Amazon no longer discriminates against those using cannabis plus they back marijuana legalization

Amazon CEO Dave Clark said Tuesday that the company will no longer screen most of its employees for marijuana use, and it will back federal legalization legislation.

"We will no longer include marijuana in our comprehensive drug screening program for any positions not regulated by the Department of Transportation," Clark said in a blog post on Amazon's website. The change in policy comes as a response to "where state laws are moving across the U.S.," Clark said.

Amazon also pledged to throw its considerable weight behind marijuana legalization on a countrywide scale, saying the company would be "actively supporting The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2021 (MORE Act)—federal legislation that would legalize marijuana at the federal level, expunge criminal records, and invest in impacted communities."

The MORE Act, which was reintroduced to the House last month by Democrat Jerry Nadler from New York, would not only make recreational cannabis use legal in the entire United States, and work to release inmates incarcerated because of non-violent marijuana-related offenses, it would also attempt to address racial inequities in the way existing marijuana laws have been enforced.

According to a 2020 report from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Black people are three times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people in the United States.

The bill includes a 5 percent tax on retail marijuana sales that would pay into the Opportunity Trust Fund that would pay for services like job training, re-entry, and health services, aimed at helping communities that have been impacted by generational unjust enforcement of the war on drugs.

"The whole intention and vision behind this bill is that it would repair past harms of drug prohibition," said Maritza Perez, national affairs director at the Drug Policy Alliance, a nonprofit working to reform drug laws. "We're hoping that another successful House vote would continue to pile on momentum," she told NBC News.

The MORE Act was passed by Congress once before in December 2020 but never received a vote in a Republican-controlled Senate. The bill will likely reach Senate later in 2021, and will be received by a Democratic majority this time. It will be backed by Leader Schumer of New York, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Ron Wyden of Oregon. All three of these Democratic senators' states have approved recreational cannabis.

In 2020 recreational marijuana sales totaled about $20 billion, and are expected to reach more than twice that, according to research cited in the bill.

"We hope that other employers will join us, and that policymakers will act swiftly to pass this law," Clark said in the Amazon blog post.

It is not clear if the bill will have sufficient backing to pass the Senate.

Newsweek reached out to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws for comment.

Amazon Won't Screen Employees for Marijuana Use, Will Back Federal Legalization (newsweek.com)

This is fantastic. A major corporation getting behind marijuana legalization. It's about time. It's about time someone in corporate America took notice and realized the drug war was a complete fiasco.

Tell Congress Not To Allow Trump To Roll Back Medical Marijuana Protections

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Smoke the vote

Who's on board with marijuana legalization and who is not? Want to vote for the pro-legalization candidate but don't know who they are? NORML solves that problem with Smoke The Vote. May it be your guide.

Red or blue makes little difference when it comes to the question of legalizing marijuana

The adult use of marijuana is now legal in nine states — Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington — as well as the District of Columbia. Come November, additional states may be joining them.

Voters in North Dakota and Michigan will be deciding on marijuana legalization initiatives on Election Day. If past is precedent, these measures likely will emerge victorious at the polls in at least one, if not both, states.

But the fact remains that majority support for ending cannabis criminalization extends far beyond the boundaries of those individual states that have voted for it. In fact, according to statewide polling data compiled from throughout the year, if direct votes on the issue were held today, a majority of the country would be legal.

Specifically:

1. Sixty-two percent of Maryland adults support “making marijuana legal for recreational use,” according to the results of a September 2018 Goucher College poll.

2. Fifty-six percent of likely voters in Minnesota believe that the adult use of marijuana ought to be legal, according to the findings of September 2018 Survey USA poll.

3. Sixty-one percent of Wisconsin voters say, “Marijuana should be fully legalized and regulated like alcohol,” concludes an August 2018 Marquette University survey.

4. Fifty-nine percent of voters in Connecticut support “allowing adults to legally possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use,” according to survey data released in August 2018 by Quinnipiac University.

5. Fifty-three percent of Arizona voters “support legalizing marijuana for adults 21 and over,” according to the results of a June 2018 Emerson College poll.

