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The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., that advocates for the reform of marijuana laws in the United States regarding both medical and non-medical use. According to their website, NORML supports "the removal of all penalties for the private possession and responsible use of marijuana by adults, including cultivation for personal use, and casual nonprofit transfers of small amounts" and advocates for "the creation of a legal and regulatory framework for marijuana's production and retail sale to adults". NORML also has a sister organization, NORML Foundation, that focuses on educational efforts and providing legal assistance and support to people affected negatively by current marijuana laws. Organizations that operate under the NORML banner in other countries include NORML New Zealand, NORML Ireland, NORML Canada, NORML UK, NORML South Africa, and NORML France.
Seattle Hempfest is an annual event in the city of Seattle, Washington advocating the legalization of cannabis. Vivian McPeak serves as the organization's executive director. Founded in 1991 as the Washington Hemp Expo, a self-described "humble gathering of stoners" attended by only 500 people, and renamed the following year as Hempfest, it has grown into a three-day annual political rally, concert, and arts and crafts fair with attendance typically over 100,000. Speakers have included Seattle city council member Nick Licata, actor/activist Woody Harrelson (2004), travel writer and TV host Rick Steves (2007), (2010), 2012 Green Party speaker Jill Stein, Dallas Cowboys center Mark Stepnoski (2003), and former chief of the Seattle Police Department Norm Stamper (2006). Hempfest has also in recent years attracted such well-known performers as Fishbone (2002), The Kottonmouth Kings (2004), Rehab (2006), and Pato Banton (2007) to its five stages spread throughout Myrtle Edwards Park and Elliott Bay Park, on Seattle's waterfront.
Rob Kampia is a co-founder of the Marijuana Policy Project.
Keith Stroup is an attorney and founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Jon B. Gettman is a marijuana rights activist, a leader of the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis, and a former head of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. He has a PhD in public policy and regional economic development from George Mason University and is a longtime contributor to High Times magazine. Gettman filed a petition in 1995 to remove cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act that was eventually denied. A second petition was filed in 2002, with the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis, that remains under review by the Department of Health and Human Services. Gettman frequently publishes on the marijuana industry and teaches public administration at Shepherd University in West Virginia.
The Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics (ACT) is an organization supporting medical marijuana that was founded in 1981 by Robert C. Randall and Alice O'Leary. Randall was the first person known to have successfully used medical necessity as a defense against a charge of marijuana possession in violation of the Controlled Substances Act.
The American Medical Marijuana Association (AMMA) is an organization formed to promote and protect the legal access to medical marijuana.
The Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition (MassCann) is a non-profit public education organization working for the moderation of marijuana laws. MassCann organizes the Freedom Rally on Boston Common every third Saturday in September. Their newsletter, Mass Grass, is published six times annually. Membership is open to the public and leadership is democratically elected at the annual winter membership meeting, usually held in March. In June 2019, MassCann had its status as an affiliate of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws suspended due to controversy surrounding now former Board Member Samson Racioppi.
Portland's Hempstalk Festival is an annual event in Portland, Oregon advocating decriminalization of marijuana for medicinal, industrial, and recreational use. Founded in 2005, the festival often takes place the weekend after Labor Day and features food vendors, live music, and information booths. The event has always been free to attend.
Jesse Stout is an American attorney and drug policy reform activist. He practices business law for the cannabis industry with Greenbridge Corporate Counsel. He was appointed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to serve as a member of the San Francisco Cannabis State Legalization Task Force and its successor body the San Francisco Cannabis Oversight Committee. He also recruits employees for cannabis companies, through THC Staffing Group.
Washington Initiative 502 (I-502) "on marijuana reform" was an initiative to the Washington State Legislature, which appeared on the November 2012 general ballot, passing by a margin of approximately 56 to 44 percent. Originally submitted to the Washington Secretary of State during the summer of 2011, enough signatures were collected and submitted by December to meet the required 241,153 signatures, sending it to the legislature. When the legislature adjourned without action in April, Initiative 502 automatically advanced to the November 2012 general ballot. It was approved by popular vote on November 6, and took effect over the course of a year, beginning with certification no later than December 6, 2012. Along with a similar Colorado measure, Initiative 502 was credited for encouraging voter turnout of 81%, the highest in the nation.
Initiative 59 was a 1998 Washington, D.C. voter-approved ballot initiative that sought to legalize medical cannabis. The short title of the initiative was "Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative of 1998". Though the initiative passed with 69% of the vote in November 1998, its implementation was delayed by Congress's passage of the Barr Amendment, which prohibited DC from using its funds in support of the program. This Amendment delayed the start of the medical marijuana program until it was effectively overturned in 2009, with the first DC customer legally purchasing medical cannabis at a dispensary in the District in 2013.
Cannabis in Missouri is illegal for recreational use, but decriminalized through legislation passed in 2014. Medical use was legalized in 2018 through a ballot initiative to amend the state constitution. The first licensed sales began in October 2020.
Cannabis in Ohio is legal for medical use and illegal for recreational use. Since 1975 possession of up to 100 grams has been decriminalized, with several of the state's major cities having enacted further reforms. Medical use was legalized in 2016 through a bill passed by the state legislature.
Madeline Martinez is an American cannabis rights activist.
Portland NORML is the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) affiliate for Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The chapter was established in January 2015 by Portland-based radio host and cannabis activist Russ Belville. Scott Gordon serves as its executive director.
Minnesota NORML is the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) affiliate for the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2017, Michael Ford served as the organization's executive director.
NORML France, previously known as Chanvre & Libertés - NORML France is a French non-profit organization based in Toulouse but active in all territories of France, whose aim is to move public opinion sufficiently to achieve the depenalization of illicit drugs consumption, the legalization of non-medical marijuana and the increased access to medical cannabis in France, so that the responsible use of cannabis by adults is no longer subject to penalty.
Erik Altieri is the executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). He assumed the role in November 2016. and is the ninth executive director since NORML's founding in 1970. Previously, he was the organization's Communications Director, PAC Manager, and Federal Lobbyist. He is the youngest person named executive director in the organization's history, an accomplishment recognized by Forbes Magazine when he was named one of Forbes' 30 Under 30 for Law and Policy in 2017. Altieri is currently based in Washington, DC at NORML's national headquarters where he oversees the organization's federal efforts and orchestrates the strategy for NORML's 165+ state and local level chapters across the country.
References
- ↑ "About NORML - Allen F. St. Pierre". National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). Archived from the original on 22 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-21.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ↑ "About NORML Foundation - NORML Foundation". NORML. Archived from the original on 22 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-21.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ↑ "Marijuana activist with Portland ties tapped as interim NORML director". Oregonlive. Retrieved 2016-08-30.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)