A 40 Year History of NORML

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Fri Feb 08, 2013 at 11:48:22 AM EST
Tags: marijuana reform (all tags)

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Keith Stroup, the founder of NORML, has a new book, in which he provides a history of NORML's 40 year campaign to legalize marijuana. You can order a copy here ($15.00)

Willie Nelson wrote the prologue. The book begins with Hunter Thompson and the 1972 Democratic convention. There are stories about many familiar people, as well as a thorough legislative history --and a lot about criminal defense lawyers (Keith was the Executive Director of NACDL for five years beginning in 1989, which is where I first met and became friends with him). [More...]

The fight to legalize marijuana is a fight to preserve civil liberties. NORML and Keith have always stressed this. As Keith says in his introduction:

In the end, we are only incidentally talking about marijuana; we are really talking about personal freedom.

My favorite line in the book may be one Hunter inscribed on a photo he gave to Keith in 1990 to thank him for assembling a successful defense team to a criminal charge:

"The wicked accuse, the godly defend."

Today, there are several organizations involved the effort to legalize marijuana at the state and federal level, all doing great work. But NORML was the first, and is still going strong. I doubt we'd be where we are today without it -- for which we owe a big "Thank you" to Keith Stroup.

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A 40 Year History of NORML | 6 comments (6 topical)

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Happy spliffday to you... (none / 0) (#1)
by Dadler on Fri Feb 08, 2013 at 11:55:35 AM EST

...happy spliffday to you. Happy spliffday, dear NORML, may your tokes be all true.

And many more.

420

And may our laws improve... (none / 0) (#2)
by kdog on Fri Feb 08, 2013 at 01:01:49 PM EST

as much as the strains have improved, if at a much slower pace.

Right now we are blessed with a lot of Shiskaberry and Green Crack in the NYC market.


: Green Crack... (none / 0) (#4)
by Dadler on Fri Feb 08, 2013 at 02:17:47 PM EST

...used to be called that here, now they call it Green Dragon. But it's the waxes and hashes and taffies and oils the 60%+ THC content that will really get you.

Putting on my NORML (none / 0) (#3)
by fishcamp on Fri Feb 08, 2013 at 01:23:10 PM EST

T-shirt and ordering the book. Thanks.

Meanwhile, back in Michigan, (none / 0) (#5)
by Mr Natural on Fri Feb 08, 2013 at 08:17:59 PM EST

The state supreme court nixes dispensaries while apparently affirming the right to limited cash sales of the dread medicinal herb.

: Michigan Supreme Court (none / 0) (#6)
by John Postulka on Mon Feb 11, 2013 at 01:03:01 PM EST

The Michigan Supreme Court's decision is somewhat odd in light of the fact that the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act specifically grants immunity from "arrest, prosecution, or penalty in any manner . . for assisting a registered qualifying patient with using or administering marihuana." As I explain in some detail on my site, www.michiganlawnews.com, deciding that the administration of marijuana does not include the sale of the marijuana just seems wrong to me.