Wishing Everyone a Happy 4/20 from the Mile High City!

On behalf of everyone at NORML, I extend our upmost gratitude for all your support on this “high holiday.” The 40th Annual NORML Conference begins in full tomorrow morning and we will be streaming the panels live and updating with daily videos from the conference floor.

For now, here is wishing you all a high, happy and safe 4/20.

Now Available: Discount Hotel Rooms For NORML Conference 2011

The 40th Annual NORML Conference Convenes April 21-23 In Denver

Boulder's 4/20

The host hotel is the centrally located and top-rated Grand Hyatt, where, NORML has procured steeply discounted hotel rooms (rack rate is usually $300-$350 night, our rooms start at $129).

The room block at the host hotel for NORML conferences always sells out almost right away, so please do not delay in making your room reservations right now. Earlybird conference registrations will be available online soon—along with the agenda and speakers list. Roundtrip flights to Denver from both coasts are currently around $200 on most airlines. A very good price!

Celebrating 4/20 At A Mile High

Denver's 4/20

Arrive before or early on April 20 in Colorado and be prepared for a 50,000 person ’4/20′ political rally in Denver, or, a 30,000 person ‘smoke-out’ rally (no political speeches or music, just an explosion of cannabis smoke at 4:20PM) 30 miles north at the University of Colorado @ Boulder.

I’ve been to both…and they’re equally amazing to behold.

Thanks in advance and please take advantage of these discount room rates ASAP to make sure you’re in the center of the action for the 40th annual NORML conference!

The Hill: It’s High Time To End Marijuana Prohibition

We’ve celebrated 4/20; now it’s time to tell Congress to end marijuana prohibition once and for all.

It’s High Time To End Marijuana Prohibition
via The Hill

By any objective standard, marijuana prohibition is an abject failure.

Nationwide, U.S. law enforcement have arrested over 20 million American citizens for marijuana offenses since 1965, yet today marijuana is more prevalent than ever before, adolescents have easier access to marijuana than ever before, the drug is more potent than ever before, and there is more violence associated with the illegal marijuana trade than ever before.

Over 100 million Americans nationally have used marijuana despite prohibition, and one in ten – according to current government survey data – use it regularly. The criminal prohibition of marijuana has not dissuaded anyone from using marijuana or reduced its availability; however, the strict enforcement of this policy has adversely impacted the lives and careers of millions of people who simply elected to use a substance to relax that is objectively safer than alcohol.

NORML believes that the time has come to amend criminal prohibition and replace it with a system of legalization, taxation, regulation, and education.

Read NORML’s full commentary here.

The Hill’s ever-popular Congress blog ‘is where lawmakers come to blog.’ It’s also where lawmakers come to gauge the pulse of the public. It’s 4/21; tell your member of Congress that it is time to replace prohibition with legalization and regulation. You can make your voice heard by leaving your feedback here.

Now spread the word!

Special 4/20 message from NORML’s Executive Director Allen St. Pierre

April 20, 2010

Dear NORML supporters and fellow lovers of liberty,

Happy 4/20!

While the ravages and costs of cannabis prohibition are largely defined by one’s geography — these days America is a hodge-podge of varying cannabis penalties, ranging from West Hollywood California where a medical cannabis patient can access the herb 24/7 from a vending machine; in Indiana, if caught with just a little cannabis on one’s person, they’re getting arrested, prosecuted and likely going to jail — this ’4/20′ celebration in 2010, as is NORML tradition, is a combination of both the serious and silly!

There will be dozens of major 4/20 ‘protestivals’ today from New York City to Seattle, to the expected largest one in the nation I’m speaking at in Denver Colorado. Major newspaper articles and stories on TV will abound by day’s end. In fact whole television networks such as G4, Comedy Central, Spike and Current TV will devote some or all of their programming today to celebrating cannabis and, implicitly, the herb’s reform.

Also today, NORML launches a new advertisement for 4/20 on Times Square’s largest electronic billboard calling out New York City politicians and law enforcement for having one of the highest — and most racially disparate — cannabis arrest rates in the United States. The advertisement will run 18 times a day until late May, and will be seen by an expected 1.5 million Times Square visitors.

