NORML EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TALKS ABOUT THE YEAR IN MARIJUANA REFORM

Marijuana is still illegal in the eyes of the United States
government, but that hasn't deterred the efforts of the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Allen St. Pierre, the executive director of NORML, discussed the
changes that have happened in the efforts to change marijuana laws.

"In the year since we have spoken last the city of Denver has passed
an initiative that has made the penalty for an ounce of marijuana
zero dollars," St. Pierre said. "And in doing so it has now sparked
off a statewide initiative and that is an initiative that we support strongly."

NORML is helping to raise money for the initiative.

"Decriminalization now exists in 12 states," St. Pierre said. "One in
three people in the United States live where marijuana is decriminalized."

Though decriminalization of marijuana is on the rise, so are the
arrest rates, according to St. Pierre.

"The arrests don't go down because marijuana is being decriminalized,
it just means there's less penalties for the person who gets caught,"
St. Pierre said.

There's no deterrents for people since there are no fines, St. Pierre said.

"It's not decriminalization, it's depenalization," St. Pierre said.
"That's the in-between step. There's decrim, depenalization and
there's legalization."

He also mentioned a movement in another state.

"The voters in Nevada have already qualified an initiative there and
they will vote to tax and regulate marijuana," St. Pierre said.
"However, the voters in Nevada, if they do vote in favor of it, will
set up an immediate conflict with the federal government."

He said it's not clear what the outcome of that will be, but he
referred to a law in Alaska where there's no penalty for 4 ounces of marijuana.

"The federal government has never intervened or tried to stop them,"
St. Pierre said. "There hasn't been an increase in federal arrests
(in Alaska)."

St. Pierre also said that getting the NORML message to more people
has gotten easier in the last year.

"Since we spoke last year we have NORML video blogs and podcasting,"
St. Pierre said. "Those forms of communication reach tens of
thousands of people per day."

NORML has 140 chapters in the United States, adding nine new chapters
last year.

"That's a pretty nice pick for a year," St. Pierre said.

St. Pierre credited the Internet for the increase of members and chapters.

Next year NORML will be conducting regional conferences as well as
it's national conference. He said the West Coast is at the forefront
of the reform movement.

"We would love to teach New Yorkers, Bostonians and Miamians what is
going on on the West Coast in regards to the medical movement," St. Pierre said.