America’s One Million Legalized Marijuana Users

At Least 1 – 1.5 Million Americans are Legal Medical Marijuana Patients

Market for these patients in sixteen states and D.C. estimated at between $2 – $6 billion annually

MAY 31, 2011 - We don’t know his or her name, but somewhere in one of sixteen states and the District of Columbia is America’s 1,000,000th legal medical marijuana patient. We estimate the United States reached the million-patients mark sometime between the beginning of the year to when Arizona began issuing patient registry identification cards online in April 2011.

16 states, the Capitol, and ONE MILLION legal marijuana users.

Between one to one-and-a-half million people are legally authorized by their state to use marijuana in the United States, according to data compiled by NORML from state medical marijuana registries and patient estimates.  Assuming usage of one-half to one gram of cannabis medicine per day per patient and an average retail price of $320 per ounce, these legal consumers represent a $2.3 to $6.2 billion dollar market annually.

Based on state medical marijuana laws, the amounts of cannabis these legal marijuana users are entitled to possess means there is between 566 – 803 thousand pounds of legal usable cannabis allowed under state law in America.  These patients are allowed to cultivate between 17 – 24 million legal cannabis plants.  There may possibly be more, as California and New Mexico “limits” may be exceeded with doctor’s permission and some California counties explicitly allow greater amounts, so there may be as much as 1 million pounds of state-legal cannabis allowed under state law in America.

Yet after fifteen years, one million patients, and a million pounds of legal marijuana, few if any of the dire predictions by opponents of medical marijuana have come to fruition.  Medical marijuana states like Oregon are experiencing their lowest-ever rates of workplace fatalities, injuries, and accidents.  States like Colorado are experiencing their lowest rates in three decades of fatal crashes per million miles driven.  In medical marijuana states for which we have data (through Michigan in 2008), use by minor teenagers is down in all but Maine and down by at least 10% in states with the greatest proportion of their population using medical cannabis. (more…)

Spring Membership Drive: Limited Edition NORML “Stash” Jars

NORML is proud to announce the 2011 Spring Membership Drive, which means that each week, we will be offering exclusive collectible items available for a limited time only. Starting today, and for this week only, if you join NORML as a “Citizen Advocate” you can get your own limited edition NORML storage jar.

NORML memberships are the lifeblood of the organization. If you enjoy reading NORML’s articles, watching videos on NORMLtv, listening to the podcast, have received free legal or drug testing advice, and if you appreciate the extensive state and federal lobbying efforts NORML engages in on a daily basis, then we urge you to become a contributing member of the organization. This will allow us to continue to bring you the most comprehensive, up-to-date information on all things related to marijuana law reform across the country and to continue to be the leading advocate for policy change in America.

There is a limited supply, and stock is running out fast! If you donate $75 dollars, we’ll throw in an extra jar to show our gratitude. Join NORML today and get your own piece of NORML history.

Get Your Own Piece of NORML History!

Spring Membership Drive

Limited Edition NORML Collectibles

NORML is proud to announce the 2011 Spring Membership Drive, which means that each week, we will be offering exclusive collectible items available for a limited time only.  Starting today, and for this week only, if you join NORML as a “Citizen Advocate” you can have your own limited edition t-shirt from the historic 40th Annual National Conference.

NORML memberships are the lifeblood of the organization.  If you enjoy reading NORML’s articles or listening to the podcast, if have received free legal or drug testing advice, then we urge you to become a contributing member of the organization.  This will allow us to continue to bring you the most comprehensive, up-to-date information on all things related to marijuana law reform across the country.

There is a limited supply, and stock is running out fast!  For a special price you can get your t-shirt signed by NORML founder R. Keith Stroup!  Join NORML today and get your own piece of NORML history.

NORML@40: In the Beginning

NORML is pleased to announce the premiere of ‘NORML@40,’ a new video series on our YouTube channel NORMLtv. This retrospective video collection documents the trials, tribulations, and accomplishments of America’s marijuana consumer lobby from those who kept the movement going for the past four decades.

In the debut episode, founder and legal counsel Keith Stroup discusses how it all got started. Learn how his time with the Product Safety Commission provided the framework for what would become the longest running pro-marijuana organization in the country and how former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark influenced the acronym we all know and love.

Subscribe to NORMLtv and visit NORML’s Facebook page for announcements regarding future ‘NORML@40’ episodes. Also stay tuned to NORMLtv for periodic installments of ‘NORML Update’ and ‘Ask NORML.’

Get active; get NORML!

Have A Question For NORML? Get Answers At NORML TV

NORML’s youtube channel, NORML TV, recently launched a new video series entitled ‘Ask NORML,’ which features NORML staff answering questions submitted by you — the marijuana law reform activist.

In the debut episode, NORML founder and legal counsel Keith Stroup speaks about NORML’s past and ongoing efforts to reschedule cannabis under federal law.

Subscribe to NORML TV and visit NORML’s Facebook page for announcements regarding future ‘Ask NORML’ episodes and how you can have your questions answered by NORML. Also stay tuned to NORML TV for periodic episodes of ‘NORML Update,’ which feature video highlights from NORML affiliated events around the nation.

Get active; get NORML!