Pubdate: Thu, 05 Jul 2012
Source: Tucson Weekly (AZ)
Copyright: 2012 Tucson Weekly
Contact:  http://www.tucsonweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/462
Author: J. M. Smith
Cited: http://norml.org/ NORML

BEYOND MEDICAL

NORML Keeps Pushing for the Full Legalization of Marijuana

Not so long ago, it wasn't cool to want pot legal.

Back in the '70s, when the National Organization for the Reform of 
Marijuana Laws, or NORML, emerged, if you backed legalization, you 
were pretty much viewed as a loser, a hippie dropout, some kind of 
craazzzzy tambourine player who donned scarves, ate LSD and danced in 
parks. Most of America didn't take the fringe group seriously.

But by the time Tucson's NORML chapter president, Jon Gettel, got 
involved in the early 2000s, things had changed. Aided by medical 
marijuana's legitimacy, NORML had grown into a much-more-respected 
backer of marijuana legal reform. Now NORML is a federal nonprofit 
that reaches coast to coast to push for legal access to marijuana-for 
whatever use you chose. NORML isn't just trying to appease stoners.

"It's a three-tiered program: medical marijuana, recreational 
marijuana and industrial hemp," Gettel said of the 42-year-old organization.

Though NORML was born of a desire to smoke it up for fun, Gettel got 
involved because of medical marijuana. He had smoked in high school 
and college, but never regularly. Whether it was legal never 
concerned him, until a 1998 car crash left him in the hospital for 
three months-followed by three months of intensely painful physical 
therapy. He found that marijuana helped with the pain and eased the 
depression sparked by the accident.

Suddenly, Gettel saw the need for legal access beyond the simple 
freedom to get high. Any chance to give pot a good name is OK by him, 
and NORML has three table displays that cover the bases: hemp (for 
business conventions, etc.), recreational use (often at concerts or 
music festivals) and MMJ (for health fairs). He's fine with the idea 
of riding the MMJ wave to legalization for recreational use.

"As people see the value of marijuana as a medicine, they're more 
likely to support legalization of marijuana in general," he said.

As a nonprofit, NORML can't advocate for candidates or specific 
ballot propositions. Ironically, that means the group couldn't 
support the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. But once the measure was 
on the ballot, the local chapter ramped up its effort to educate the 
public about the law. A lot of the group's energy went into making 
sure voters had accurate information.

NORML gets a lot more phone calls since the AMMA passed-everything 
from patients calling for information about navigating the 
certification process to potential business owners seeking advice. 
Gettel would like to see the nonprofit restriction lifted from 
dispensaries to free up commerce, but in his perfect world, there 
would be a lot of local control and local businesses involved.

"I don't want to see Walgreens selling it," he said.

He has also met with Tucson City Council members, unsuccessfully so 
far, to urge them to pass a resolution making marijuana arrests a low 
priority for city police.

In the end, Gettel thinks we are well down the slippery slope toward 
the legalization dream. I agree. A generation of political leaders 
who grew up with pot is about to take the reins of the Greatest 
Nation on Earth. We've been creeping into Congress in dribs and drabs 
for the past 20 years or so, and in the next 20, we will be in 
charge. I'd like to think that when that happens, pot will be legal.

As Gettel and I spoke outside of Epic Cafe on a hot summer afternoon, 
a passer-by stopped to interject that he thought we should just dump 
the ruse of medical marijuana and go straight for legalization. 
Gettel and I simply nodded patiently as he spoke at length.

"Yeah, but it's going to take time," Gettel told the man.

Yes ... just a little more time.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom