadelmann stepped down earlier this year. Following what she calls a “grueling process,” Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno was selected to succeed him as executive director. Born in Peru (her mother is Peruvian, her father is from the U.S.), she has a deep understanding of how the Drug War has affected Latin America. After 13 years at Human Rights Watch, she was ready to move over to a drug-policy organization. Sanchez-Moreno attended the University of Texas at Austin and New York University Law School, and clerked on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. She’s the author of There Are No Dead Here: A Story of Murder and Denial in Colombia (Nation Books). Freedom Leaf interviewed her at the DPA offices in New York on Nov. 17.

What’s it like to replace Ethan Nadelmann?

It’s a thrill. I’m obviously not Ethan. I have to work out what space I’m going to fill and how I’m going to lead the organization. This is a great place to be. The movement is at a critical time. We have lot of opportunities. I’m excited to build on what Ethan put together over two decades.

What are your priorities?

Right now the biggest issue is the response to the opioid-overdose crisis. President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions are using it as an excuse to ramp up the War on Drugs, and to put in place other draconian policies, like reinstating harsher sentencing at the federal level or pushing for harsher immigration policies. It’s all about a very old agenda of persecuting vulnerable communities in this country. So we have to be the people responding to that. We’re the loudest voice on drug policy in the country generally. We can hit back at that narrative and say, “Look, if you’re serious about addressing opioid overdoses, then here are some things you can do. But not what you’re proposing, which has been done many times and has been proven to be utterly ineffective.”

Do you think opioids can be replaced by marijuana?

There is some evidence that states that have legalized medical marijuana aren’t having the same problems with opioids that other states are having. It’s absolutely worth researching. There should be no ideological opposition to exploring those possibilities.

What’s another priority for you?

Marijuana should be legalized. We need to continue building on the gains we’ve made. But I want to make sure we legalize marijuana in a way that recognizes the harms that have been done through prohibition. Prop 64 in California is now the gold standard for marijuana legalization. We had a lot to do with that. It has provisions for record expungement, equity in licensing and reinvestment in the communities that have been most harmed. That’s what we’re trying to replicate in New York, New Jersey and New Mexico.

Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno: “It’s so important that when we do marijuana legalization, we do it right.”

Trump’s election was a blow to the legalization cause. How do you plan to deal with this White House’s War on Drugs policies?

I have little hope that we’ll be able to influence the White House, but we have to keep up our work on Capitol Hill—to maintain the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment, for example. We’re in a good place because of public opinion on marijuana. Members of Congress are going to face questions and criticism in many parts of the country if they start going with Trump and Sessions on marijuana.

Do you anticipate a round of raids in legal states to put a fear into the industry?

There could be. I think Sessions would like to do that. But politically it’s difficult for them to do it, because marijuana legalization is very popular in the country. For the Republican Party, which has always been strong on states’ rights, it puts them in a bind for the federal government to move in and change what states have done.

Which are the countries to watch internationally as far as drug policy is concerned?

It’s really disturbing to see what’s happening in the Philippines, in part because of Trump’s response to it. He’s been willing to visit with (President Rodrigo) Duterte and praise him, and talk about having a great relationship with somebody who’s pushing for the murder of thousands of people who use drugs. That demonization of populations is very worrying to me, because I see Trump doing something very similar here with stigmatizing whole populations like immigrants—saying that they’re the bad hombres bringing all the heroin and fentanyl into the country, and using that as an excuse. I worry about the parallels and I worry about Indonesia now imitating the Philippines. There are signs of that happening.

How about Latin America?

Latin America is a very interesting place to watch, because there is, in many countries, a great deal of public unhappiness and cynicism about the War on Drugs. There’s a growing recognition that U.S. policies on prohibition that have been exported in those countries have ultimately fed an illicit market that fuels organized crime and massive violence in Colombia and Mexico. Those are places to watch, where you can start to build on opposition to the War on Drugs. A few years ago the presidents of Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia called for alternatives to the War on Drugs. They’ve been a little quiet recently, but that underlying unhappiness with the War on Drugs remains.

