- How do I Help ?
- Where can I find my local
Florida NORML offices ?
- Isn't Marijuana a dangerous drug ?
- Doesn't using marijuana act as a
gateway to using hard or dangerous drugs ?
- Won't
ending marijuana prohibition increase teen access
to marijuana or send the wrong message to children?
- Won't
ending marijuana prohibition
cause a dramatic increase in drug use and driving stoned ?
Join Florida NORML, there is strength in numbers.
Politicians may ignore a handful of citizens, but they won't ignore 100,000 -
10,000,000. After you have joined we need help of all sorts - including:
- Volunteers to help out at local NORML events
- Graphic artists to design logos, t-shirts - signs and
web content
- Software developers and engineers to help with SQL
server and ASP.Net development
- Businesses to provide discounts and special services
for Florida NORML members
- Getting venues and entertainment to sponsor NORML
events
- Getting endorsements for Florida NORML from local
associations, healthcare activities, and law enforcement (huh? not all
policeman feel the war on drugs is working out, we want to fill
LEAP's membership with
Florida Law Enforcement)
- Volunteers to represent Florida NORML and help out
with local charitable community projects like after school education
programs, remedial adult education, neighborhood clean up and other programs
that strengthen our communities
- Researching local politicians, find out what they say
they believe in and compare it to the way they vote and the initiatives they
create, also find out who is paying their bills. In order to get done what
must be done NORML members need to be well informed and willing to not vote
for any politician that is not going to advance our cause
- Researching local and state government contracts
regarding privatizing of prisons, forced rehab facilities, drug testing and
proposed laws and ordinances that will make use of them. A dangerous trend
of private organizations profiting off perpetuating prohibition must be put
in the spotlight and stopped
Florida NORML has local offices and campus chapters
opening throughout the state,
click here for a map and contact info.
Marijuana is non-toxic and non-lethal. Marijuana has been
used by mankind for thousands of years and by 96 million Americans without a
single recorded fatality. Marijuana is a drug and like other recreational drugs
(alcohol, tobacco and caffeine), prescription drugs (anti-depressants, pain
medication and sleep medication) and good tasting foods (deserts, fried foods
and anything with corn syrup) it can be abused. There is a difference between
responsible use and abuse, statistically marijuana is less likely to be abused
or exhibit addictive qualities than any of the aforementioned items (alcohol,
tobacco, prescription drugs, sugar and fried foods account for the vast majority
of pre-mature avoidable deaths in America, whereas marijuana is non-lethal).
Florida NORML as an organization that is recommending removing criminal
penalties for the use of marijuana also responsibly wants to guard against
abuse. We want people who choose to use marijuana to do so responsibly and to
constantly be vigilant for signs of abuse. Signs of abuse include using
marijuana in a manner that would threaten others (driving impaired) or one self
by adversely effecting one's health, academic or professional performance. In
this sense marijuana is much like alcohol accept that it has been proven to be
much safer in all of those aspects and much less likely to occur.
No, not at all. The gateway theory is
just a myth made up by prohibitionists to justify making something illegal that
is less harmful than alcohol. According to a recent study commissioned by the
British Parliament, "the gateway theory has little evidence to support it
despite copious research." According to the Institute of Medicine (in a report
commissioned by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy), "There
is no evidence that marijuana serves as a stepping stone [to other drugs] on the
basis of its particular physiological effect." To put it simply, if you ask hard
drug users if they’ve used marijuana, it’s not surprising that they have. But
the vast majority of marijuana users do not move on to use hard drugs.
Otherwise, we would have nearly 100 million people in this country who use hard
drugs.
Exaggerating the negative effects of marijuana can be a major
factor contributing to people choosing to experiment with harder drugs. After
trying marijuana and instantly realizing it is not nearly as debilitating or
powerful as alcohol many people wonder if society is "crying wolf" about other
harder drugs. Honestly approaching drug policy is the best method to minimize
our nations drug problem.
A note to parents who want their children to not try
marijuana: it is extremely rare that a child tries marijuana who hasn't tried
cigarettes or alcohol first. Your best bet is communicate honestly about what
marijuana is and to not concede experimentation with cigarettes and alcohol as
acceptable behavior for children.
That’s a reasonable concern. But
ending prohibition does not make it easier for teens
to get marijuana, and it does not send the wrong message to children. It’s a
fact that our current laws don’t work. Right now, anyone who wants marijuana can
get it -- no matter how young they are. Under the current system of prohibition,
86% of high school seniors admit to the federal government that they find
marijuana easy to obtain ... a figure that has remained nearly constant over the
past 30 years. Here in Florida, nearly half of high
school seniors admit to having tried marijuana, and one in five admit to using
it habitually.
With marijuana regulated, we'll know who is selling
marijuana and whom they’re selling it to. You’d have to be an adult with a valid
ID to even enter retail establishments that sell marijuana. Also,
NORML recommended marijuana regulations would prohibit
any establishment from being within 500 feet of a school -- and double the
penalty for giving or selling marijuana to a minor. The state of
Florida has undeniably succeeded in reducing teen
smoking through the We Card program. There is no reason to think that a similar
-- and even more restrictive -- program for marijuana would not have similar
success. Drug dealers don’t card.
No, Anybody who wants to use
marijuana is already doing so because our current laws are a complete failure.
It’s silly to believe that someone who isn’t using marijuana because it’s
illegal would suddenly start smoking marijuana once
prohibition ends and then ignore the DUI laws. However, if someone is
reckless enough to get behind the wheel intoxicated, perhaps
doubling the current penalties for killing someone while driving under the
influence of marijuana, alcohol, or any other drug would send
a message and make a difference. Florida NORML
is completely opposed to anyone who drives intoxicated, and we believe they
should be severely punished if they do.
In the 60's and 70's the Netherlands
was faced with same horrendous drug problems faced by the United States. They
like us did large studies, unlike us their Government actually followed the the
recommendations of the studies (which came to some of the same conclusions as
ours including that the negative aspects of marijuana were greatly exaggerated)
and moved to a policy of harm reduction. They decriminalized small amounts of
marijuana for adult consumption and left in place penalties for hard drugs. At
first there was a bump in marijuana usage based on the novelty of the approach.
They later determined by providing un-exaggerated education on marijuana the
appeal and mystique for it declined. They also found by separating the supply
chain of soft drugs (marijuana and alcohol) from hard drugs that the
availability and demand for hard drugs dropped off sharply. Thirty years later
without all the social damage and taxpayer burden found in the American approach
these are the results:
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