[Editor's note: A version of this post was previously list-served to NORML's membership in Massachusetts. To receive updates about pending legislation in your state, sign up for NORML's free list-serv service here.]

REMINDER — On Wednesday, October 14, Massachusetts state lawmakers will hear testimony in support of taxing and regulating the commercial production and distribution of marijuana for adults age 21 and older.

Members of the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Revenue are scheduled to hear House Bill 2929, ‘An Act to Regulate and Tax the Cannabis Industry,’ on Wednesday at 10 am in Room B2 of the State House. House Bill 2929, along with its companion bill SB 1801, were introduced by request in March.

NORML founder and Legal Counsel Keith Stroup will testify in favor of the measures [Editor's note: Read Keith's written testimony here.] — along with NORML Advisory Board member Dr. Lester Grinspoon (Harvard Medical School emeritus) and members of NORML’s state affiliate, the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition.

This hearing is historic because it is the first time the state legislature has ever debated legalizing the adult use of marijuana.

If you live in Massachusetts, please show your support for these measures by contacting your state elected officials and urging them to support these common sense proposals. If your elected officials are members of the Joint Committee on Revenue or the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, then it is especially important that they hear from you. For your convenience, a pre-written letter will be e-mailed to your state senator and representative when you enter you go here. The Joint Committee on Revenue may also be contacted at:

House Staff Telephone: (617) 722-2320
Senate Staff Telephone: (617) 722-1625

For additional information about tomorrow’s hearing, please visit the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition/NORML at: http://www.masscann.org or visit: http://www.cantaxreg.com.

Author, Harvard academician, NORML Advisory Board member and respected physician, Lester Grinspoon, recently updated his webpage and is seeking cannabis consumers to contribute essays to his newly launched blog devoted to furthering understanding and appreciation of the way in which cannabis enhances a variety of human experiences.

An awesome essay submitted to Dr. Grinspoon’s definitively written Marihuana Reconsidered by a mysterious Mr. X originally inspired this ‘Uses’ project, later to be revealed as the late, great Dr. Carl Sagan.

Dr. Grinspoon is looking for material for a new book examining the myriad and compelling reasons why so many people use cannabis.

Essays can be anonymously submitted…or not.

The ‘Uses’ webpage is companion to Dr. Grinspoon’s comprehensive medical cannabis-related webpage: www.rxmarijuana.com

Happy Birthday Lester from everyone at NORML!

For the past 7 years the Louisville Late Night TV Show has been celebrating the past, present and ongoing profound contributions of Harvard Medical School Professor Dr. Lester Grinspoon, M.D, (retired) to stop the arrest of responsible marijuana smokers and advance the use of marijuana as a medicine with their annual Louisville “Lester Grinspoon Day.”

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