6. Fifty-three percent of registered voters in Texas approve legalizing either small amounts of marijuana (30 percent) or any amount (23 percent), concludes a June 2018 University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll.

7. Sixty-three percent of New Mexicans support regulating and taxing adult use marijuana sales, according to the results of a May 2018 poll conducted by the firm Research & Polling Incorporated.

8. Fifty-five percent of Georgia voters endorse legalizing the use of marijuana by adults, according to a May 2018 Survey USA poll.

9. Sixty-three percent of New York voters support "allowing adults to legally possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use,” according to the findings of a May 2018 Quinnipiac University poll.

10. Fifty-nine percent of New Jersey residents support "legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use" and 60 percent believe that "legalizing marijuana in New Jersey would help the state's economy,” according to the results of an April 2018 Monmouth University survey.

11. Sixty-six percent of Illinois voters support "the legalization of recreational marijuana if it is taxed and regulated like alcohol,” according to survey data compiled in March 2018 by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

12. Fifty-six percent of New Hampshire residents support the passage of legislation to eliminate criminal and civil penalties for the possession and cultivation of marijuana for personal use, according to a February 2018 UNH Granite State poll.

13. Sixty-two percent of registered voters in Florida support "legalizing and regulating marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol,” according to the results of a February 2018 poll conducted by the University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Laboratory.

Evident from this state-specific data is the reality that Americans’ desire for cannabis legalization is bipartisan — with voters in blue and red states alike expressing majority support. Voters support for legalizing marijuana for medical purposes is even more strongly bipartisan, with super-majorities of self-identified Democrats, Republicans, and Independents endorsing reform.

As many federal politicians approach the upcoming midterm elections, and as state lawmakers look ahead to their 2019 legislative sessions, they ought to keep in mind the simple fact that marijuana legalization likely remains far more popular with their constituents than they are — and they ought to legislate accordingly.

Paul Armentano is the deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. He is the co-author of the book, Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? and the author of the book, The Citizen’s Guide to State-By-State Marijuana Laws.

Source

Amendment to Cut Funding of DEA’s Cannabis Eradication Program

Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) has reintroduced an amendment to cut funds from the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) cannabis eradication program through their Salaries and Expenses Account. In 2016, the budget for the eradication program was $18 million and the amendment would cut that in half. The funds would be redirected to domestic abuse prevention and juvenile justice programs. This CJS appropriations amendment that was also proposed last year.

In a 2015 statement, Rep. Lieu explained that this cannabis eradication program “is a ridiculous waste of precious federal resources, especially when multiple states and jurisdictions have already legalized marijuana…it is time for the federal government to stop making marijuana use or possession a federal crime.”

Source

Here is Nelson Muntz take on this:

Court Blocks Federal Prosecution of California Pot Growers

A U.S. District Court this week blocked federal prosecutors from moving forward with their conspiracy case against a pair of Northern California cultivators because the duo was determined to be in compliance with Golden State medical marijuana laws.

Humboldt County growers Anthony Pisarski and Sonny Moore had already pleaded guilty to federal allegations (conspiracy to manufacture and possess with intent to distribute) but sought an evidentiary hearing based on legislation, first enacted in 2014, that prohibits the U.S. Department of Justice from cracking down on cannabis suspects who are otherwise following their state laws. The Rohrabacher-Farr amendment is a budget rider, co-authored by SoCal U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, that prevents enforcement and prosecution in medical marijuana states by stripping funding for such endeavors.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Seeborg on Tuesday stayed the prosecution, so the case is closed unless the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment expires and fails to be re-enacted and federal prosecutors want to resume their case. The defendants' Beverly Hills attorney, Ronald Richards, says: "This is the first time in my 23-year career I've had a case stopped because of an appropriations rider.

"What the court did in this case may be used as a blueprint for other cases," he says. "It opens the door for people not to get scared."

The judge cited United States v. McIntosh, a United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decision last year that affirmed a medical marijuana defense for defendants facing federal prosecution in medical states. But experts say that United States v. Pisarski, et al. could help establish such a defense even further.