What can be done about the cartels in Mexico?

The operations are very similar to Colombia. You have highly organized groups that are about profiting from the drug trade and possibly other illicit activities. They’re ruthless and will kill people who compete with them. They will buy off authorities. They operate with impunity, because there’s nobody around to hold them accountable. It’s impossible for the United States, no matter how much money it pours into fighting these groups, to prevail. Whenever you arrest one of their leaders, whether it’s El Chapo [Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin Guzman] or the paramilitary leaders in Colombia, somebody else is always waiting in the wings. No matter how much you try to block their shipments, they’re always going to find another way in. There’s just too much money to be made. As long as the illicit market is there, you’re going to have organized crime profiting off it.

How did you steer in this career direction?

I grew up in Peru in the ’80s during the left-wing insurgency the Shining Path. There was a lot of violence and the military response was brutal. It was also a very difficult time economically. In 1990, a new president got elected, Alberto Fujimori. He became a strongman and, in 1992, shut down Congress and took over complete power. It was terrible. I became very engaged with issues of social justice and wanting to fight for humanized democracy and justice. Eventually, I concluded that human rights were the most direct way to work on those sorts of issues.

What does Human Rights Watch do?

It documents abuses by governments, generally, against people in 90 countries around the world. It tries to make change happen by creating public pressure and by doing advocacy with policy makers, international bodies and people who could have leverage over those who are committing the atrocities. It’s a 400-plus-person organization that was started in the U.S. I got really involved in drug policy at Human Rights Watch when I became codirector of the U.S. program working on domestic issues.

What was your domestic focus there?

We put together a report along with the American Civil Liberties Union last year called “Every 25 Seconds,” which documented the harms of criminalizing drugs in the United States. The numbers were dramatic when we processed them. It’s not only one drug arrest every 25 seconds, which means more than a million people are arrested every year for simple possession for personal use, but the racial disparities were through the roof. Black people are three times as likely to get arrested as white people for drugs, even though their use rates are the same. In Manhattan, we found a black person was 11 times more likely to be arrested for drug use than a white person.

“With marijuana, the lower-hanging fruit has already been picked. now We’re going to have battles in legislatures, not just ballot initiatives. That’s a different ballgame.”

Did your work at Human Rights Watch connect you with the DPA?

Yes. I was speaking with Ethan while I was working on drug policy at Human Rights Watch. I consulted with him.

How did it happen that you became the new executive director?

I was contacted by a headhunter, but I was already interested. It was a very serious hiring process. They had a recruitment firm managing it and it was incredibly professional. It was a huge amount of work for me, but it was also really enjoyable and thoughtful. I’m delighted it worked out the way it did.

The DPA has been at the forefront of diversity in drug-policy reform. How much progress has been made for women and minorities and how much still needs to be made?

Coming from the outside, the industry doesn’t look like it’s particularly diverse. This is what we’re trying to address in the push for equity in licensing. When it comes to the movement, I think people of color are absolutely becoming more and more engaged all the time on this issue, because they’ve been the most historically affected. There’s always more work that has to be done in our own organization and in others. Some are certainly more diverse than others. We emphasize racial justice, so that’s more attractive to certain people. In terms of women, there are a lot of women in senior leadership positions here. I think we may see more women rising elsewhere.

There’s a lot of female leadership in the movement—Betty Aldworth at Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Steph Sherer at Americans for Safe Access, Kristina Garcia at Women Grow, Monique Tula at the Harm Reduction Coalition and now you.

That’s a reflection of what’s happening in the broader world. Women have dominated the nonprofit sector in terms of staff for a long time. Leadership has always been more challenging. I think you’re starting to see that change.

What else can help minorities move ahead in drug policy reform?

