What do Playboy and the Legalization of Marijuana have in Common?

The Playboy Company established the Playboy Foundation in 1965. Their mission was to give grants to groups supporting first amendment rights. The main agenda was fighting censorship and exploring human sexuality.

In 1970, NORML was founded by Keith Stroup from the Playboy Foundation. NORML stands for National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. NORML became a non-profit organization that based itself in Washington D.C.

Since the 70's, NORML has been at the forefront in changing the public opinion for legalizing marijuana. Stroup stated:

“It is truly the beginning of the end, and I am thrilled to have lived long enough to experience this. We now have members of Congress who formerly would not even take our phone calls now calling our office to ask for our help drafting marijuana bills, and the positive reaction on the state level is even more pronounced. What seemed politically impossible to elected officials only a few months ago now seems quite achievable.”

The connection to Playboy continued with the establishment of High Times Magazine. In 1974, Tom Forcade thought his magazine "High Times" would be a one-time publication. His goal was to create a parody of Playboy by showing naked marijuana leaves. The first publication sold 550,000 copies becoming a hit. High Times has become one of the most popular marijuana magazines and promotes the legalization of cannabis.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Organization_for_the_Reform_of_Marijuana_Laws

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/new-norml-looking-back-40-year-crusade-end-marijuana-prohibition

Francis L.Young, DEA Administrative Law Judge

In 1970 marijuana became labeled as a Schedule 1 drug.(Source) In 1988 Francis L Young was the first judge to rule that marijuana should not have this classification. His ruling is consistent to the same effort in 2015 to reform marijuana laws.

In 1972 NORML petitioned the DEA on the ruling of marijuana as a schedule 1 drug. They requested it be reclassified as a schedule 2 drug. Their goal was to allow doctors to prescribe marijuana for therapeutic purposes. The Drug Enforcement Agency then began to stall for fourteen years before reluctantly holding public hearings.

Francis L. Young was one of the two DEA administrative judges chosen to rule on the public hearings. Young was hand picked as a judge for his conservative viewpoint. The judgment was based on 15 days of reviewing hundreds of documents from the DEA/NIDA against the benefits of marijuana. His conclusions came from the research found in the medical community using marijuana for treatments. He stated:

"Marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man...Marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving distress of great numbers of very ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision. It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of the evidence in this record... The Administrator transfer marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II, to make it available as a legal medicine."

This monumental ruling was quickly squashed by DEA Director Judge Lawn. The Court of Appeals let Lawns ruling stand to keep cannabis a schedule 1 drug. Each succeeding director has held up this viewpoint for marijuana to be labeled a narcotic with no medicinal value. Judge Francis Young goes down as one of the first government official to acknowledge the beneficial use of medical marijuana.

Source:

http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/library/studies/YOUNG/index.html

http://norml.org/marijuana/medical/item/introduction-7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_history_of_cannabis_in_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_Substances_Act

Who is NORML?

NORML

Did you know there is a NORML chapter near you? In 1970 National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Law (NORML) established as a non-profit organization in Washington DC. They are an advocacy group that supports the legalization of marijuana. They aid people that have been arrested for possession.

NORML has been effective in reducing penalties for marijuana offenses. Currently they are helping legislatures write bills to give public access to cannabis. Through education, lobbying, and grass-root activists they help to make marijuana accepted by the public. Working on close to a million dollar annual budget they have 135 chapters nationwide. Other countries have started their own NORML organizations for the acceptance of cannabis as well.

NORML has formed a Political Action Committee (PAC) to help change national laws for legalization. They started a new mission in 2014 to set standards in quality business practices in the marijuana industry. They offer a “NORML Preferred Business Partner” badge that dispensaries can display for meeting guidelines to a safe and quality driven establishment.

For many patients the access to quality medical marijuana is crucial for their treatment. NORML allows patients to make a positive contribution to cannabis reform. You can represent NORML and find a chapter by you to volunteer, go to meetings and donate to their cause.

