Tag Archives: cannabis

NC Support for Medical Marijuana at All Time High – 2016

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image_doctor marijuana leaf.001

Almost 3 in 4 North Carolinians support doctors’ rights to recommend medical marijuana to patients in need.

According to an April 2016 Public Policy Polling survey in North Carolina 74% of the state is now in favor of allowing doctors to discuss medical marijuana as a source of treatment.

The poll was conducted April 22, 2016 and surveyed 960 North Carolina voters regarding their views on cannabis legalization. The results showed that 18% of the state is against giving doctors the right to recommend medical marijuana and 8% are still undecided.

Those randomly selected for the survey were asked, “Do you think doctors should be allowed to recommend marijuana for medical use, or not?”

The survey was conducted the weekend before House Bill 983, titled “Legalize and Tax Medical Marijuana“, was introduced. If passed, the new law would protect people with severe diseases and specific medical conditions from arrest and prosecution. The bill also sets up guidelines for paying taxes on marijuana as a function of THC content.

Federally, cannabis has been a Schedule I controlled substance since 1970. Schedule I substances are deemed to have a high potential for abuse and no medical value.

Fewer than 10 percent of those who try marijuana ever meet the clinical criteria for dependence, while 32% of tobacco users and 15 percent of alcohol users do. There have been no deaths from marijuana overdose or chronic use according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The National Cancer Institute (the U.S. government’s branch of cancer research) now recognizes marijuana has cancer cell killing properties.

Understanding the Legislative Process in North Carolina

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image - general assembly -house

Are you familiar with the legislative process in North Carolina?  NORML of North Carolina can help you wade through all the political mumbo jumbo and spell it out clearly for you! The following blog details how a bill is introduced and turn into law. This process is what every NC NORML member, supporter, or activist needs to know to get the job done. Without knowledge of this process, we have no direction, no battle plan. States such as California, Washington, and Colorado all used the ‘ballot by initiative’ process, which we DO NOT have here in NC. This alone is perhaps our biggest hurdle. The initiative process allows citizens to write a proposed ordinance or law, then collect a certain percentage of signatures of registered voters. Should they receive enough signatures in the allotted time frame, the proposal will appear on the ballot for every citizen to decide, rather than the state legislature. Again, we do not have this process statewide so we cannot bypass the state legislature. There are select cities that allow it, but medical marijuana or full legalization will not be made into North Carolina law in this matter.

We often have supporters asking, sometimes even complaining, “why don’t we have medical marijuana yet in NC? How come NC NORML hasn’t done anything?”  Well, here is the most important key to our success, so learn it by heart, and contact your legislators! Everything we do here in NC, including educating the public, is basically to push bills through this process. Raising funds, buying ad space, conducting statewide polls, doing rallies, running the web pages, putting together legislative educational materials, etc are all for the sole purpose of representing each of you to the legislature for marijuana reform bills to be passed. Please take the time to read this and understand it. If you have further questions, you know how to reach us!

NC Legislative Process:

Step 1 – Drafting
The first step involves writing the bill (a proposed law). Anyone can draft a bill, but it can only be introduced by an elected State Representative or State Senator. If you involve one of these legislators in the drafting of the bill, they will be much more likely to sponsor and introduce the bill. The more sponsors we have supporting a bill before it is introduced, the better.

Step 2 – Introduction
Introduction of a bill is simply presenting it to the rest of the General Assembly (the state House and Senate). The bill first must get turned in to the Principal Clerk, where it is given a number. The next day, during the regularly scheduled “Introduction of Bills and Resolutions” time, the bill number, title, and name of the bill’s sponsor(s) get read aloud. The bill typically gets referred to a committee immediately after, by the Speaker of the House (House bills) or President Pro Tempore (Senate bills).

Step 3 – Committees
The various committees a bill will go through depend on the nature of the bill. Committees are groups of Representatives (in the House) or groups of Senators (in the Senate) that review a bill, offer recommendations relating to specific items within it, and may even suggest amendments be made to the proposed bill (any member not in the committee may also propose a change). For instance, a medical marijuana bill is very likely to go through the Health and Human Services committee, but not the Public Utilities committee. It is common for bills to be referred to several committees.

Last legislative session (2011-2012), the medical marijuana and decriminalization bills got sent to the committee on House Rules, Calendar, and Operations, where they were never let out or considered further. This is often seen as a power move, called “killing a bill.” Last year North Carolina’s marijuana bills died because of this. This problem was largely due to the committee chairman, who was against the bills. The chairman is essentially the person in charge of the committee, and allows, or disallows, other committee members the opportunity to present bills, approve amendments, etc. On the fortunate side, this man, Stephen LaRoque, has been removed from the Legislature, and is now being tried for several felonies relating to embezzlement and fraud!