As far as the industry goes, it’s just a question of who has capital in this country. The more we can reduce barriers to entry, the better. The more you can help disadvantaged groups step in, the better. This is why it’s so important that when we do marijuana legalization, we do it right. In terms of organizations, we need to make sure that when we hire at all levels, we make concerted efforts to recruit diverse candidates. You need to be very clear in your messaging that you welcome people of color. These are not simple issues. It’s going to take a long time to make large-scale changes happen and it’s going to require serious attention from leaders.

As a Latina, how are things going for Latinos in drug policy reform?

The Latino community has been harshly impacted by the War on Drugs. There’s a lot of room for growth, education and outreach. At the same time, there are also sectors of the Latino community that are very conservative and may not be easily persuadable. And with Trump and Sessions hammering away on immigrants, we need to reach out not just to Latinos, but immigrants generally, to raise awareness about how the War on Drugs is shaping these policies.

What else is on the DPA’s agenda?

We need to figure out how to start pushing the decriminalization of all drugs. That doesn’t mean we’re going to push for any ballot initiatives on that right away, but we need to lay the groundwork. We need to do a lot of work shaping public opinion. We have to figure out what states and jurisdictions might be more open to it. We need to do a really good job of sketching out what an alternative system would look like—not just pointing to Portugal, which is one model.

You’re talking about cocaine and heroin and other drugs. It’s a much harder sell to get someone to say, “Legalize coke!”

Absolutely. We need to be able to answer tough questions and do a very good job of strategically selecting locations where we want to move this forward. The first step is public education.

Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno speaks at the Drug Policy Alliance “Reform” conference in October.

What are the biggest obstacles for drug–policy reform in general and for marijuana-law reform in particular?

The biggest issue is lack of public knowledge. People have been kept in the dark in the United States for so long. Getting people to understand the magnitude of what the War on Drugs has meant in our society is really important. An additional obstacle is there’s a lot of fear-mongering and misinformation being spread around about what the opioid crisis is about and what the right solutions are. We have to counter all of that with better, stronger arguments. With marijuana,

the lower-hanging fruit has already been picked. Now we’re going to have battles in legislatures, not just ballot initiatives. That’s a different ballgame. Marijuana is still the drug for which the most arrests are made in this country, despite legalization in so many places. It’s not just about some people wanting to smoke marijuana. It’s about many, many issues that affect everybody, even if they don’t smoke.

There’s an effort to legalize marijuana legislatively in New York. Is the DPA involved?

Our New York State office is very actively involved. We’re going to need to do some groundwork here to build enough support in the state. New York is a very divided state. It has some very progressive sectors and some that are not. That’s going to take a little while to do more public education.

Is DPA behind the legalization effort in Michigan in 2018?

We’ll have to see how that campaign develops. We’re watching it closely.

Any other states?

There’s medical marijuana in Missouri and legalization legislation in New Jersey.

Last thoughts?

I’m so excited to be a part of this. It’s a tough time and it’s going to get tougher, because of what’s happening at the federal level and because of the way the opioid crisis is going to get manipulated. But I also think it’s a time of tremendous opportunity.

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Source: http://www.freedomleaf.com/freedom-leaf-interview-maria-mcfarland-sanchez-moreno/

Freedom Leaf Interview: The DPA’s Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno was initially published on Giggles N Dimples

source https://gigglesndimples.com/2017/12/28/freedom-leaf-interview-the-dpas-maria-mcfarland-sanchez-moreno/

Canna East Compliance Summit 2018

The post Canna East Compliance Summit 2018 appeared first on Cannabis Industry Journal.

Source: https://www.cannabisindustryjournal.com/event/canna-east-compliance-summit-2018/

Canna East Compliance Summit 2018 was initially published to https://gigglesndimples.com/

source https://gigglesndimples.com/2017/12/27/canna-east-compliance-summit-2018/

Ousted MassRoots Founder Gets His Company Back

This story, which originally appeared in Issue 30, has been updated.  

