NORML fired up for April
By: Scott Carroll
Issue date: 3/26/10 Section: Other Stories
The University of Memphis chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws is high on excitement and ready for April.
The group, which held a bake sale outside of the University Center Wednesday, is working on a number of events for next month to spread awareness about marijuana law reform.
C.J. Hatch, NORML president, said the group is hoping to bring speakers to campus to talk about the medicinal benefits of the drug.
Hatch said one of their top choices would be Congressman Steve Cohen (D-Memphis), a longtime advocate for the legalization of medical marijuana.
Hatch said a speaker like Cohen could increase the visibility of NORML on campus.
"He's spoken favorably of medical marijuana before," he said. "We just want to get him to come in and speak because we're a new organization on campus and we're trying to get going."
Cohen, a Memphis native, headlined the Marijuana Policy Project's 15th annual gala in Washington this past January.
NORML will be sponsoring "One Day Without Shoes" at The U of M on April 8, an event where students will walk barefoot for a day to raise awareness about shoeless children around the world.
For the annual pro-marijuana rally at Overton Park on April 20, NORML will hold another bake sale and pass out flyers on marijuana law reform.
A major victory for the pro-marijuana movement happened in California yesterday, as Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 was approved for the state's November ballot. If passed, the proposal would make California the first state to end marijuana prohibition.
The bill would legalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for adults 21 and older. It would also permit cities and counties to tax the sale of marijuana.
Organizers of the Marijuana Policy Project submitted nearly 700,000 signatures to place the reform measure on this year's ballot.
Hatch said the bill is a milestone for marijuana reform, and if the proposal is successful, other states may eventually follow California's lead.
"A major obstacle to the reform of marijuana laws is the image (marijuana) has," he said. "By one state making it legal, that will help improve the image."
Some students, like sophomore Kelsey Sneed, said the proposal would do little to change her opinion on the drug.
"I don't think it should be passed," she said. "It's harmful to everyone who uses it."
The group, which held a bake sale outside of the University Center Wednesday, is working on a number of events for next month to spread awareness about marijuana law reform.
C.J. Hatch, NORML president, said the group is hoping to bring speakers to campus to talk about the medicinal benefits of the drug.
Hatch said one of their top choices would be Congressman Steve Cohen (D-Memphis), a longtime advocate for the legalization of medical marijuana.
Hatch said a speaker like Cohen could increase the visibility of NORML on campus.
"He's spoken favorably of medical marijuana before," he said. "We just want to get him to come in and speak because we're a new organization on campus and we're trying to get going."
Cohen, a Memphis native, headlined the Marijuana Policy Project's 15th annual gala in Washington this past January.
NORML will be sponsoring "One Day Without Shoes" at The U of M on April 8, an event where students will walk barefoot for a day to raise awareness about shoeless children around the world.
For the annual pro-marijuana rally at Overton Park on April 20, NORML will hold another bake sale and pass out flyers on marijuana law reform.
A major victory for the pro-marijuana movement happened in California yesterday, as Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 was approved for the state's November ballot. If passed, the proposal would make California the first state to end marijuana prohibition.
The bill would legalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for adults 21 and older. It would also permit cities and counties to tax the sale of marijuana.
Organizers of the Marijuana Policy Project submitted nearly 700,000 signatures to place the reform measure on this year's ballot.
Hatch said the bill is a milestone for marijuana reform, and if the proposal is successful, other states may eventually follow California's lead.
"A major obstacle to the reform of marijuana laws is the image (marijuana) has," he said. "By one state making it legal, that will help improve the image."
Some students, like sophomore Kelsey Sneed, said the proposal would do little to change her opinion on the drug.
"I don't think it should be passed," she said. "It's harmful to everyone who uses it."