The committee period is also one of the opportune times for the public to weigh in on the bill. If allowed by the committee, the public may present testimony, advice, or scientific facts to the legislators in that committee. This is one of the big days we all need to be prepared for!

Step 4 – Consideration
The bill is first considered by the house it was introduced in (House or Senate). The medical marijuana and decriminalization bills were introduced in the House last session. The House Chair, who in essence is the leader of the entire House chosen by the majority party, will recognize the committee chairman that is recommending the bill be passed. The bill is then explained, and arguments for or against are heard. Depending on the bill, there may be many advocates or opponents, or the bill may easily pass. To be passed, the bill is voted on by all members of the house it was introduced in, and if they approve by majority vote, the bill is past it’s second reading, but is read again and must pass it’s third reading to be moved to the next house (there may be more debate). Once in the opposite house, in this case the Senate, it is read, sent to committee(s), and upon approval is debated and voted on during the 2nd and 3rd readings. For example, if the medical bill was discussed and passed in the House, it would then move to the Senate, where it must repeat the process there.

Here’s a breakdown:
1st reading – the bill is introduced;
2nd reading – after the bill makes it through committee so changes are known by all members of the house, then voted on;
3rd reading – after the first vote, sometimes taking place on a different day than the 2nd reading.
After the 3rd reading, if the vote is in majority supporting the bill, it moves to the next house.

Step 5 – Concurrence
Since the bill has been sent to two different houses, where they can each make various changes to the bill in committee(s), the two bills must be reconciled so they read the same. For example, if the bill was passed in the House with the phrase, “10 ounces of marijuana may be possessed by a medical patient,” but is passed with the phrase, “12 ounces of marijuana may be possessed by a medical patient,” in the Senate, then the Senate must ask the House if they approve of the change in terms. If the House agrees, then the bill is ready to be signed as law. If the House disagrees, then members from both the House and Senate are appointed to a conference committee. If they can agree upon a change, say 11 ounces, then they present it to both houses to vote on the recommended change to the text. If they agree, then the bill is ready to be signed into law, but if they disagree, then the bill is defeated.

Step 6 – Enrollment, Ratification, and Publication
Enrollment is the preparation of a new copy of the bill, with all passed amendments. The presiding officer from each house signs this copy. Now, the bill has been ratified. Once ratified, the Governor has 10 days to act on the bill to approve or veto it, or in other words approve or refuse the bill, in the case of the latter, the bill will be sent back to the General Assembly for an additional vote (it must receive a 3/5 approval to override the Governor’s veto). If the Governor takes no action, the bill automatically becomes law. If the Governor approves and signs the bill, the bill will no longer be a bill, and becomes official North Carolina law!

So what should YOU do?
This entire process is why we constantly urge you to vote in local elections to get marijuana supporting legislators elected, contact your legislators OFTEN (by phone, e-mail, letters, or even better in person), and show up on legislative days to support marijuana reform bills. There are literally thousands of bills that get introduced each legislative session, so if we aren’t vocal about our right to use marijuana, they will simply toss it aside and work on another bill instead. We have an uphill battle with the manner NC government is set up, so present facts and supportive statements to your legislators about marijuana!

And of course, the best way to get involved is to join and donate to NORML.

Here is the link to the NC General Assembly, get familiar with it!!

http://www.ncleg.net/

National NORML Tells Us How Colorado and Washington Legalized Marijuana

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image - national norml conference call .001

After Colorado and Washington legalized marijuana, National NORML held a conference call with its chapters across the country. The discussion recapped the outcome of the elections (regarding marijuana law), narratives that worked, state and local strategies, generating media effectively, targeting specific demographics and social media points to ponder.

The following blog post is a summary of that conference call with National NORML and its affiliates.

  • Recap of Marijuana Related Election Results
  • General Messaging and Narratives
  • State and Local Strategies to End Marijuana Prohibition
  • Coordinating Local Events
  • How to Create Own Media (as opposed to “earned media”)
  • Who Does Not Support the End of Marijuana Prohibition?

RECAP OF MARIJUANA RELATED ELECTION RESULTS
Six states had marijuana measures on their ballot: Oregon, Colorado, Washington, Montana, Massachusetts and Arkansas.

Failures
Oregon’s measure did not pass. It was a broad measure for personal use and distribution of marijuana. There was no campaign to promote the measure. All the money went to get the measure worded correctly on the ballot. The lack of media exposure and advertising is attributed to why the measure failed.

Arkansas’s medical marijuana measure also did not pass – but just barely (49% for, 51% against).

Montana had a referendum on the previous measure to restrict marijuana. It is suspected that many voters were unclear about what they were voting on.

Successes
Massachusetts approved state licensed medical marijuana dispensaries with 61% of the vote.

Colorado approved private cultivation of 6 plants and full legalization. It is legal to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana if you are 21 years old or more.

