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The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws was started in 1970 by Keith Stroup.

"We did it as an attempt to create a marijuana smoker's lobby in America," Stroup said.

He ran the organization throughout the '70s, and returned as its executive director in 1994. He was replaced as executive director by Allen St. Pierre in January of this year.

Stroup said the idea to start NORML came to him after he graduated from law school and worked on a Ralph Nader project.

"I was impressed by the political power he developed by arguing on behalf of consumers," Stroup said. "After doing that for a couple years, it seemed to me that we needed to take a similar approach to ending marijuana prohibition. To get the smokers themselves involved in the debate over marijuana policy."

Stroup said other people, who probably never smoked marijuana, were making decisions that affected pot smokers.

When he first started, Stroup said he believed marijuana would be legal by 1978.

"I sometimes tell people 'That's my story and I'm sticking with it'" Stroup said. "It's obviously proven to be a much more difficult job than we initially thought."

NORML was all by itself on the forefront of the marijuana legalization in the '70s.

"In the '90s we had a proliferation of front-line reform groups," Stroup said.

"And a lot of them do really good work."

Some of those groups were started by people who worked at NORML, Stroup said.

"There's a lot of different groups contributing the reform effort," Stroup said.

"That's healthy, I mean there's no doubt about it."

The state and local initiatives are rungs on NORML's ladder to legalization.

In the 1970s, a majority of the voting public appeared to be in NORML's corner.

"By the end of the '70s the concern of the public seemed to have focused more on the kids," Stroup said. "The other side had us on the run. We didn't win a thing."

In the mid-1990s, the tide seemed to turn in NORML's favor.

"We currently enjoy the strongest level of public support," Stroup said. "Our challenge, what we're still having trouble with, is how do we convert that public support into public policy. There's a disconnect, our elected officials are still scared of the issue. We've won the hearts and minds of the American public, now we have to figure out how to turn that into public policy."

There is still the awareness of the pendulum possibly swinging the other way again.

"When you're on the front lines, you might not notice at first," Stroup said.

"You think you're making progress, but it's not until you take a step back you notice."

NORML is the epicenter for efforts throughout the nation on legalizing and decriminalizing marijuana, medicinal or otherwise.

Stroup referred to recent defeats and victories.

"It was a wonderful one in Oakland," Stroup said. "That's actually urging that they go forward with legalization, some sort of regulation."

According to NORML statistics, in the United States, 755,000 people were arrested on marijuana-related charges in 2003.

"Eighty-eight percent of those were for simple possession," Stroup said. "They weren't traffickers, they weren't growers, they were marijuana smokers, people like me."

Stroup said the mission might be accomplished when adults can legally buy and smoke marijuana in a responsible manner.

Some opponents argue that if marijuana was legal, people would get high and drive.

"It's never going to be legal for someone who is stoned to drive, and it shouldn't be," Stroup said. "On the other hand, if I'm sitting at home watching a basketball game on the weekend what business is it of the government's if I want to smoke a joint."

After 30 years in the trenches, Stroup believes he can put a loose time frame on full legalization.

"I think within five years we will be in a place in this country where we will essentially stop arresting smokers," Stroup said. "That doesn't mean that every state would officially legalize marijuana."

There are 12 states that have decriminalized marijuana.

"I think within five years we will be up to 20 states," Stroup said.

When asked about government regulation, Stroup said a policy would probably be based on the alcohol model.

"I would hope we might improve on the alcohol-type model a little," Stroup said.

"For example if we could limit advertising. Advertising doesn't play a helpful role."

Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos recently told the Times-Standard that marijuana should be decriminalized, stating, "If it became legal, I certainly think it would reduce some crime."

Said Stroup: "He's recognizing that it's never been marijuana that's dangerous, it's the criminal prohibition. People do get shot on the black-market when you're dealing with hundreds of million dollars a year in marijuana that consumers are buying from each other and selling from each other."

There's no protection on the black market, Stroup said.

"You could get ripped off, you could get hurt," Stroup said. "Prohibition increases crime, but marijuana itself is one of the safest substances ever known to man. I think what District Attorney, Mr. Gallegos, has recognized here is that if we decriminalize marijuana we can get rid of a lot of crime."

Stroup recognized the importance of Gallegos being from Humboldt County.

"There's a lot of support for legalizing marijuana in Humboldt County," Stroup

said. "I'm delighted to see the prosecutor is not fighting that. Other than Terrance Hallinan (former San Francisco District Attorney) here in San Francisco, I don't know if I can identify another prosecutor in America who has spoken out more forcefully."

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gob

If you want to do your part for getting rid of prohibition, join Norml..they are the ones doing the legal work to end prohibition.

Justin22

Lets be honest, Norml's past behavior hasn't been spectacular...

PotShot

Everything I have seen about them seems to have been good. What hasnt been spectacular?

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Buzzby

I'd say that given the lack of support from the marijuana-smoking community NORML has done a great job.

Out of an estimated 14,000,000 smokers in this country, fewer than 20,000 have taken the time and spent the $35 to become members. What does that say about potheads? Everybody talks about how much they want legalization but hardly anybody puts their money where their mouth is.

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)

Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)

Drug Policy Alliance (DPA)

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DiabloPotHead

That doesn't do good for the stoner image. If most people knew that, they would think it's made us all lazy. Everyone, spend the 35 bucks and become a member. It will pay off. Imagine a US where you can go to 7-11 and buy a 1 gram joint for 5 bucks. If Cannibis were to be capitalized, which has its pros as well as major cons, all the profit for criminal orginizations will be destroyed because woulden't you rather buy a 5 buck joint of some weed you know is good stuff, or buy a 20 buck joint, and you don't know if it's good or not.

killer12382

As a source of information concerning state laws and such it is a good organization. It has helped push through a bunch of state medpot laws BUT federally, it has had no effect. And that's where any change thats worth anything is going to have to happen at. State medpot laws are a joke.