"It's significant that a federal court ruled that people targeted by feds and in compliance with California's medical marijuana laws ruled in the defendants' favor," says Dale Gieringer, director of California NORML. "This is the first case I'm aware of where McIntosh was cited and used to full effect."

Pisarski and Moore owned a property raided by feds in July 2012. Authorities said they found 327 marijuana plants, $416,125 in cash, and guns. But during the evidentiary process, the duo argued they were abiding by California laws and that federal prosecutors had no right to continue spending cash on their prosecution under Rohrabacher-Farr.

They argued that the weed was being sold to legit collectives. Judge Seeborg agreed, writing: "Their conduct strictly complied with all relevant conditions imposed by California law on the use, distribution, possession and cultivation of medical marijuana."

Tamar Todd, director of the Drug Policy Alliance's office of of legal affairs, said the ruling could have ripple effects throughout the West.

"This shows that you can prevail — defendants in federal court could have their prosecutions halted," she says. "It's enjoining the prosecution from being able to spend any more money on this case. It's very encouraging. It gives a lot of teeth to Rohrabacher-Farr."

Source

Poll: Americans’ Support For Marijuana Law Reform At All Time High

A record percentage of American voters support reforming the nation’s marijuana laws, according to polling data released by Quinnipiac University.

Sixty-one percent of voters believe that “the use of marijuana should be made legal in the United States” — the highest percentage ever reported by the poll. Support for legalization is strongest among those between the ages of 35 to 49 (77 percent), those between the ages of 18 and 34 (71 percent), Democrats (70 percent), and Independents (67 percent). Support is weakest among those age 65 or older (42 percent) and Republicans (37 percent).

With regard to the use of medical cannabis, 94 percent of voters say that adults ought to be able to legally consume it therapeutically. Among those polled, no group expressed less than 90 percent support for the issue.

Finally, 75 percent of voters oppose “the government enforcing federal laws against marijuana in states that have already legalized medical or recreational marijuana.” Super-majorities of every group polled, except for Republicans (59 percent), hold this position.

The Quinnipiac poll possesses a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percent.

Source

This would be great to share with out public officials. Let's contact our Congressional Representative and our Senators. It would also be a good idea to contact the Speaker of the House and the The Senate Majority Leader along with the House Minority Leader and the Senate Minority Leader let them know we are serious about marijuana legalization at the federal level.

Controlled Substances Act may be unconstitutional

As an attorney, I am always disappointed that the courts in this country – both at the state and federal level – have refused to get involved in the efforts to end marijuana prohibition and end the practice of treating responsible marijuana smokers as criminals. But that is the reality.

While the courts in this country have played a leading role in ending racial discrimination, in guaranteeing women the right to obtain a legal abortion, in protecting the rights of the LGBT community, and in many other areas involving the protection of personal freedom, they have consistently rejected attempts to declare state and federal anti-marijuana laws as unconstitutional.

But that does not mean that we should give up the fight in the courts, and rely only on voter initiatives and elected officials to fix this problem. As long as there are new legal arguments to be made, and fresh and hopefully more convincing facts to be argued, we must continue to engage the courts in this struggle for personal freedom.

Washington, et.al v. Sessions, et.al

One such legal challenge, Washington, et.al v. Sessions, et.al, was recently filed in US District Court in the Southern District of New York by lead attorney Michael Hiller, with NORML Legal Committee (NLC) attorneys David Holland and Joseph Bondy serving as co-counsel. The full complaint can be found here.

Individual plaintiffs in the suit were two young children, an American military veteran, and a retired professional football player, all of whom are medical marijuana patients; and a membership organization alleging their minority members have been discriminated against by the federal Controlled Substances Act.

Seeking to overturn the 2005 Supreme Court decision in Gonzales v. Raich, plaintiffs request a declaration that the CSA, as it pertains to the classification of Cannabis as a Schedule I drug, is unconstitutional, because it violates the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment, an assortment of protections guaranteed by the First Amendment, and the fundamental Right to Travel. Further, plaintiffs seek a declaration that Congress, in enacting the CSA as it pertains to marijuana, violated the Commerce Clause, extending the breadth of legislative power well beyond the scope contemplated by Article I of the Constitution.