On Dec. 12, MassRoots founder Isaac Dietrich reclaimed his job as CEO of the cannabis technology company, closing out a tumultuous year. Just three weeks earlier, on Nov. 21, the company sued him in a Denver federal court for misappropriating funds. He was fired by his board of directors on Oct. 16

MassRoots (OTCQB: MSRT) reinstated Dietrich with an annual salary of $145,000, according to SEC filings. The company also added board members Cecil Kyte, Charles Blum and Nathan Sheldon Scott Kveton, who worked as interim CEO, resigned along with board members Tripp Keber, Ean Seeb and Terry Fitch.

Dietrich plans to pursue cryptocurrency efforts through a potential initial coin offering. Lawsuits that were filed by him and his company after his initial departure, he says, would go no further.

Meanwhile, MassRoots is behind on its rent payments in the Market Center office building at 1624 Market St. and is facing eviction.

MassRoots CEO Isaac Dietrich

The company’s stock price has stayed close to the 30 cents since Dietrich’s return. The stock had been gaining strength from its lows for the year below 20 cents a share, but is still down sharply down from the $1 price earlier in 2017.

It’s been one of the highest-profile stock meltdowns in the short history of the marijuana Green Rush. While the company boasts one million followers on its social networks, it has yet to monetize that audience.

During his brief tenure, Kveton tried to steer MassRoots in a new direction as legal documents flew back and forth between Dietrich and the company. Kveton had said Dietrich violated his separation agreement by making disparaging remarks about company officials in a published interview. A lawsuit accused Dietrich of making more than $250,000 in unauthorized payments to himself and to third parties on his behalf.

Dietrich responded by launching a proxy battle against MassRoots in a bid to get himself reinstated as CEO. With 15.8% of the outstanding shares, Dietrich had remains the company’s largest shareholder.

Asked about the allegations against him, Dietrich told Freedom Leaf in a Nov. 20 email that rival board members are “scared because I have the votes to replace them” and added that the company’s lawsuit as a whole was “baseless.”

Volatility should be expected for cannabis startups like MassRoots, a postage stamp-sized microcap which is valued at less than $20 million as a. But the tiny company loomed large in the world of cannabis penny stocks that have come into focus in recent years.

Earlier this year, Mass Roots, which boasts of having “one of the leading technology platforms for the regulated cannabis industry,” was riding high with at least $4 million in venture capital backing, plenty of traction from penny stock traders and attention as a Facebook-like app to track like-minded cannabis consumers.

In a 2016 interview with Freedom Leaf, Dietrich said he was motivated to “create an environment for sharing cannabis” and pointed to dispensary location services as a potential way to create revenue for the start-up. With appearances at ArcView events, backing from venture capital investors and solid press coverage, MassRoots seemed to have the wind at its back.

But the company’s financial performance fell sharply in the third quarter of 2017, down to $11,516 in revenues from $209,003 in the same period in 2016. Meanwhile, expenses rose to $7.5 million from $2 million.

Dietrich blames the weak third-quarter results on a “rocky integration of Odava and the Odava team.” MassRoots acquired Odava, which makes point-of-sale software for licensed dispensaries, this year for $1.7 million. Kveton was Odava’s former CEO.

Dietrich has had a wild ride for a guy who’s just 26 years old. Some investors might be upset, but meltdown sagas like this one are not uncommon in the world of penny stocks. There will be more to come with this tiny company that makes a lot of noise.

If you enjoyed this Freedom Leaf article, subscribe to the magazine today!

The post Ousted MassRoots Founder Gets His Company Back appeared first on Freedom Leaf.

Source: http://www.freedomleaf.com/massroots-meltdown/

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Talk About Marijuana At Christmas This Year

We have much to be merry for this year. Lawmakers in 26 states have passed legislation to advance cannabis reform, including New Hampshire becoming the 22nd state to decriminalize marijuana and West Virginia becoming the 30th state to pass a medical marijuana program.

This progress has come as a result of years of organizing and conversations with our fellow citizens about the role of government in relationship to a plant. Having the tough conversations about the scope of the government’s right to stop, search, and incarcerate individuals for possessing or consuming marijuana for either personal or medical benefits.

