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World Events and News |
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World Events and News |
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NORML Does LA: The 2007 National ConventionPublished in the Drug War ChronicleIssue #506 October, 19 2007 The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) held its 2007 national conference last weekend in Los Angeles, or more precisely, at the Sheraton hotel in Universal City. Hundreds of marijuana patients, activists, and aficionados from across the Golden State and the nation poured in to the upscale venue for a solid weekend of strategizing, educating, and acquaintance-making, not to mention medicating and recreating. Below: Chris Conrad and Mikki Norris on conference panel
Recreational pot-smoking is fine, but more tokers need to get off their couches and hit the barricades, said NORML executive director Allen St. Pierre as he greeted attendees at the opening session. "I'm working 70 hours a week at NORML because I'm an adult, I smoke cannabis and I don't want to be a criminal," St. Pierre said. But he needs some help, he said, noting that only 0.1% of marijuana users get involved with reform efforts. Imagine what could happen if even 1% got involved, he said. "We need to come off that mountaintop ignited for change," St. Pierre said. "Not united, ignited for change." That message was especially resonant in California, where marijuana is the state's number one cash crop and the state's broadly-written medical marijuana law has resulted in hundreds of dispensaries, and numerous medical offices, cropping up around the state to serve the medical marijuana market. Indeed, the conference was fairly Cali-centric,
which is little surprise given that it was held in LA, California is the
nation's most populous state, and it is on the cutting edge of marijuana
law reform. Still, there were broader discussions, with different panels
addressing the national reform picture, tackling common questions about
marijuana, and giving out advice on "cannabis consumer safety," among
other topics.
"We have 12 states with effective medical marijuana laws now," said Kampia. "We could have 18 states in the next couple of years. Things are on a fast track." Of course, it wouldn't have been NORML without the appearance of movement luminaries. "The Emperor Wears No Clothes" author and founder of the modern day hemp movement, Jack Herer, manned a table as well as addressing the convention and urging support for a full-blown legalization initiative. Ed Rosenthal, the "guru of ganja," swept through the crowd in a wizard's robe and cap, and travel writer Rick Steves wondered aloud why Europeans were so much more civilized than Americans when it came to marijuana policy. And Tommy Chong showed up Saturday night to
address the dinner crowed. Among other things, Chong recounted how he got
paranoid too late about being involved with the bong-making operation that
got him nine months in federal prison. "About three months after I got to
prison, I woke up one night and thought 'Man, I shouldn't have put my face
on those bongs," he said to appreciative laughter.
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Things are happening in other
parts of the country besides California to be sure. For example, in one
plenary session Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) executive director Rob
Kampia announced that MPP will be involved in at least four statewide
marijuana initiatives: Medical marijuana in Arizona, Maine, and Michigan,
and decriminalization in Massachusetts. The organization is also involved
in legislative medical marijuana efforts in Illinois, Minnesota, New
Hampshire, and New York, Kampia said. On the same panel, John Sajo of the
Oregon group Voter Power described their pending initiative to expand
the Oregon medical marijuana law OMMA.