• Personal Introduction To The NORML Legal Committee (NLC)
  
• Why As A Lawyer Should I Be Involved In NORML And Marijuana Law Reform?
  
• Does The Organization Sponsor CLE Quality Legal Seminars?
  
• NLC's Amicus Committee & NORML's Legal Brief Bank

Personal Message from Steve Dillon, Esq., chairman of NORML's board of directors and criminal defense attorney with a 25-year practice from Indiana:

As the chairman of the board of NORML, and a longtime active member of the NORML Legal Committee (NLC), I urge you to join the NLC today. We need your support and assistance as we move closer to our goal of ending marijuana prohibition.

Following a long and discouraging period during which elected officials tried to prove their fitness for office by proposing even harsher penalties for marijuana and other drug offenses, there are unmistakable signs today that the long nightmare of marijuana prohibition may finally be coming to a close. Public attitudes increasingly support outright legalization with nearly 35%, 58% of the public nationwide now oppose the idea of sending a marijuana smoker to jail. Seventy-three percent support the use of marijuana as a medicine for seriously ill patients.

We are winning the hearts and minds of the American public, and we are beginning to translate that public support into public policy. In 2001, the Nevada legislature reduced a four-year felony penalty for marijuana possession, the toughest in the country at the time, to a non-jail misdemeanor for the first two offenses.

Spurred by the courageous public advocacy for legalizing marijuana by New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, who spoke at the 2001 NORML Conference, we are finally beginning to see the long-overdue public debate over marijuana policy and alternatives to marijuana prohibition. Only a couple of years ago this would not have been possible. As more and more elected officials see that the voters welcome a fresh approach, and that treating responsible marijuana smokers as criminals no longer wins votes or elections, we will see many more members of state legislatures and Congress calling for an end to the criminalization of smokers.

Why as a Lawyer Should I Be Involved in NORML and Marijuana Law Reform?

We must continue our efforts to provide support and assistance to the victims of the current laws, and to use the courts to move public policy in our direction. As the recent tragedy in Michigan reminds us --where two nonviolent marijuana offenders were needlessly killed by FBI and state police snipers -- the penalties for violating marijuana laws can be lethal [A]. We must re-dedicate ourselves to providing the best possible legal defense for those who are arrested, until we can finally end prohibition and regain a measure of personal freedom.

I would like to challenge each of you to please take at least one pro bono marijuana case each year. Many of these defendants have no resources, and lack the resources to hire competent counsel. I can personally attest to the satisfaction I derived from representing a chronic multiple sclerosis patient who was arrested in Indianapolis for possessing a mere two grams of marijuana which she was using as a medicine to relieve her painful symptoms.[B] I feel it is an honor to represent this courageous woman.

What Are The Benefits Of Joining The NLC?

Attorneys who join and support NORML receive a discount at NORML's CLE seminars, qualify to advertise in High Times magazine [C], weekly online e-zine, and state and federal legislative alerts, as well as exclusive access to the NORML NLC's list-serve.

Additionally, NLC members are listed on NORML's popular webpage, where the victims of marijuana prohibition, their friends and family can turn; to find competent and compassionate attorneys, especially those who specialize in criminal defense work.

In 2006, over 829,000 citizens were arrested on marijuana-related charges. NORML and its NLC is committed to aiding citizens ill-affected by our country's misguided marijuana policy.

Does The Organization Sponsor CLE Quality Legal Seminars?

The NORML Legal Committee Seminar is in Key West, FL each year in early December. This is always a timely seminar, education-packed, and a wonderful opportunity to relax and spend time with colleagues who share your views on marijuana policy. If you join the NLC, you automatically qualify for a $100 reduction in the seminar registration fees.

Amicus Committee And Legal Brief Bank

NORML's NLC is active and vigilant in seeking out criminal or civil cases in which an important legal or constitutional principle maybe advanced. The NORML NLC is the driving force and primary resource for our Legal Brief Bank.

Join and support the NORML Legal Committee and help us in this struggle. This is a critical time in the movement to end marijuana prohibition, and your support for NORML is crucial to our continuing success.

Also, please sign up a friend or colleague who should be a member of the NLC.

Together we can make a difference!

Your friend for liberty in our lifetime,

Stephen W. Dillon, Esq.
Chair, Board of Directors
NORML

If you have questions about NLC membership, please contact NORML by phone at 888-67-NORML, or email orders@norml.org.

Footnotes:

[A] http://www.mapinc.org/norml/v02/n130/a05.html?1633
[B] http://www.mapinc.org/norml/v02/n199/a16.html?1640
[C] High Times Magazine allows only current NLC members to advertise in their publication, contact High Times' ad director, Rick Cusick, 212-387-0944 or rcusick@hightimes.com