And now for the first time ever, Gallup polling recorded outright majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents supporting the legalization of marijuana. The only way to find out if this includes your aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relatives is if you bring it up.

So use us as a resource – NORML.org has Factsheets, Talking Points, and you can even pass your phone or computer around the table to have your friends and family contact their lawmakers right then and there to support reform in our Action Center.

As we look toward an uncertain future, we know we must work to both sustain our existing gains and to win future victories. With your continued financial support, we are confident that we can bring the era of marijuana prohibition to an end and usher in the new era of legalization. Together, we will be unstoppable. Together, we WILL legalize marijuana across this great country.

From all of us at NORML to all of you, we hope you have a very, very green Christmas.

Onward.

Source: http://blog.norml.org/2017/12/23/talk-about-marijuana-at-christmas-this-year/

The blog post Talk About Marijuana At Christmas This Year is republished from GigglesNDimples.com

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Grandmother Throws Out ‘All Her Pills’ and Says Cannabis is the Key

Ever sat and wondered what the secret to a long and healthy life is? Well wonder no more, because one grandmother reckons that she has the answer… cannabis. Yes, Carol Francey, 70, said she has been smoking weed for five decades and ‘feels as fit as a fiddle’. In fact, she loves the plant so much, she made the decision to throw away all of her medication, and grow cannabis in her garden instead. Carol,…

Source: http://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2017/12/22/grandmother-throws-pills-says-cannabis-key

The following post Grandmother Throws Out ‘All Her Pills’ and Says Cannabis is the Key is courtesy of The Giggles N Dimples Blog

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The Importance of Cory Booker

For the modern movement to end cannabis prohibition, Sen. Cory Booker checks off all the boxes when it comes to being an all-star.

The New Jersey Democrat, born in 1969, has lived a remarkable political arc, beginning with outstanding scholarship at Stanford University, attending Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship and graduating from Yale Law School in 1997. A year later, Booker, not even 30, was elected to Newark’s City Council. In 2006, he became the city’s youngest-ever mayor. Booker received national media attention for the innovative and successful public policies he championed, which put him in position to win a special election for the Senate in 2013 after the death of incumbent Democrat Frank Lautenberg.

From his early days on the City Council, while addressing Newark’s then-rampant crime problems, Booker readily embraced “harm reduction” policies rather than the “arrest and lock them up” mentality long championed by police, prosecutors and prison officials. During his seven years as mayor, he worked with the Drug Policy Alliance to help Newark become a vanguard urban community.

 In succeeding Lautenberg, Booker replaced the author of one of the worst and most pernicious pieces of anti-cannabis legislation ever passed by Congress: the 1991 Solomon-Lautenberg amendment (a.k.a. “Smoke a Joint, Lose Your License”), which forces states to suspend the licenses of drug convicts for six months. The law doesn’t require any proof that the offender was driving while impaired, unlike the laws regarding driving under the influence of alcohol.

Almost immediately after he was elected, Booker introduced numerous criminal-justice reform bills, notably addressing prison sentencing and racial arrest disparities. He and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) sponsored the CARERS (Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States) Act in 2015, which would reschedule marijuana so states with medical programs wouldn’t have to worry about federal enforcement. It was reintroduced in June.

“Federal marijuana policy has long overstepped the boundaries of common sense, fiscal prudence and compassion,” Booker stated at the time. “This bill will help ensure that people who can benefit from medical marijuana—from children suffering from chronic illnesses to veterans battling PTSD—can do so without worrying about the federal government standing in the way.”

On Aug. 1, Booker took a more dramatic step, introducing the Marijuana Justice Act, a groundbreaking and far-reaching bill that would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, effectively “making it legal at the federal level,” according to a Senate press release. It would also “incentivize states through federal funds to change their marijuana laws if those laws were shown to have disproportionate effect on low-income individuals and/or people of color.”

