Everyday NORML Chapters from around the country invest countless hours in advocating for meaningful marijuana law reforms on the local, state and federal level! Below is a brief rundown of some of their most recent accomplishments.
Lehigh Valley NORML Continues Push to Decriminalize Possession of Marijuana
Members of Lehigh Valley NORML are circulating a petition with the hopes of convincing members of the Easton City Council to reconsider an ordinance that would decriminalize small amounts of marijuana.
Read more from The Morning Call!
Follow Lehigh Valley NORML on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter today!
Collaboration and Education Remain a Priority for Kentucky NORML
Members of Kentucky NORML recently teamed up with the Kentucky Cannabis Freedom Coalition (KCFC), Kentuckians for Medicinal Marijuana (KY4MM), the Alliance for Innovative Medicine (AIM), to host an educational forum.
Read more from NORML.org!
Follow Kentucky NORML on Facebook and Twitter and become a member today!
NORML Leaders in the Media
NORML Chapter Leadership in Pennsylvania Question Police Tactics That Led to Man’s Death Over Small Marijuana Grow
“The body of a suspect in the case, Pennsylvania resident Gregory A. Longenecker, was found earlier this week under a bulldozer operated by a Pennsylvania Game Commission worker. The bulldozer was carrying a Pennsylvania state trooper in pursuit of Mr. Longenecker, who was suspected to have been cultivating ten marijuana plants in Penn Township, PA. A police helicopter was also used in the search.”
Read more from NORML.org!
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Mikel Weisser, Executive Director, Arizona NORML
“Exactly how many cannabis extracts Arizona patients consume isn’t known for sure, but products with extracts are among the best sellers at many dispensaries. Mikel Weisser, executive director of Arizona’s National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws chapter, estimated concentrates made up about 40 percent of dispensary sales.”
Read more from the Phoenix New Times!
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Dale Geringer, Executive Director, California NORML
But it’s still a felony to use minors to sell cannabis or to repeatedly grow large amounts of marijuana without a license, and advocates say they never expected marijuana-related arrests would drop to zero under the new law. “That’s like saying no one is arrested for alcohol anymore because alcohol is legal,” said Dale Gieringer, director of the advocacy group California NORML.
Read more from The Mercury News!
Follow California NORML on Facebook and Twitter and become a member today!
Dale Geringer, Executive Director, California NORML
“Edibles are attractive to young people and pets,” said Dale Gieringer, director of California NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). “The new labeling and packaging rules mandated by Prop. 64 should alleviate the problem.”
Read more from the L.A. Times!
Follow California NORML on Facebook and Twitter and become a member today!
Ellen Komp, Deputy Director, California NORML
“According to the Attorney General’s annual crime report for 2017, arrests for marijuana offenses dropped precipitously in California following the passage of Proposition 64, which legalized the recreational use for adults in November 2016.”
Read more from City Watch!
Follow California NORML on Facebook and Twitter and become a member today!
Cynthia Ferguson, Executive Director, Delaware NORML
Cynthia Ferguson, executive director of Delaware’s chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the new measure is not enough but is a step in the right direction. “It’s nice for first-timers. Expungement is a big thing. When you are charged with a cannabis crime I don’t care if it’s one time or five times, it’s ridiculous,” she said.
Read more from WHYY!
Follow Delaware NORML on Facebook and Instagram and become a member today!
David Phipps, Communications Director, Indiana NORML
“You’re going to be shocked,” says David Phipps, the communications director for the Indiana chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, when asked for a prediction. “I think we have a realistic chance, as long as we do a good job with the summer study, educating our legislators on the truth behind this. I think we can get it as early as the next General Assembly.”
Read more from the Indianapolis Monthly!
Follow Indiana NORML on Facebook and Twitter and become a member today!
Abner Brown, Executive Director, North Carolina NORML
Now the head of North Carolina National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, he and others are touring the Tar Heel State, talking with residents and hoping to see cannabis legalized in 2019. Brown said the group will be working in 2018, ahead of the 2019 long General Assembly session.
Read more from WECT!
Follow North Carolina NORML on Facebook and Twitter and become a member today!
Jay Selthofner, Executive Director, Northern Wisconsin NORML
“Several counties in Wisconsin could have referendums for legalizing marijuana on the ballot this fall including La Crosse, Rock, Brown, Dane, Winnebago, Racine and Marathon. Selthofner says public polling on the issue clearly indicates a shift in perception on marijuana and legalization, he says, appears inevitable.”
Read more from WIZM Talk News!
Follow Northwest Wisconsin NORML on Facebook and Twitter and become a member today!
Jay Selthofner, Executive Director, Northern Wisconsin NORML
“I think once we have plants in the ground and they see it’s processed just like any agricultural crop a lot of our legislators are going to look at marijuana, medical marijuana differently,”
Read more from Fox 11 News!
Follow Northwest Wisconsin NORML on Facebook and Twitter and become a member today!
Norma Sapp, Executive Director, Oklahoma NORML
Norma Sapp of The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws remains optimistic. “Yes it’s going to be close. And we knew that going into it. But it’s not impossible. It depends on how fast they count the signatures,” Sapp said.
Read more from News 9!
Follow Oklahoma NORML on Facebook and become a member today!
Tom McCain, Executive Director, Peachtree NORML
“This story went worldwide. The family collected more than $60,000 in donations on their GoFundMe page,” said Tom McCain, executive director of Peachtree NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). “It changed their lives. Whether it has any effect on changing Georgia laws, I doubt it.”
Read more from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution!
Follow Peachtree NORML on Facebook and Twitter and become a member today!
Eric Marsch, Executive Director, Southeastern Wisconsin NORML
If Wisconsinites don’t vote pro-cannabis candidates into office, Marsch says, legalization is unlikely to happen anytime soon. “When we talk to people now, they say, ‘It’s coming soon, we’re going to get there,’” Marsch says. “But we’re only going to ‘get there’ if people push for it. It’s not just going to happen on its own.”
Read more from the Shepherd Express!
Follow Southeastern Wisconsin NORML on Facebook and Twitter and become a member today!
Jenn Michelle Pedini, Executive Director, Virginia NORML
Jenn Michelle Pedini, the Executive Director of the marijuana advocacy group Virginia NORML, applauded Kaine’s support for the bill. “Virginia NORML is thrilled that Senator Kaine has joined Congressmen Garrett and Taylor in calling for the end to federal marijuana prohibition. Senator Kaine is clearly listening to his constituents. He’s heard their stories, he’s seen the data, and now he’s taking action,” she said in a statement.
Read more from WHSV!
Follow Virginia NORML on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and become a member today!
Jack Porcari, Board Member, Western New York NORML
Legalizing marijuana could lower costs for the transport and sale of medical marijuana, he said. It could also legalize other ways of ingesting medical marijuana, like a gummy form of the drug, he said. “This is a big deal,” said Porcari, an organizer for the Western New York chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. “It’s finally coming to fruition.”
Read more from The Buffalo News!
Follow Western New York NORML on Facebook and Twitter and become a member today!
For over 45 years NORML chapters have been leading marijuana law reform conversations and continue to be the driving force behind policy decisions on the local and state level. Have you connected with your local NORML chapter? If there isn’t one in your community, please reach out to chapters@norml.org for help starting your own!
Ready to start a NORML chapter in your hometown? Click here to find out how!
