Marijuana.com

Lothar121

The strategy is there to get pot legalized, and yes, we are making headway. Now all we need is people like you and me to become pot reform activists. What constitutes an activist, what are there levels of activism and how hard is it to actually become one? What is the strategy we are using to get to our eventual goal of full blown legalization?

I would define an activist as a person that devotes at least 30 minutes out of there day to the subject at hand and devotes a substantial amount of their income to the cause. In our case, the subject is getting pot legalized. How are we going to accomplish this?

The strategy
In a strategy game, if there is a large group of enemies clumped together, and you know you can't kill them if their group is that large, you will try to pick off the stragglers, the one's out of range of the main group. In essence, focussing on medical marijuana in states that are tolerant to new ideas is exactly what I described above. We need to recognize this and use it to our advantage.

I say this now because every activist out there for pot reform needs to realize what we are doing. What's all this about medical marijuana? People ask me what's the point? That doesn't allow me to smoke. I tell them to show some compassion and think for a second. The medical marijuana argument is not only the only humane one to make right now, it is also part of a comprehensive strategy to weaken marijuana laws. The same applies for decriminalization. Those of you that are saying "I still have to pay a fine, this still sucks, and they took my weed!" Quit your complaining, I say to you now, you at least don't get throne in a cell.

Am I mimicking the drug czar by saying medical marijuana is a ploy to get marijuana legalized? No.

The difference is this. I recognize that medical marijuana is part of a strategy to get weed legal, however I also recognize that medical marijuana is a completely seperate issue, more of compassion and straight up emotions rather than reason and logic.

This is what makes medical marijuana so important. It is a seperate issue, yet is directly related to our cause. It truly is the savior of marijuana reform.

Activism

There are many different types of activism and degress within the categories. A list of what I consider ways to be an activist is as follows:

Real Life Activist This is an extremely important group that is probably left the weakest of all the types of activist. These are the people that stand out in public and preach their cause, with their face readily availaible for pictures and more than ready to be arrested for their cause. Organizing rallies, speaking to large groups, that is in essence what this group is about.

I would venture to say we need more college students on campuses around the country forming NORML chapters in their local areas to organize rallies, fundraisers, and other events to accelerate our cause. It doesn't take alot of money to participate in a group like this, it just takes alot of guts.

Donaters
These are people that simply donate money to the cause. They don't follow the issues, they don't try to convince others to do the same, they simply donate and keep their trap shut. Although they are helping, believe it or not, they are one of the weakest allies we have.

If you fall under this category, it is pretty easy to get out of it and into another category below.

Internet activists
This is where I come in. Internet activists use the technology and internet communication to spread the word about our cause. We organize petitions online to relevant topics, troll message boards and offer a voice of reason, write emails/faxes to our legislators and convince others to do the same, and finally donate money to the lobbying forces to accelerate progress. doczombie, of course you also fall under this category through your continued work on marijuana.com

Donaters can easily become an internet activist by simply starting a thread on their favorite message board arguing for marijuana policy reform. Perhaps taking 2 minutes out of their time every week to email/fax their legislators for medical marijuana reform would also help our cause. Internet activism is an extremely important way to focus our energy and fairly easy since we can do it without showing our face. While being discriet, we can reach the masses for hardly any money.

If I could finish typing this knowing that every single person would donate to the cause, while actively transacting conversation and ideas to forums and other people on the internet, I would be a very happy man.

Do it all activists

The heros of marijuana reform fall under this category. John Sperling, George Soros, and Peter Lewis are the 3 billionaires we have that are actively throwing their money towards pot reform. These men deserve our credit, they are STARTING organizations such as the Drug Policy Alliance and breathing life into state ballot intiatives towards our cause.

We have the Prince of Pot, often seen on Canadian national news and his website http://www.pot-tv.net. Ed R. thank you for standing up for the medical marijuana community. All of those that are donating, being active on the internet, organizing rallies, lobbying their legislators, you are all do it all activists and you have my personal gratitude.


I would like everyone that has read this far to ask yourself if you are even on this list. If you simply email your legislators, you need to donate to an organization such as the Marijuana Policy Project. I am urging everyone to try to put these elements together to become as productive as possible in regards to reforming our mairjuana laws.


The focus
After you realize what category you fall under (if any), its time to realize your mission. Your mission is to get medical marijuana legal on the federal and state level while working to decrease the penatly simple possession of marijuana. Know that this is your mission, not to get marijuana legalized. Marijuana legalization is your GOAL that won't happen unless you succeed on your mission today.

So if you live in a state that has passed decriminalization and medical marijuana (such as Nevada), you should be pushing towards full blown legalization while lobbying to get medical marijuana legal on the federal level. Medical marijuana MUST be our first priority and we have to get the Truth and Trials Act passed in the House and Senate!


If you just don't have the time since you are working, I am still urging you to at least donate to organizations that are helpful towards our cause.

To conclude, we have alot of work ahead, but our focus no matter what activist we are should be to get marijuana legal for the sick and dying. They are in need of it, we aren't. We should let those that really do need their medicine for the sake of their lives obtain it. The only way to accomplish this is through all of yours EFFORTS!

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OverwhelmSam

Let's get it done in 2004. Elect Dennis Kucinich www.kucinich.us

Lothar121

Sorry Sam, I can't bring myself to vote for that man. Even though I agree with him in his statement on the drug war, his ideas of socialized medicine, taxes, social security, leave me no choice but to not support the man.

*sigh* I'll be voting libertarian

TurbulentHigh

I will be voting libertarian as well. But, it is in essence a wasted vote. I live in southern texas, the only thing that will be voted for here is republican. Its amusing how the drug czar accuses medicinal marijuana as a steping stone to full out legalization, as if thats wrong or something. If thats what the public wants, then what the hell does the government care. It just goes to show that what the people want done doesn't always happen.

-TurbulentHigh

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Ron Paul will end the "War on Drugs"

Lothar121

Turbulent, I am from South Texas as well, a little town called Pleasanton south of San Antonio.

Where are you from? I am currently living in College Station in east Texas.

 

TurbulentHigh

San Antonio texas, I will be attending college at San Antonio Community college once I get my stuff in order. I have heard of pleasanton.

lazybumguy

currently i can't do anything to help us legalize, but someday when i can start growing weed commercially, i'll be sure to donate atleast 5%, maybe 10% of my profit to norml, just like how muslims have a rule to donate 10% to charity. pretty good rule to live by.

Redline

well i go to an unamed UT school in san antonio but i am there all the time, good place...

i vote republican, but what are the pro-MJ options for texas?

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TurbulentHigh

UTSA? Pro-MJ and Republican do not fit together in the same sentance. Occasionally a republican will support medical marijuana but more often than not they are against drugs. Not that democrats are a whole lot better. As far as options use the internet as your tool for free-speech. As well flyers, thats really all we can do. And join local protests that won't make hardly any news coverage.

- TurbulentHigh