Washington also legalized marijuana with regulations regarding commercial production.

GENERAL MESSAGING AND NARRATIVES
Regarding the narrative to legalize marijuana at the state level there are several talking points. The following three are recommended as being the focus when engaging the public and legislators regarding the legal nuances of marijuana reform:

1) Make sure people understand the difference between legalization and decriminalization.
The media has often confused the terms legalization and decriminalization. It is important for anyone who is participating in the push to end marijuana prohibition to know the difference.

Legalization means that marijuana is no longer considered contraband.

Decriminalization means that marijuana is still illegal and will be taken if you are caught with it. With decriminalization you may not be arrested for it by the police.

2) Federal Government can not compel a state to define cannabis as contraband
The federal government has no legal authority to force a state to consider marijuana (or any substance) to be contraband. There is nothing the federal government can do in Colorado to force the state to arrest private cultivators.

Comparisons to Alcohol Prohibition
Federal policy is dependent on state law enforcement. With alcohol prohibition 10 states turned their backs on the constitutional amendment. That was the beginning of the end of alcohol prohibition nationwide.

The same has begun with Colorado and Washington’s decision to legalize marijuana. These states have turned their backs on the federal government. They know the feds don’t have the time, resources, public support or political will to do much about these laws to end marijuana prohibition.

As a further note, 99% of all marijuana arrests happen at the local, county or state level. Few cannabis cultivators and traffickers are arrested by the federal government. The DEA’s “rule of thumb” is that 1000 pounds or 1000 plants constitute a federal case.

STATE AND LOCAL STRATEGIES TO END MARIJUANA PROHIBITION
Focus on the local area.
Determine the paths to getting marijuana friendly local ordinances. Initiate a vote on it, or persuade the City Council to vote on it.

Learn the specifics in your region
Get in touch with the city council or an attorney to determine the details on pursuing a lowest law enforcement priority for the local police department.

Lowest Law Enforcement Priorities are non-binding, but they generate a public discussion. They are opportunities get a conversation started with local media and focuses a spotlight on the need for marijuana law reform.

Education Efforts
Texas NORML developed a Legislators Education Packet. This packet is a few pages long and includes information for legislators to better understand the reasons for changing marijuana laws. The packet can be put together as a chapter event, then delivered to legislators. Ideally NORML members who live in that district will be the ones who hand deliver the packets. This is a great way to shake hands and get to know your representatives.

Best Time for Statewide Initiatives will be 2016
Presidential Elections may be our next opportunity to pass statewide marijuana laws. During these elections younger voters come out to vote, and there is larger turnout overall due to increased interest and funding.

COORDINATING LOCAL EVENTS
Local events are mostly about educating the various demographics of the community. We have the public’s attention with marijuana, so there’s little value in holding “shock protests”. It’s more important for marijuana advocates to put energy into the 50% of the public that doesn’t yet agree.

There are many ways to hold local events such as musical support, rallies and marches. Regardless of the event, it is important to keep several principles in mind as we represent the marijuana community.

Keep a clean image
Avoid smoke-out sessions as a planned event. They have no political value. No minds will be changed as a result and no valuable contacts will be made. Video clips of teenagers and hippies smoking a joint in public simply do not help the cause.

Instead we should keep our audience in mind. We should present ourselves well. Business attire is best, but not always necessary. Just be dressed a little better than the average person. Also it’s important to be well spoken. Don’t get angry or upset if someone doesn’t share your perspective. Know your talking points and stick to them.

Click the following link for a guide on Dos and Don’ts for persuasive speaking when engaging the public on the value of ending the drug war.
http://druglibrary.org/schaffer/activist/persuas.htm

Create Earned Media Exposure
Local events are an opportunity to create earned media exposure. If a local chapter is holding a rally or fundraising event, let the local media know. Learn how to write Press Releases. Let the local radio stations and newspapers know what is happening. With this wave of marijuana awareness washing over the country, these media outlets will be eager to publicize and comment on well-planned events.

Build Coalitions
There are many groups that we can benefit from partnering with. Particularly effective groups (that have numerous reasons for supporting the marijuana legalization cause) are Veterans groups, mothers groups, seniors groups and the NORML Women’s Alliance.

Community Service and Relief Efforts
NORML can help do clothing swaps and collect toys. We can also do fund raising for causes such as hurricane relief and avoiding cancer. If there is a local charity event that’s going on, help out and do so under the NORML moniker. They’ll be happy for the support and realize that supporters of marijuana law reform are actually motivated to support the community.

Challenge the DARE Program
DARE is an acronym for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. Marijuana has traditionally been the main focus on these programs. There has been a lot of misinformation about marijuana spread in schools when children are in the formative years. It is important that we engage the people who are coordinating these programs and ensure they are transparent and objective.

