NORML Remembers ‘The Hemperor’ Jack Herer

FROM the NORML BLOG:

NORML is saddened to report the passing of Jack Herer, the founder of the modern day hemp movement. Jack suffered a heart attack after speaking at last year’s Portland Hempstalk event, and had been in a physician-induced coma for several days afterward. The past seven months have been a struggle to recover for Jack – he awakened from the coma and had been making progress in regaining his health. Friends and family confirm that Herer, known throughout the world as ‘The Hemperor,’ passed away on Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 11:07am Pacific Time in Eugene, Oregon. He was 70 years old.

Jack began his cannabis activism in earnest in the early 1970s when he “swore to work every day until pot was legal, … or [he] turned 84.” Throughout the next ten years he led several statewide marijuana legalization efforts on west coast, primarily in California and Oregon.

Jack received worldwide attention in recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s for the publication of his seminal work, The Emperor Wears No Clothes, which has now sold over 600,000 copies — making it the most widely read marijuana law reform title ever published. The book’s tagline, “How hemp can still save the world,” introduced hundreds of thousands of activists to the environmental and industrial uses of cannabis, which in turn relaunched the modern day hemp movement and global hemp industry. While researching his book, Jack unearthed a copy of the long-lost United States Department of Agriculture film, “Hemp for Victory,” which documented the federal government’s previous support for domestic hemp cultivation.

Jack’s dedication to cannabis activism was the subject of the 1989 film documentary, The Emperor of Hemp. Shortly following the release of the film, Jack suffered a stroke, which temporarily limited his speech and mobility. However, by mid-2000 Herer appeared to have made almost a full recovery from his illness, a feat he credited to the power of hemp’s therapeutic properties.

Today Jack’s name and memory lives on in the hemp activism of the millions who were influenced by his words and passion. The popular cannabis strain Jack Herer also bears his name.

NORML expresses its sincere condolences to the friends and family of Jack Herer.

Denver's 3rd Annual 4/20 Rally

We are proud to announce that Allen St. Pierre The Executive Director of NORML and the NORML Foundation has agreed to spend the 4/20 Cannabis Holiday in Denver giving the keynote speech for us at the 3rd Annual Denver 4/20 Rally in Civic Center Park! Read more below in this weeks NORML's E-Zine!

FROM NORML.ORG:

Denver 4/20 Rally Fundraising Party At Casselman's! Help Fund A History-Making 4/20 Political Rally To End Prohibition!

Dear NORML Supporters in Colorado,

There will soon be more than just the smell of spring in the air on the Front Range! In just a few weeks there will be the smell of personal freedom at America's largest pro-cannabis law reform rally on 4/20!

I'm looking forward to joining the masses and speaking at this year's historic event in the state that has embraced cannabis law reform faster and stronger than any state in the last decade. The explosive growth in the popularity of Colorado's medical cannabis laws can and should be celebrated on what has virtually become a nationally recognized holiday for cannabis consumers.

Putting on massive rallies obviously takes a lot of resources and commitment from dedicated women and men who support the underlying social cause. The 4/20 rally costs a significant amount of money to properly stage, make secure, safe and clean, rent port-o-potties, promote, etc...

You can directly fund this year's 4/20 rally in Denver—the nation's largest 4/20 political rally—by attending a well-planned and exciting fundraising event at Casselman's in Denver on Friday night, April 9.

Admission costs are low ($5 for patients, $10 for non-patients) and part of the proceeds also help fund Mile High NORML's cannabis law reform advocacy efforts.

Enjoy the great entertainment at the 4/20 Rally Fundraiser this Friday and I'll see you on 4/20 in Denver.

Thanks, as always, for caring and sharing!

Kind regards,

Allen St. Pierre
Executive Director
NORML
Washington, D.C.
director@norml.org
NORML and the NORML Foundation: 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington DC, 20006-2832 Tel: (202) 483-5500 • Fax: (202) 483-0057 • Email: norml@norml.org

April 2nd and 3rd 2010: Colorado Cannabis Convention

Tickets are still on sale for only $15. This event is open to the public and there will be no medicine allowed on site.