Named as defendants in the case are Attorney General Jeff Beauregard Sessions, Acting Administrator of the DEA Chuck Rosenberg, the Justice Department, the DEA and the Federal Government.

In their Complaint, plaintiffs allege that the federal government does not, and could not possibly, believe that Cannabis meets the definition of a Schedule I drug, which is reserved for the most dangerous of substances, such as heroin, LSD, and mescaline; and that classifying Cannabis as a “Schedule I drug,” is so irrational that it violates the U.S. Constitution.

Among the other claims in the lawsuit are that the CSA: (i) was enacted and implemented in order to discriminate against African Americans and to suppress people’s First Amendment rights; and (ii) violates plaintiffs’ constitutional Right to Travel.

Joseph Bondy, a federal criminal defense attorney and legalization advocate, explained he felt it was important to “question the agenda of those who continue to push for enforcement of the CSA, given its unlawful and discriminatory impact and that so few in America support such an effort.” Co-counsel David Holland, a litigator and Executive Director of Empire State NORML, noted that “the efforts to criminalize Cannabis are relatively recent and were largely underwritten by racial and ethnic animus,” referring to recent findings that African Americans and other persons of color are four times as likely to be arrested under the CSA than white Americans, even though marijuana is used equally by people of color and Caucasians.

Perhaps the federal courts will surprise us at long last and finally take a critical look at marijuana prohibition, and find the courage to declare the CSA to be unconstitutional. That would be an enormous step forward in ending marijuana prohibition altogether. But regardless of the outcome of this particular suit, it is encouraging to see the criminal defense bar continue to push the legal envelope, and to advance the best and latest legal and factual arguments. At some point, the courts will have no choice but to strike downC1_8734_r_x prohibition as a violation of our personal

Source

Never let up

CONGRESS WON'T GIVE JEFF SESSIONS MONEY TO FIGHT STATE MARIJUANA LAWS

Congress won’t give Attorney General Jeff Sessions any money to fight a war on state laws to legalize marijuana—at least not in the new budget bill.

A bipartisan group of House Democrats and Republicans agreed Sunday to $1 trillion in government spending to avoid a shutdown and see them through to the end of September.

But while it also gave $1.5 billion more for border security and $12.5 billion for new military spending, there wasn’t any money for Sessions to go after states that have legalized medical marijuana and or where the recreational use of the drug is legal.

The move quashes potential plans to try to prevent 44 states, plus Washington D.C. and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico, “from implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.”

The move led pro-legalization advocacy groups and House representatives to urge Congress to amend federal law, removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act at a time when support for legalizing marijuana is at an all-time high.

“I reject the idea that America will be a better place if marijuana is sold in every corner store,” Sessions said March 15, likening its use to heroin.

“I am astonished to hear people suggest that we can solve our heroin crisis by legalizing marijuana—so people can trade one life-wrecking dependency for another that’s only slightly less awful.”

America, he said: “needs to say clearly once again that using drugs will destroy your life.”

In 2016 13,000 Americans died of heroin overdoses while a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration fact sheet reports no deaths from the use of marijuana.

Nonetheless, the U.S. Attorney General’s office has been reviewing an Obama-era directive that prevents the federal government from interfering in state level marijuana laws.

Marijuana possession is still a federal offence and Sessions had been considering whether he should enforce the federal U.S. Controlled Substances Act against users of the drug, which is ranks higher than cocaine and methamphetamines.

While Sessions said at a Justice Department press briefing in February that states can “pass the laws they choose,” he reminded them that it remains “a violation of federal law to distribute marijuana throughout any place in the United States, whether a state legalizes it or not.”

Local and state law enforcement have traditionally been relied on to enforce federal law, but in recent instances where city police forces have refused to support Trump’s executive orders on immigration, the federal government has tried to sanction them.

Sessions reportedly told Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper’s chief of staff last week that he thought Obama’s marijuana directive is “not too far from good policy.”