HOW TO CREATE OUR OWN MEDIA
As opposed to earned media events, we have opportunities to write letters to the editor and participate in talk radio. The idea is create a public discussion about the benefits of legalizing marijuana and ending the war on drugs. We have access to many free media outlets where we can create and distribute our own message.

Polling
One especially effective way to create our own media is to support and fund a poll in your local community and in your state. The reason politicians and media no longer snicker when marijuana is brought up is due to the fact that it’s no longer a fringe issue. A solid majority of Americans support marijuana law reform to some degree.

A local or state poll will show our community that Colorado and Washington are no longer an anomaly. There is strong support for the re-legalization of marijuana.

As an example, Indiana did a poll on decriminalization. Politicians who are skeptical of full legalization were given confidence to support decriminalization once the state poll results showed tremendous support of decriminalization.

World is Watching – Advice for the Cannabis Community
Now that Colorado and Washington have passed laws legalizing marijuana for any use for adults over 21, the entire world is watching to see what cultural and criminal changes take place.

The cannabis community needs to actually value personal responsibility if we want a cascading effect of the end of marijuana prohibition. Along those lines, as activists and advocates we need to make sure laws are passed in a responsible manner. People also need to continue to act responsibly after these laws are passed. If irresponsible behavior starts to become the norm, there’s going to be a backlash and we will lose much of the ground we’ve gained.

Keep the Narrative Going
We need to keep the narrative going. The sky is not going to fall if people to continue to engage in the responsible use of cannabis. When engaging in those narratives, we need to proactively court the local media through letters to the editor, op-eds (opposite the editorial page), hold meet and greets with editors of the local newspapers.

Letters should be sent NOW. Media is interested in the topic of marijuana now. We are riding the crest of a large wave. Even if letters are rejected, editors will learn who we are. As the media stays engaged with the marijuana issue, they will know to contact us.

We have a unique opportunity during the holidays as this is a traditionally slow media cycle. Write letters to the media now.

Click the following link to read NORML’s guide to writing Op-eds

http://norml.org/component/zoo/category/norml-op-eds-and-letters-to-the-editor

Social Media
NORML chapters should continue to use internet based outlets like Facebook and Twitter to grow their network. National NORML gained 7000 Facebook followers and 5000 Twitter followers on election night.

There is hunger in the online audience for content. Social media can be used to share new articles as they are released. These same article can be repackaged on the NORML chapter’s own online blog, then sharing the new blog post and re-Tweeting it.

There is a lot of demand, but not a lot of places that dedicate themselves to sharing this material with trustworthiness. It is important that we understand that if NORML is to be an effective brand, we must continue finding, creating and sharing quality content.

Once a NORML chapter has its social media presence set, one strategy is to Google “marijuana” every day. Find out what the big stories are. Make sure our online followers have every opportunity to stay tuned in, and tuned in to OUR channel.

Images are the most viral content on Facebook. Find a pertinent (and reputable) quote, turn it into an image with a flattering picture of the author’s face to create unique content that has the greatest likelihood of being seen by thousands.

Advertisements for upcoming events and fundraisers should be converted to shareable Facebook images. Promoting the ad for $10 can be an effective way of reaching twice as many people as we normally would.

WHO DOES NOT SUPPORT THE END OF MARIJUANA PROHIBITION?
Demographically there are several groups who do not support the legalization of marijuana. Generally those who feel marijuana possession should remain a crime are

  • self-described republicans
  • Latinos
  • women
  • religious fundamentalists
  • Asian Americans
  • senior citizens

These are the groups we should focus on when creating a public discussion. For instance, support for marijuana re-legalization plummets for Americans over 65 years of age. This demographic also votes in high percentages.

Our job is to make the points that cater to each of these demographics. Republics often care about less government and tax expenditures. Latinos may respond to the fact that marijuana arrests disproportionately affect Latinos and other minorities. Religious fundamentalists may respond to the idea the cannabis is a naturally occurring plant. Senior citizens are often surprised at the many uses of marijuana medicinally. Know your audience. Stay on topic. Don’t argue. And keep a clean image.

BRING STRATEGY HOME TO WHERE YOU LIVE
So what should we do with all this information? There are almost 200 chapters of NORML across the country. These chapters affect the local and state direction. To ensure NORML’s grass-roots approach to legalization remains effective, strategies should be formed that apply to local activities and roll up to the state legislature.

This strategy should include ways to draw in new members and volunteers, raise funds, increase awareness and discussions across the state, partner with like minded businesses and charities, pass local anti-prohibition measures, conduct public opinion polls, educate legislators of the benefits of marijuana, persuade legislators to introduce and pass marijuana bills, and constantly find ways to improve the NORML organization.

To download an MP3 recording of this conference call

Click Here