These protestivals and public celebrations of cannabis culture in North America is a greatly anticipated and celebratory annual event at NORML since the mid 1990s, but the serious political message of this wonderfully creative day (beyond the obvious one of ‘re-legalize cannabis now!’) for this specific year is to direct as much NORML membership and public attention as possible to donate and support the voter initiative on the ballot in California this very November that will effectively legalize cannabis for adult use, cultivation and sales.

Going into our 40th year, NORML’s staff and board of directors have made the passage of California’s voter initiative to legalize cannabis the number #1 political priority for the organization.

To this end, the thousands of donations and $4.20 memberships received today by the NORML Foundation (or NORML) will be donated to TaxCannabis2010, the organization behind California’s legalization ballot.

I’m personally donating $420 in support of this very important political initiative in California — the state where 1 out of 8 Americans live, the 7th largest economy in the world if it were a country and with by far the largest delegation in the US Congress — in memory of my friend, the recently passed author-activist Jack Herer, the ‘Emperor of Hemp’.

TaxCannabis2010 has a goal of raising $42,000 by the end of today, with committed support from stakeholders from NORML like you and I, we can reach this unique dollar amount.

Become a member and send a special 4/20 animated e-card to a friend, family member or sweetie.

Thanks for all of your enduring support for NORML, cannabis law reform and for this important 4/20, TaxCannabis2010!

Please have a safe and hempful 4/20!

Cannabem liberemus,

Allen St. Pierre
Executive Director
Member, Board of Directors
NORML / NORML Foundation
Washington, DC
director@norml.org

CNBC — The Marijuana Lobby: All Grown Up

Just in time for 4/20, cable news titan CNBC has launched “Marijuana & Money: A Special Report” — a comprehensive online collection of features and commentaries covering all things cannabis.

Headline stories and featured videos include:

The Cost-and-Benefit Arguments Around Enforcement; Tax Potential For Government; States With The Most Liberal Pot Laws; States With The Toughest Pot Laws The Confused State of Pot Law Enforcement; and The New Pot: No High, No Pain, No Problem.

There’s also commentaries in favor of marijuana law reform from political heavyweights like: former Republican Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson (The War On Drugs Has Failed, So Tax And Regulate Marijuana); ex-New York City Democrat Mayor Ed Koch (Let’s Get The Facts About Marijuana And Move On From There); Rhode Island Democrat State Senator Joshua Miller (Rhode Island’s Drive for Sensible Marijuana Laws); former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper (Legalization Will Reduce Crime, Free Up Police Resources) and U.S. Republican Congressman Ron Paul of Texas (End Insanity Of The War on Drugs—Start With Decriminalizing Marijuana at The Federal Level).

Naturally, for the sake of ‘balance,’ the rantings and ramblings of a handful of prohibitionist ‘flat Earthers’ like Drug Free Kids’ Joyce Nalepka (My ‘Addiction’ To Fighting Drugs) and former DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson (Legalizing Marijuana Not Worth the Costs) are thrown in for good measure, but by this time it’s unlikely that anyone is listening.

Arguably the centerpiece of the collection is a feature entitled, “The Marijuana Lobby: All Grown Up,” which examines the history and progress of the marijuana law reform movement — and profiles NORML’s role in particular. Here’s an excerpt:

The Marijuana Lobby: All Grown Up
via CNBC

What a difference 20 years has made for the head of the pot lobbying group, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Norml.

In the old days congressmen would ask Allan St. Pierre about males developing breasts as a result of smoking marijuana–a la the government propaganda movie “Reefer Madness”. Now St. Pierre has legislators calling him to help write bills.

“I wrote five last year,” says St. Pierre.

… “Prohibition is a luxury we can no longer afford, lawmakers tell me now,” St. Pierre says. “And just as the Great Depression sped up the repeal of the Prohibition on alcohol by decades, the current recession appears to be really speeding things up with respect to marijuana.”

… “We’ve got the baby boom generation in power, a crushing recession and an Internet that allows us to get around a lap-doggish national media,” he said. “We’ve never had the support of more powerful people in this effort.”

Read the full story here. And, of course, have a happy 4/20!