That means it is time to “ amend federal law in a manner that comports with the available science, public opinion, and with America’s rapidly changing cultural and legal landscape,” said Justin Strekal, Political Director at The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) in a statement May 1.

A recent poll by CBS News released April 20 found a 71 percent majority of Americans opposed federal action to stop marijuana sales in states where the drug had been legalized. In all, it found 61 percent of Americans want marijuana to be legalized—a five percentage point increase from the year before and the highest level of support recorded by the poll.

Republicans , known for hardline drug policies, have begun to support legalization too. Last July a poll showed 45 percent of Republicans support legalization measures. Less than a year before the same poll found 50 percent of Republicans opposed them.

“The people have spoken @realDonaldTrump. Don't let Jeff Sessions' draconian views on [marijuana] run roughshod over states,” wrote Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone on Twitter using the “420” code for pot on April 20.

Marijuana, both legal and medicinal, is projected to pull in $7.1 billion in profits in 2016, according to one study. But while the new spending bill gives medical marijuana patients and the businesses that support them “a measure of certainty,” said Oregon House Representative Earl Blumenauer in a statement Monday, the annual challenge of blocking federal action against state marijuana laws “must end.”

“We need permanent protections for state-legal medical marijuana programs, as well as adult-use,” he said.

The best way to achieve this is “removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act,” said Strekal, “so that states possess the flexibility to engage in their own marijuana regulatory policies how best they see fit.”

Source

End marijuana prohibition this 4/20

From The National Organization For The Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML):

It’s that time of the year again. Long recognized as the national marijuana holiday, April 20th presents us with an opportunity to make our voices heard:

When Jeff Sessions was nominated Attorney General, NORML worked with all of you to send out a “Thunderclap,” a powerful social media tool that enabled us to reach more than 2 million people with our #JustSayNoToSessions campaign. While we were unable to stop Sessions from being confirmed, he did hear the message loud and clear. Just last week, he said:

When they nominated me for Attorney General, you would have thought the biggest issue in America was when I said, ‘I don’t think America’s going to be a better place if they sell marijuana at every corner grocery store, (People) didn’t like that; I’m surprised they didn’t like that.

Now, with the establishment of the Cannabis Caucus and the introduction of the Ending Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017, we must make every member of Congress feel the same pressure.

NORML has been in this fight for over 47 years because we believe that responsible adults who choose to consume marijuana should not be be persecuted or stigmatized. Despite our recent victories, the forces of the prohibition-industrial complex remain strong and the government’s marijuana misinformation campaign that has spanned from Reefer Madness to D.A.R.E. is still deeply entrenched. However, just as we have for decades, we will fight on and not be deterred.

We must continue to educate our legislators and neighbors alike. That is why on this 4/20 we are calling upon Americans to contact their members of Congress and say “Enough is Enough” to marijuana prohibition.

Our work is powered by the generous support of thousands throughout the country who share our belief that adults should be able to consume marijuana free of any social stigma or criminal penalties. To ensure we continue to only represent the interests of marijuana consumers, not big money interests, we depend on small grassroots donations from people like you. This year, the average contribution to NORML was just $26.
Keep us going by making a contribution or signing up to be a monthly supporter to receive special updates and offers.

So thank you for all that you have done in the fight so far. Together, we will legalize marijuana nationwide.
The NORML Team

Click here to sign up for the Thunderclap and demand that Congress end marijuana prohibition.

The Respect State Marijuana Laws Act will get the DEA out of our dispensaries

From The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws:

Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), along with six other Republicans and six Democrats, has reintroduced bipartisan legislation, ‘The Respect State Marijuana Laws Act,’ to prevent the federal government from criminally prosecuting individuals and/or businesses who are engaging in state-sanctioned activities specific to the possession, use, production, and distribution of marijuana.

HR 975 states, ‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the provisions of this subchapter related to marihuana shall not apply to any person acting in compliance with State laws relating to the production, possession, distribution, dispensation, administration, or delivery of marihuana.’’