Source:

http://norml.org/about/intro

http://www.cnbc.com/id/36179727

http://norml.org/business

How Marijuana Policy Project Has Helped Legalize Marijuana

Marijuana Policy Project (MMP) is the largest policy reform group in the United States. Co-founders Chuck Thomas, Mike Krishner and Rob Kampia broke off from NORML in 1995 to create MMP. Currently they have 32,000 dues-paying members and a budget of over five million annually. The goal of MMP is to lobby for state/federal laws, decriminalize marijuana and education.

Marijuana Policy Project has been successful on legislation at the state and federal level. They employ two lobbyists in Washington D.C as well as other lobbyists at the state level. MMP was integral in the legalization of marijuana in Colorado in 2012 and Alaska in 2014.

Becoming involved with MMP allows you to be apart of the legal process in making marijuana legal. In the United Sates currently there are more arrests for possession than all violent crimes combined. (Source)

Source:

http://www.mpp.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marijuana_Policy_Project

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/2/billionaire-george-soros-turns-cash-into-legalized/?page=all

Coffee Shops in Amsterdam

Amsterdam Coffee Shop Permit Sticker Sign

Terminology for accessing marijuana can be confusing. For instance, “volunteers” are people hired at a dispensary. “Donations” are payments for marijuana. “Coffee Shops” in Amsterdam are establishments that sell marijuana and allow you consume it, also having food... and drinks like coffee, but it's not the focal point.

Coffee Shops were set up in the 1970's in the Netherlands only allowing soft drugs. They have run in a legally gray area with the way they are supplied, and the licenses are non-transferable, once one closes, another cannot take it's place. Coffeeshop Union Bond van Cannabis Detaillisten (BCD) along with each city councils allow the coffee shops. A green and white sticker that says Coffee Shop is displayed in the window. Their are close to 200 Coffee Houses in Amsterdam.

The Netherlands have set up regulations on the coffee shops which include the following:

• October 2011, THC content cannot be higher than 15%
• 2012 Tourists cannot enter Cannabis Cafe's with the exception of the city of Amsterdam
• No selling of alcohol
• No selling to anyone under the age of 18
• No selling hard drugs
• No advertising
• No sale larger than 5 grams
• No public disturbances
• Food with Cannabis clearly labeled
• Cannabis must be non-contaminated.
• Soon to be enacted – no coffee shops close to schools.

With the no advertising law, the cannabis menu is usually hidden from view. Outside signals are usually an Ethiopian flag or red, green and yellow rasta colors. Coffee shops that do not adhere to the laws could be forced to close for 3-six months, or if violations are too many, closed for good.

In 2008 a law was made banning the smoking of tobacco unless in a separate room. Many Europeans enjoy to mix tobacco with cannabis, and therefore many coffee shops have separate rooms for the smoking of tobacco to accommodate the law.

The drug policy of the Netherlands has a policy that does not completely make the coffee shop operation completely legal. The cannabis suppliers cannot grow or import for sale. In January 2006 legislation was introduced to have controlled growing. In 2008, Wiettop (Weed Summit) was formed by 33 Dutch Mayors to regulate coffee shops. Through this it was established to not let foreigners into coffee shops outside Amsterdam. Other policies however on their agenda a licensing cannabis cultivation and regulating the suppliers have not resulted in legislation.

Coffee Shops Outside of the Netherlands

Canada does not allow marijuana for recreation use. The city of Vancouver a few coffee shops, mostly all on the block of 300 West Hastings Street. Toronto has a few bring your own coffee shops that do not sell and don't allow tobacco and alcohol. In the United States, NORML has opened a coffee shop in Portland Oregon only for it's members authorized under The Oregon Medical Cannabis Program. Cannabis is not for sale, but given out free for use at the coffee shop.(Source)(Source)

In Colorado the Clean Indoor Act makes a Cannabis Cafe very difficult to open. Club Ned opened in the small town Nederland. The owners had to be inventive to work with the legislation to make it legal. They acquire funds through membership dues and have to employ a small number of people, allowing for bring your own cannabis to fully comply.(Source)

Source

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_coffee_shop

http://marijuana.com/news/2014/03/colorados-first-legal-cannabis-cafe-to-open-in-nederland-colorado/

http://www.amsterdam.info/coffeeshops/