NORML Blog, Marijuana Law Reform » youth http://blog.norml.org Working to reform marijuana laws Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:26:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 This Week in Weed: November 6th-12th http://blog.norml.org/2011/11/12/this-week-in-weed-november-6th-12th/ http://blog.norml.org/2011/11/12/this-week-in-weed-november-6th-12th/#comments Sat, 12 Nov 2011 19:53:50 +0000 Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Coordinator http://blog.norml.org/?p=7466 This Week in WeedThe latest installment of “This Week in Weed” is now streaming on NORMLtv.

This week, lawyers from the NORM Legal Committee bring lawsuits against the federal government and a new study looks at how medical marijuana laws affect youth drug use.

Be sure to tune in to NORMLtv every week to catch up on the latest marijuana news. Subscribe to NORMLtv or follow us on Twitter to be notified as soon as new content is added.

]]> http://blog.norml.org/2011/11/12/this-week-in-weed-november-6th-12th/feed/ 21 Ask NORML: Is Prohibition Protecting Our Children? http://blog.norml.org/2011/03/14/ask-norml-is-prohibition-protecting-our-children/ http://blog.norml.org/2011/03/14/ask-norml-is-prohibition-protecting-our-children/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 20:54:10 +0000 Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Coordinator http://blog.norml.org/?p=5523 NORML’s youtube channel, NORMLtv, recently launched a new video series entitled ‘Ask NORML,’ which features NORML staff answering questions submitted by you — the marijuana law reform activist.

On this week’s installment, Executive Director Allen St. Pierre addresses the long standing myth that marijuana prohibition keeps America’s children safe.

Subscribe to NORMLtv and visit NORML’s Facebook page for announcements regarding future ‘Ask NORML’ episodes and how you can have your questions answered by NORML.

Get active; get NORML!

This Friday on NORMLtv – NORML@40: A Playboy and the Marijuana Commission (Part II)

]]> http://blog.norml.org/2011/03/14/ask-norml-is-prohibition-protecting-our-children/feed/ 42 In These Times: “20 Million Arrests, and Counting” http://blog.norml.org/2008/09/25/in-these-times-20-million-arrests-and-counting/ http://blog.norml.org/2008/09/25/in-these-times-20-million-arrests-and-counting/#comments Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:38:35 +0000 Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director http://blog.norml.org/2008/09/25/in-these-times-20-million-arrests-and-counting/ I’m pleased to see that the political left is finally beginning to emphasize the tragedy that is marijuana prohibition. Truth is: it is impossible in this day and age to talk about social justice, civil liberties, and economic equality without calling for an end to the “war on (some) drugs.”

20 Million Arrests, and Counting
via In These Times

Since the early ’90s, the total number of Americans busted annually for pot has nearly tripled. … Yet despite this massive increase in arrests … the mass media and Congress continue to ignore the story.

… Equally troubling yet seldom discussed publicly is the reality that marijuana enforcement disproportionately affects citizens by age. According to data compiled by the FBI, 74 percent of all Americans busted for pot are under 30. One out of four is 18 or younger.

We now have a generation (or two) that is so alienated that many young people believe the police are an instrument of their oppression rather than their protection.

While young people suffer the most under current anti-pot laws, they lack the financial means and political capital to influence politicians to challenge them.

As a result, marijuana arrests continue to climb unabated. And few in the mainstream press — and even fewer lawmakers — feel any sufficient political pressure to address it.

Please take a moment to comment (free registration required) on NORML’s essay, and encourage the editors of In These Times to expand their drug war coverage.

Also, please consider registering for NORML’s 2008 annual Conference — taking place October 17-20 in Berkeley, California — where experts from around the nation will discuss, in depth, the staggering number of cannabis arrests and the disproportionate impact these arrests have on youth. Discount pricing is still available, but not for long.

See you in Berkeley!

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