When cannabis(marijuana) is enjoyed responsibly, subjecting users to harsh criminal and civil penalties provides no public benefit and causes terrible injustices. For reasons of public safety, public health, economics and justice, the prohibition laws should be repealed to the extent that they criminalize responsible cannabis use.

By adoption of this statement, [...]]]> From the NORML website:

When cannabis(marijuana) is enjoyed responsibly, subjecting users to harsh criminal and civil penalties provides no public benefit and causes terrible injustices. For reasons of public safety, public health, economics and justice, the prohibition laws should be repealed to the extent that they criminalize responsible cannabis use.

By adoption of this statement, the NORML Board of Directors has attempted to define “responsible cannabis use.”

I. Adults Only
Cannabis consumption is for adults only. It is irresponsible to provide cannabis to children.

Many things and activities are suitable for young people, but others absolutely are not. Children do not drive cars, enter into contracts, or marry, and they must not use drugs. As it is unrealistic to demand lifetime abstinence from cars, contracts and marriage, however, it is unrealistic to expect lifetime abstinence from all intoxicants, including alcohol. Rather, our expectation and hope for young people is that they grow up to be responsible adults. Our obligation to them is to demonstrate what that means.

II. No Driving
The responsible cannabis consumer does not operate a motor vehicle or other dangerous machinery while impaired by cannabis, nor (like other responsible citizens) while impaired by any other substance or condition, including some medicines and fatigue.

Although cannabis is said by most experts to be safer than alcohol and many prescription drugs with motorists, responsible cannabis consumers never operate motor vehicles in an impaired condition. Public safety demands not only that impaired drivers be taken off the road, but that objective measures of impairment be developed and used, rather than chemical testing.

III. Set and Setting
The responsible cannabis user will carefully consider his/her set and setting, regulating use accordingly.

“Set” refers to the consumer’s values, attitudes, experience and personality, and “setting” means the consumer’s physical and social circumstances. The responsible cannabis consumer will be vigilant as to conditions — time, place, mood, etc. — and does not hesitate to say “no” when those conditions are not conducive to a safe, pleasant and/or productive experience.

IV. Resist Abuse
Use of cannabis, to the extent that it impairs health, personal development or achievement, is abuse, to be resisted by responsible cannabis users.

Abuse means harm. Some cannabis use is harmful; most is not. That which is harmful should be discouraged; that which is not need not be.

Wars have been waged in the name of eradicating “drug abuse”, but instead of focusing on abuse, enforcement measures have been diluted by targeting all drug use, whether abusive or not. If cannabis abuse is to be targeted, it is essential that clear standards be developed to identify it.

V. Respect Rights of Others
The responsible cannabis user does not violate the rights of others, observes accepted standards of courtesy and public propriety, and respects the preferences of those who wish to avoid cannabis entirely.

No one may violate the rights of others, and no substance use excuses any such violation. Regardless of the legal status of cannabis, responsible users will adhere to emerging tobacco smoking protocols in public and private places.

Adopted by the NORML Board of Directors
February 3, 1996
Washington, DC

#1 Landslide At The Ballot Box: Election Day Voters Reject Bush War Doctrine

Millions of Americans nationwide voted on Election Day for marijuana law reform, approving nine out of ten ballot measures to liberalize penalties on cannabis use and possession. In Massachusetts, [...]]]> NORML’s Top Ten Events That Shaped Marijuana Policy in 2008

#1 Landslide At The Ballot Box: Election Day Voters Reject Bush War Doctrine

Millions of Americans nationwide voted on Election Day for marijuana law reform, approving nine out of ten ballot measures to liberalize penalties on cannabis use and possession. In Massachusetts, where 65 percent of voters decided to reduce marijuana possession penalties to a $100 fine, and Michigan, where 63 percent of voters approved legalizing the medical use of cannabis, supporters for pot law reform outnumbered supporters for President-Elect Barack Obama.

#2 Members Of Congress Demand An End To Federal Pot Possession Arrests

Members of Congress convened a Capitol Hill press conference in July to demand lawmakers enact legislation to eliminate the government’s authority to arrest and prosecute adults who possess marijuana. Lawmakers called on colleagues to endorse HR 5843, which sought to remove federal penalties for the possession and non-profit transfer of marijuana by adults. 

#3 California Courts Rule: Medical Pot Statutes Don’t Conflict With Federal Anti-Drug Laws

State provisions allowing for the possession and use of medical marijuana do not conflict with federal anti-drug laws, according to a series of California court rulings. In two separate cases, the California Supreme Court refused to hear challenges to the state’s 12-year-old marijuana law finding that counties are obligated to issue identification cards to qualified patients and that police cannot seize marijuana from state-sanctioned medical pot users. Read the full story at: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7678 .

