“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history” -Gandhi Patricia Spottedcrow, a mother and first time offender from Oklahoma, was originally sentenced to 12 years behind bars for selling $30 worth of marijuana. For months, the NORML Women’s Alliance, and other organizations have been bringing attention to one of the most egregious cases of the war on drugs in recent history. After several outreach campaigns to local law enforcement and elected officials, and especially a strong grassroots effort [...]
Oklahoma Mom Sentenced to 12 Years In Prison For $30 Worth Of Weed May Get Parole!
Supreme Court Makes It Even Worse To Be A Cannabis Consumer Under Prohibition
Supreme Court Authorizes Strip Searches for Any Criminal Offense By Kellen Russoniello, George Washington University Law School and NORML legal intern If you are sent to jail, be prepared to get naked, squat, and cough. In Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders, a 5-4 decision drawn on party lines released on April 2, the Supreme Court upheld the practice of forcing detainees who would be entering the general jail population to undergo strip searches. The Court noted that they “must defer to the judgment of correctional officials unless the record [...]
Over 300 Economists Agree: It’s Time to Legalize Marijuana
Over 300 economists have signed on to an open letter to the President, Congress, Governors, and State Legislators asking them to allow this “country to commence an open and honest debate about marijuana prohibition.” The petition states that the undersigned “believe such a debate will favor a regime in which marijuana is legal but taxed and regulated like other goods.” Notably, three of the economists who have already signed on are Nobel Laureates. Three hundred plus additional economic scholars have already signed on, you can view the list and more [...]
Colorado: State Democrats Officially Support Marijuana Regulation Initiative
[Editor's note: This post is excerpted from today's NORML weekly media advisory. To have NORML's news alerts and legislative advisories delivered straight to your in-box, sign up here.] The Colorado Democratic Party on Saturday resolved to officially support Amendment 64, a statewide ballot initiative that seeks to eliminate civil and criminal penalties for the limited possession and cultivation of cannabis by adults. The Party acknowledged it support for the measure during its state convention. “This is a mainstream issue,” Cindy Lowery-Graber, chair of the Denver County Democratic Party, stated in [...]
B.C. Town Mulls Large-Scale Legal Grow-Ops
A community along B.C.’s Sunshine Coast is considering whether to implement special zoning for medical marijuana, allowing large-scale commercial operations in industrial and agricultural areas.
Councillors in the District of Sechelt have agreed to c…