The bill would also expunge federal convictions for marijuana use and possession, and prisoners serving time for a pot offense would be entitled to a resentencing hearing. Those affected by a disproportionate racial arrest or imprisonment rate would be able to sue. A Community Reinvestment Fund would be established to “reinvest in communities most affected by the War on Drugs,” for everything from re-entry programs for prisoners to public libraries.

“Our country’s drug laws are broken and need to be fixed,” Booker explained. “They don’t make our communities safe. Instead, they divert critical resources from fighting violent crimes, tear families apart, unfairly impact low-income communities and communities of color, and waste billions in taxpayers dollars each year.

“Descheduling marijuana and applying that change retroactively to people currently serving time for marijuana offenses is a necessary step in correcting this unjust system. States have so far led the way in reforming our criminal-justice system, and it’s about time the federal government catches up and begins to assert leadership.”

Regrettably, Booker’s Marijuana Justice Act has virtually no chance of passage in the Republican-controlled Congress or of being signed by a decidedly anti-marijuana President. However, the very introduction of such a profoundly anti-prohibition bill into the staid and generally conservative Senate is definitely a bellwether for future reform legislation and the eventual end of America’s 80-year-long outlawing of cannabis.

Booker says he’s a complete teetotaler. “I’ve never smoked marijuana,” he told Vice in October. “I’ve never smoked a cigarette. I’ve never eaten marijuana. I’ve never tried another drug. I’ve never drank alcohol. This, to me, is not an issue I come at through my own experimentation. I come at this as an issue of justice, as an issue of safety for our communities, as an issue of utter fairness.“This is the beginning of a journey,” he continued. “I don’t see the pathway to passage [of the Justice Act] right now. But I know that the first abolitionists that got together and started fighting for abolition didn’t see the likelihood of passage in Congress at that point. And that the first activists that started pressing for voting-rights legislation and civil-rights legislation didn’t see a pathway.

“It’s going to be a far shorter journey than many may think. Millennials in this country, Republicans and Democrats, overwhelmingly believe in legalization. So we’re getting there, and as experiments in a dozen-plus states continue to forge forward on medical marijuana, and as decriminalization and legalization begin to show more instructive ways for dealing with marijuana, I think the momentum for our movement is going to continue.”

Sen. Booker with Freedom Leaf’s Chris Thompson

NORML members got to rub shoulders with Booker and other pro-legalization Congress representatives during the organization’s Lobby Day in September. A group photo was taken, and the senator posed for plenty of selfies.

“Meeting Sen. Booker was an amazing opportunity,” says Chris Thompson, Freedom Leaf’s director of digital marketing, who attended both the NORML Conference and Lobby Day. “He was extremely genuine, listened to stories from NORML chapters around the country and explained his new legalization bill to us.

“The Senator was very gracious with his time, offering to take selfies with everyone. When it was my turn, he asked me where I was from and made jokes with me while we took the picture. Overall, it was an awesome meeting, and I’m so thankful to NORML for setting it up.”

Clearly, Sen. Booker is a favorite among legalizers across the nation. His support for the cause is a reminder of how the drug war has devastated minority communities.

“There’s no time like the present to advocate for what’s right, to advocate for justice,” he says with the faith of a true believer. “There’s no doubt in my mind that the federal government shouldn’t be in the marijuana-prohibition business.”

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Cory Booker for President?

Asked on CNN in July if he would run for President in 2020, Sen. Booker commented, “I don’t know what the future’s going to bring. If I start thinking about the future like that or engaging in that stuff, I think it would make me less of a senator. I’m a guy that’s going to criticize policies that, frankly, in a lot of states that are important for presidential elections would find that very much of a threat. My loyalty is to the position I’m in right now.”

Currently, the political figures considered to have the best chances of defeating Donald Trump include Booker; fellow senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.); former Vice President Joe Biden; and former First Lady Michelle Obama.

The post The Importance of Cory Booker appeared first on Freedom Leaf.

Source: http://www.freedomleaf.com/the-importance-of-cory-booker/

The Importance of Cory Booker is available on https://gigglesndimples.com/

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