#4: Marijuana “Exceptional” At Reducing MRSA

The administration of natural plant cannabinoids significantly reduces the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (aka MRSA), according to a study published this fall in the Journal of Natural Products. MRSA is responsible for over 18,000 hospital-stay deaths each year.

#5 Marijuana Arrests For 2007 Reach All-Time High

Police arrested a record 872,721 Americans for marijuana violations in 2007, the highest annual total ever reported by the FBI. Since 1965, over 20 million Americans have been arrested for violating state or federal marijuana laws.

#6 Cannabis Determined To Be Less Harmful Than Alcohol

The potential health risks associated with cannabis are less than those associated with alcohol and do not justify the continued criminalization of the plant or its users, according to a report published in October by The Beckley Foundation an independent British think-tank that analyzes drug use and drug policy.

#7 Teen Pot Use Declines In States With Medical Cannabis Laws

States that have enacted legislation authorizing the use of medical cannabis by qualified patients have not experienced an increase in the drug’s use by the general population, according to a comprehensive report issued in June by the Marijuana Policy Project.

#8 Medical Marijuana Use Not Associated With Adverse Side Effects

The medical use of cannabis is not associated with serious negative side effects, according to a meta-analysis published this summer in the journal of the Canadian Medical Association (CMAJ).

#9 California Attorney General Issues Guidelines Recognizing Patients’ Medical Cannabis Use

State and local law enforcement should not arrest state qualified patients who possess, cultivate, or travel with medical marijuana, according to guidelines issued in August by the California Attorney General’s office. The guidelines also permit for the distribution and non-profit sales of medical cannabis is permitted by qualified “collectives and cooperatives.”

#10 NORML Daily Audio Stash Gains record Listenership

The popularity of NORML’s podcast grew significantly in 2008, topping more than 110,000 downloads in the month of October alone. Said host Russ Belville, “When it comes to the subject of marijuana, more and more people are turning away from the federal government and away from the mainstream media; instead, they are turning to groups like NORML and the NORML Daily Audio Stash as their most trusted source of information for all things cannabis.”

NORML and the NORML Foundation: 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington DC, 20006-2832
Tel: (202) 483-5500 Fax: (202) 483-0057 E

More excellent details [...]]]> Yes, I realize this blog is called California Cannabis. However, sometimes we need to throw the spotlight on other states across the country. A movement is building people. In Spring 2009 a key bill being introduced by Barney Frank would decriminalize possession of 3.5 ounces of marijuana or less on a federal level.

More excellent details from David Abel of the Boston Globe:

Advocates for the decriminalization of marijuana, savoring their success this week in Massachusetts, said they look forward to a day under an Obama administration and a Democrat-led Congress when it’s no longer a federal crime to possess small amounts of the drug.

They cited a bill introduced in the spring by Representative Barney Frank, which would decriminalize possession of marijuana in amounts of 3.5 ounces or less anywhere in the United States. The bill, if it became law, would end federal prosecution of such crimes, but it would not supersede state laws.

The advocates said they hope the bill would lead to hearings and spark more support from fellow lawmakers in the coming session.

“We anticipate the bill will be reintroduced fairly early in the next session,” said Keith Stroup, legal counsel and founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), which has long lobbied for the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana. “Then what we expect is that we will be able to get legislative hearings this session, and maybe a vote on the floor of the House.”

He said his organization, which helped Frank draft his bill, is looking for a sponsor in the Senate.

But Frank said in a telephone interview that he doesn’t foresee his bill passing anytime soon. The Newton Democrat said it will take a lot more time before enough of his fellow lawmakers want to take a stand on the issue.

“What needs to happen is that constituents who support this need to make more calls,” Frank said. “This is a case of people being ahead of the politicians.”

This week, Massachusetts became the 13th state in the country to decriminalize marijuana when voters approved Question 2 on the ballot, which made getting caught with less than an ounce of marijuana punishable by a civil fine of $100.

The change in the law means someone found carrying multiple joints will no longer be reported to the state’s criminal history board. The law will require those younger than age 18 to complete a drug awareness program and community service, and for those who don’t, the fine will increase to as much as $1,000.

The vote in Massachusetts follows a form of decriminalization that passed seven years ago in Nevada, where it remains a felony for anyone under age 21 to possess marijuana. The other states – Maine, New York, California, North Carolina, Oregon, Ohio, Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska – decriminalized marijuana in the 1970s, according to NORML.