Ken Gorman Marijuana Legalization Memorial Rally

Ken Gorman was a marijuana activist who was shot and killed in his home on February 17, 2007 when he interrupted a burglary inside his marijuana garden and his killers have never been brought to justice. We remember Ken the best way we know how. By continuing his monthly rally at the capital. A rally that has been a proud part of our community in Denver for the last 15 years

Join us this Saturday March 27 and every last Saturday of the month after from 3-5pm @ Colorado State Capitol Building on the West Steps. Its conveniently located at the corner of Colfax and Lincoln in Denver. Signage and Costumes are always welcome!

Walmart Fires Cancer Patient for Legally Using Medical Marijuana

Joseph Casias, 29, has sinus cancer and an inoperable brain tumor.

Despite his condition, he has dutifully gone to work every day for the last five years at a Walmart in Battle Creek, Michigan, where in 2008 he was named Associate of the Year.

Casias is also a legal medical marijuana patient under Michigan state law. He uses marijuana with the recommendation of his doctor to relieve the effects of cancer.

But Walmart, the world’s largest public corporation, has no sympathy for his condition or regard for Michigan’s state law. Last November, Walmart fired Casias because he tested positive for marijuana during a routine drug screening.

Here’s what a Walmart spokesman had to say:

“In states, such as Michigan, where prescriptions for marijuana can be obtained, an employer can still enforce a policy that requires termination of employment following a positive drug screen. We believe our policy complies with the law and we support decisions based on the policy.”

To add insult to injury, Walmart is now challenging Casias’ eligibility for unemployment. Simply outrageous. This is the thanks he gets for showing up to work and doing his job for the last five years, despite being stricken with a life-threatening illness. “I gave them everything,” Casias told a local news outlet. “One-hundred-ten percent every day. Anything they asked me to do I did. More than they asked me to do. Twelve to 14 hours a day.”

Sadly, the dilemma facing medical marijuana patients who still have no legal protection from being fired is nothing new.

Readers who would like to register a complaint with Walmart can find corporate contact information here.

PRESS RELEASE 03/03/2010

Protest against HB-1284 at the Capitol

Event Coordinators:

Scott Greene 720-495-0766: scott@milehighnorml.org

Miguel Lopez 720-338-8766: mpedrolopez@yahoo.com

WHO: Mile High NORML, the Denver 420 Rally, the Cannabis Therapy Institute, and

the Colorado Coalition for Patients and Caregivers (CCPC)

WHAT: Protest Against HB1284

WHEN: 12PM, Thursday, March 4, 2010

WHERE: West Steps of the Capitol , 200 East Colfax Avenue

WHY: HB1284 would create an unnecessary state bureaucracy,

raise patients’ costs, and restrict their access to medicine

“My clients' lives literally depend on their access to medicine, and

we will fight any government proposal that would restrict supply

and raise costs, such as this proposal. “ Robert J. Corry

Assembly:

11:30AM Mingle with other activists

Speakers:

12:00PM Rob Corry, Cannabis Crusader and Defense Attorney

12:20PM Dr. Robert Melamede, Assoc. Professor at UCCS, CEO of Cannabis Science Inc.

12:40PM Miguel Lopez, Executive Director of Denver’s annual 4/20 Rally

1:00PM Robert Chase, Founder of CCPC

Action:

1:30PM Join us as at the House Judiciary Committee Hearing on HB1284

in the Old Supreme Court Chambers on the second floor of the Capitol

to show our opposition to the bill.

4:20PM Don’t want to spend all afternoon (and evening) in the Capitol?

Come march on the 16^th St. Mall!

Several important upcoming events this week

TODAY MARCH 1

(After) 10AM: Second reading of SB109 in the House. This will be the first time there will be floor debate in the House on this bill.
This is an opportunity to hear Representatives' opinions about SB109, which infringes on the doctor-patient relationship.
Assemble in the House Galleries on the third floor. The Bill is 6th on the agenda but it should move though rather rapidly.

5PM - 6PM: Join Mile High NORML and others as they will Protest Against Denver City Council's Medical Marijuana Ordinance & Closure of Hundreds of Dispensaries in front of the Denver City & County Building, 1437 Bannock St.

The Denver City Council convenes at 5:30PM, so let's make some noise!

THURSDAY, MARCH 4

(after) 1:30PM: House Judiciary Committee Hearing on HB1284 in the Old Supreme Court Chambers.
This is the first public hearing on this bad legislation.

I have been told that all obnoxious provisions have been taken out of or soon will be removed from both bills -- I'll believe it when I see it!