Sign the petition

Jeff Sessions' nomination is stalled-for now

From The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML):

While this in no way means that Sessions will not merely be advanced and approved next week, it does buy us time to make our voices heard in regards to his stance on marijuana policy. One more week of the federal government not arresting responsible consumers in states that have legalized recreational or medical marijuana. One more week for us to reach out to the Senate to apply more scrutiny to Sessions.

Letters to your Senators

Sessions' nomination is stalled-at the moment. Now is the time to act. Let your Senators know that you do not want Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. Act now before it's too late.

NORML issues open letter to incoming Vice President

From The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML):

Tomorrow, Michigan NORML will release an open letter to Vice President-Elect and presidential transition Chairman Mike Pence calling upon the incoming administration to declare their intentions on federal marijuana policy. Over 50 state and local NORML chapters representing tens-of-thousands of supporters have already co-signed.
The letter, combined with National NORML's petition to President-Elect Trump, is a powerful way in which we can influence the new administration as well as leaders in Congress in order to protect the rights of those in states that have instituted legalization, decriminalization, and medicinal marijuana.

Add your name to the thousands demanding cannabis clarity from the incoming administration.
With mixed signals coming from Donald Trump and his cabinet picks, the future of cannabis law reform has never been more uncertain. At times on the campaign trail, Trump has indicated support for states rights in regards to medicinal marijuana, yet his choice of Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General, the man who will be the nation's prosecutor-in-chief, sends a conflicting message.

As you may know, Sessions throughout his career has been militantly opposed to marijuana law reform and would, if empowered by President Trump and Congress, will have the ability to reverse all the hard fought protections that we have achieved to protect responsible marijuana users rights and freedoms.

Join the thousands who have added their name to find out if President Trump will reverse our progress.

Only when we stand together and speak with one unified voice, clearly demanding an end to our nation's outdated and unjust marijuana prohibition, will we win.
Thank you for all that you do,
NORML Team

P.S. Did you see our email about Local 420: The Marijuana Consumers Union? Sign up to be a monthly supporter of NORML and you will get awesome NORML gear, special updates from NORML staff, and invites to policy calls with leading marijuana experts and policy makers. Sign up today!

Rohrabacher Farr Act extended until April 28,2017

From the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML):

Members of Congress have re-authorized a federal provision prohibiting the Justice Department from interfering in state-authorized medical cannabis programs. The provision, known as the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, was included in short-term spending legislation, House Resolution 2028, and will expire on April 28, 2017.

Initially enacted by Congress in 2014, the amendment maintains that federal funds cannot be used to prevent states from "implementing their own state laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession or cultivation of medical marijuana." In August, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the language bars the federal government from taking legal action against any individual involved in medical marijuana-related activity absent evidence that the defendant is in clear violation of state law.

Because the provision is included as part of a Congressional spending package and does not explicitly amend the US Controlled Substances Act, members must re-authorize the amendment annually. However, House leadership may prohibit federal lawmakers from revisiting the issue when they craft a longer-term funding bill this spring. Such a change in House rules would require members of the Senate to pass an equivalent version of the legislation, which would then need to be approved by House leaders in conference committee.

Let's ask Trump to clarify his position on marijuana

From The National Organization for the Reform Marijuana Laws:

Over the last several weeks, we have received dozens of calls from journalists with the same question: "What does NORML think that President-Elect Trump and his Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions will do in regards to marijuana once in office?"

However, the best public indicators we have to go on give mixed messages. Additionally,in nearly all of the articles
that NORML has been quoted in about Trump and Sessions, not one indicates that the writer had even attempted to contact the presidential transition team or Sen. Sessions.

So we've released our own request for clarification and we NEED you to join us in demanding answers as to how the federal government is going to respect the will of the voters in states that have ended prohibition.

Add your voice to the thousands calling on Trump to provide cannabis clarity TODAY.

On the campaign trail, Trump promised to take a federalist approach to marijuana stating:
"In terms of marijuana and legalization, I think that should be a state issue, state-by-state... Marijuana is such a big thing. I think medical should happen - right? Don't we agree? I think so. And then I really believe we should leave it up to the states."

Yet his nomination of Sen. Sessions sends a very different signal. At a Congressional hearing just this past April, he stated that "good people do not smoke marijuana." His legislative track record and public comments show no intentions of ending marijuana prohibition or respecting the millions of responsible cannabis consumers throughout the country. If Senator Sessions' personal beliefs were allowed to dictate the policies of the Justice Department, we could be in for a rough four years.

With 8 states now having legalized the adult use of marijuana and over half the country having medical marijuana programs, the American people deserve to know what President-Elect Trump's policy towards these states will be.

Join thousands of others in signing the petition to ask President-Elect Donald Trump to answer this question and clarify his position on respecting state marijuana laws.

Going forward we must be vigilant to protect the progress we have made, keep fighting to protect the rights of responsible adults, and end finally end the prohibition of marijuana nationwide.
Onward,
NORML Team

Where does the Donald stand on marijuana?

Where does President-elect Donald Trump stand on marijuana-medical and recreational,state's rights and the nomination of Jeff Sessions,staunch prohibitionist extraordinaire,for Attorney General?
NORML is asking that same question. That is why they are sending Trump a letter asking him to clarify his position. NORML would love it if you added your signature to the letter.
Trump has stated that he will respect the laws the states have enacted concerning marijuana. Yet his nomination of Jeff Sessions contradicts that position. I have written on Sessions and posted news stories about him when it concerns marijuana legalization. Sessions longs for the old days of police brutality,broken in doors,destroyed families and properties. Not to mention legally stolen items that have nothing to do with the crime but good luck proving your innocence. Wait,I thought it was innocent until proven guilty. Not in military court martials and asset forfeiture hearings.

Donald Trump is considering marijuana prohibitionist Senator Jeff Sessions as Attorney General

From NORML:

We have some dire news to share. This morning, President-Elect Trump announced his pick for Attorney General and it couldn’t be much worse for the marijuana law reform movement and our recent legalization victories.

Trump’s pick, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, is a militant prohibitionist. We could go into great detail about how Senator Sessions has been an outspoken opponent of reform for decades, but in this case his rhetoric is so off the wall...we’ll let his past statements speak for themselves:

It was the prevention movement that really was so positive, and it led to this decline. The creating of knowledge that this drug is dangerous, it cannot be played with, it is not funny, it's not something to laugh about, and trying to send that message with clarity, that good people don't smoke marijuana.

Lady Gaga says she's addicted to (marijuana) and it is not harmless.

You have to have leadership from Washington. You can't have the President of the United States of America talking about marijuana … you are sending a message to young people that there is no danger in this process. It is false that marijuana use doesn't lead people to more drug use. It is already causing a disturbance in the States that have made it legal.

His former colleagues testified Sessions used the n-word and joked about the Ku Klux Klan, saying he thought they were "okay, until he learned that they smoked marijuana."

SOUNDS CRAZY, RIGHT? DONATE TODAY TO HELP US BE READY TO FIGHT BACK

Senator Sessions is clearly off the reservation on this one and is diametrically opposed to the overwhelming public opinion which stands in favor of the legalization and regulation of marijuana. This could foreshadow some very bad things for the eight states that have legalized marijuana for adult use and the more than half of the country that has operating medical marijuana programs. With the authority the position of Attorney General provides, Sessions could immediately get to work attempting to block the implementation of the recent ballot initiatives, start dismantling a legal industry in Washington, Colorado, Oregon, and Alaska, and begin conducting massive raids on existing medical and recreational retail stores.
We must be ready to fight back. We must be ready to mobilize in defense of all of our hard fought victories. We already have our opponents calling for a recount in Maine and prohibitionists in Massachusetts working to gut core provisions like home cultivation from their state's initiative. With an assist from a newly minted prohibitionist Attorney General, things might get worse before they get better.

Help us send a message to President-Elect Trump and his Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions that the American people won’t stand for intervention into state marijuana programs and that we want to move towards descheduling at the federal level and legalization in all 50 states.
DONATE $20 TODAY TO HELP US RAISE $4,200 FOR OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND!

