MARIJUANA ADVOCATES DISCUSS GROWING PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR LEGALIZATION

SAN FRANCISCO -- Citing a worsening economy, high profile support and
greater education through the Internet, marijuana advocates say the
public is more open to marijuana legalization than ever before.

On the second day of the National Organization for the Reform of
Marijuana Laws 38th annual conference Friday, marijuana activists
said America is ready to talk about legalization, largely due to a
"sea change" in the way the public sees marijuana smokers, and a
growing recognition that marijuana is a cash crop.

"It's certainly connected to California's economy, which is in the
toilet," said Assemblyman Tom Ammiano during the day's opening remarks.

Ammiano, who introduced California's first marijuana legalization
bill earlier this year, called the current political environment "the
perfect storm" for marijuana law reform.

"I got a lot of hallway conversations -- 'This is great'; 'man, I
smoked this (stuff) when I was in college'; 'we should tax the hell
out of it,'" Ammiano said.

Ammiano said despite the warm private response, elected officials
would not be ready to support the bill publicly until they polled
their constituents.

Ammiano said he will be holding an informational hearing on the bill
within the next month and hopes to have a constructive conversation
about marijuana.

"It's not going to be 'marijuana's good, or marijuana's bad,'" he
said. "It's going to be about all the intricacies you have when you
have a public policy."

NORML members say support from high-profile people like Ammiano is
helping to sway public opinion.

In a presentation on the ebbs and flows of public opinion since the
1970s, NORML Outreach Coordinator Russ Belville outlined stereotypes
that marijuana smokers have been burdened with, as well as examples
of how these stereotypes are inaccurate.

A popular reference throughout the conference, Belville played an
audio clip of President Barack Obama admitting to "inhaling," and
used the story of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps being caught on
camera taking a bong hit, as examples of how the stoner stereotype
has been broken.

"You'll be an unmotivated loser, you'll be a slacker, you'll never
get anything done," Belville said about the stoner stereotype. "And
that all changed this year."

Other NORML leaders agreed.

Keith Stroup, who founded NORML in 1970 and jokingly calls himself
"the world's oldest marijuana smoker," said marijuana legalization
has reached its tipping point.

"We are literally witnessing the end of marijuana prohibition," he said.

Dale Gieringer, the director of California NORML and a member of
NORML's board of directors, said there are still many issues that
need to be worked out in terms of legislation.

He said there needs to be more definitive answers to questions about
age limits, tax levels and where and how much people can grow, as
well as who would be allowed to cultivate.

Gieringer said the public may not be ready to actually legalize.

"I don't think there's enough wisdom anywhere that can win 50 percent
of the vote," he said during a panel discussion on legalization.
"However, I think we are in the position where we can develop such a
proposal in three to five years."

Stroup said he believes the recently proposed initiatives regarding
legalization in California will be able to garner enough support to
help move the cause forward, and encourage those stoners who are "in
the closet" to come out publicly in support of legalization.

"More of them need to come out of the closet," he said. "Put an end
to the lie that we're not good citizens."

Advocates recognize that the economy is also a huge factor.

Denver-based public policy analyst and political strategist Jessica
Correy said as a pro-life, Republican mother of two, she does not fit
the stereotype of a marijuana advocate.

Although not an active marijuana smoker, Correy said she is more
concerned with the government wasting law enforcement resources.

"We're talking about a multi-billion dollar war we can't win," she
said, adding that it is important to her to be able to raise her two
young daughters without the government stepping in.

Correy was scheduled to be a panelist on a discussion about pot and parenting.

"I'll teach my kids to respect themselves and their bodies, but when
they go to college, I'd rather have them next to a pot smoker than
someone hopped up on vodka shots," she said.

NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said it is a demographic
consisting of parents with teenage children where support for
legalization is usually lost.

As a parent himself, he said he understands the fears of exposing
children to something seen as harmful. He said he is not trying to
advocate any kind of drug abuse, but parents have to realize that
teenagers will have access to marijuana whether it's legal or not.

Armentano said the key is being able to teach children about the
dangers of substance abuse in general.

"I think we've got to be really open and honest with kids," he said.