It would probably be a good idea if we contact President-elect Donald Trump and let him know that we are not that thrilled with the idea of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. You can contact Trump on facebook and/or twitter and let him know that we don't like the idea of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. Tell him Ted Cruz is a better choice. Cruz is not the prohibitionist that Sessions is and he is being considered for Attorney General along with Sessions.

A thank you from NORML

From The National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws:

Without a doubt, the landslide winner on Election Day was marijuana law reform. We legalized an adult's right to consume marijuana in Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, and California. We legalized patients' access in Arkansas and North Dakota, and we expanded their access in Florida and Montana. With resounding victories in red and blue states, it is clear that marijuana legalization enjoys mainstream, bipartisan support among the American people.

Over 20 percent of Americans reside in jurisdictions where the adult use of marijuana is legal. Well over half of US states now authorize the medical use of marijuana. But we must sustain these gains.

Now is the time to double down in our reform efforts. Not only do we need to ensure that our hard fought victories are upheld, but we also must push forward to expand the marijuana revolution elsewhere.

Our work is far from done and NORML plans on fighting harder than ever before to ensure that responsible marijuana consumers like you no longer face prosecution, stigmatization, or discrimination. But we need your help to ensure 2017 is our most successful year yet.
Your donation helps us mobilize the grassroots in cities and states to apply pressure to elected officials, to buy advertising to increase citizens awareness of the benefits of legalization, to provide legal support to assure that these new laws are implemented in a timely and proper manner, to host educational events across the country to defeat the reefer madness rhetoric being spread by the likes of Project SAM and Kevin Sabet, and to have a potent presence in Washington, DC to lobby Congress and the incoming administration to not upend these successful state programs and to amend federal law to comport with marijuana's rapidly changing legal and cultural status.
Can we count on you to stand with us?

Thanks to NORML and other organizations nationwide that got recreational or medical marijuana legalized in their states. As the newsletter states we had a lot of problems with the prohibitionists but we overcame them and we prevailed. We prevailed over a mountain of lies and scare tactics that in the light of reason are a spit in the face in the intelligence of the American voter and the American voters saw through their lies and deceptions. The only place that failed to get recreational marijuana passed was Arizona. Perhaps next time NORML can concentrate on getting recreational marijuana legalized there as well. No one should be arrested,prosecuted and incarcerated for marijuana. No one.

A message from NORML

Hi, I'm Rick Steves, TV travel show host and a proud member of NORML's Board of Directors. I've just returned from doing a barnstorming speaking tour in both Maine and Massachusetts to help build support for their legalization initiatives. It was an exhilarating week, meeting and talking with the good folks in those states, getting lots of great press, and feeling the excitement build in advance of what we expect will be victories in both states.

I'm investing my time and money in these latest state initiatives because I've seen first-hand the damage done to so many good, hard-working Americans because of a marijuana arrest. And we've got such a powerful message to share now that we have a solid legalization track record in my home state of Washington, and in Colorado and Oregon: teen use does not go up, crime does not go up, and DUIs do not go up. The only thing that goes up is tax revenue and citizens exercising their civil liberty to smoke marijuana recreationally.

I'm doing my part to help end prohibition and all the damage it does to our society, will you stand with me in this fight?

Our political opponents and the big money special interests they represent, including both the alcohol and the pharmaceutical industries, are investing millions of dollars to stop us:
$3.5 million from Casino Magnate Sheldon Adelson to oppose legalization in Arizona, Nevada and Massachusetts.

$500,000 from opioid producer Insys to fight legalization in Arizona.
$75,000 from the Beer Distributors of Massachusetts and the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Massachusetts to oppose legalization in Massachusetts.
$10,000 from the Arizona Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association to oppose legalization in Arizona.

And that's just to name a few.

We don't have deep pocketed special interests funding our work, but we do have something more important and powerful ... YOU!

So please, match my support and make a donation to NORML today and help us ensure that we not only win these current battles, but that we continue to expand the list of legalization states all across this country in 2017 and beyond.

Together, we have the power to end marijuana prohibition once and for all.
Let's do it. Thanks!
Rick Steves