NORML Behavior

By Harper Bridgers

Marijuana is the most commonly preferred drug on Earth, according to a 2006 United Nations World Drug Report – a fact that is hard to overlook. “An estimated 162 million people used cannabis in 2004,” the report states. A federal ban on marijuana in 1937 marked the first nation-wide buzz kill in the U.S., popularly believed to have been fueled by racism and false allegations of extreme health hazards. It remains illegal for most parts of the globe, with penalties ranging from small fines to the death penalty.

An article published by Time in 2008 claims that 42 percent of Americans surveyed had tried pot at least once. With so many Americans toking up, why is marijuana still illegal?

The National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws, NORML, is leading the country toward what its name suggests – reformation. founded in 1970, NORML began providing “a voice in the public policy debate for those Americans who oppose marijuana prohibition and favor an end to the practice of arresting marijuana smokers,” according to its official website. This nonprofit public-interest advocacy group hosts a celebrity-packed advisory board, including Co-Chair Willie Nelson, Tommy Chong, Woody Harrelson and Bill Maher. As of late 2003, there were 113 individual chapters spread across the U.S., many residing on college campuses.

January 2008 saw the refounding of The University of Georgia’s NORML chapter after a brief stint in the ‘80s. John Hill, Hayden Augustus Marquette, Andy Pierson and Asa Goldberg started their conquest through the most popular medium for students, according to Marquette. “There was a Facebook group wanting to create a NORML student group here on campus,” Marquette says. But the first attempt was a miss. “We didn’t have enough people come to the meetings, [and] we didn’t have enough people to register the group at the university.” The cause warranted another try, which proved to be a success at the dawn of 2008. “The main motivating factor for us doing this was the presidential election,” Marquette states. And with the past two presidents openly having dabbled with marijuana (President-elect Barack Obama will be the third) decriminalization appears to some to be looming on the horizon.

Marijuana is known to have some health benefits. About a quarter of the U.S. has recognized marijuana as a potential godsend. Those who qualify in 12 states can legally smoke “medicinal” marijuana when prescribed by a doctor. Its active ingredients help with nausea, vomiting and pain relief, along with increasing appetite for AIDS and cancer patients, according to a 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine. California started this trend in 1996 with the passage of Proposition 215, which allows physicians to prescribe the plant and patients to use it, both free of legal prosecution. “I really don’t understand politicians who are against it,” UGA NORML President Wojciech Kaczkowski comments, showing frustration, “because you’re helping people out with this.” NORML believes medicinal marijuana will serve as a catalyst for future widespread legalization. “That’s the first step,” Waits Laseter, vice president of UGA’s NORML, attests, “because then it starts having accepted uses.”

But the members of UGA NORML are not raging stoners who just want to get baked everywhere all the time. “It’s not about marijuana as much as it’s about personal liberty,” Laseter says. “As an adult you should have the option as to your leisure activities.” “It’s a matter of your freedom,” Kaczkowski, a 21-year-old Poland native, declares, “[doing] what you want to your body as long as your don’t hurt anyone. You should be fine; you should do whatever you want.” Both Laseter, 22 from Covington, and Kaczkowski found out about NORML at its booth at Tate Center during a student activities fair. “A friend of mine text messaged me saying ‘The pot heads are organizing! They’ve got a bake sale on campus,’” Laseter recalls. Now the two are leading Georgia’s only NORML chapter. “When you put it that way, the whole thing seems so daunting,” Laseter admits. “Every now and then we have these moments where it’s like ‘We might actually be able to pull this off. This could happen.’”

The founding members of UGA NORML have even gone to lengths to propose legislation that would legalize the possession of a quarter-ounce of marijuana for people over the age of 18 in Athens. It’s called Proposition 42, and they hope to get it on the ballot soon. “The wording is based on the Seattle and Boulder, Colorado propositions that they passed,” Marquette notes. city officials have been responsive, whether they support the idea or cannot even fathom it, according to Marquette. He knows getting students registered to vote here in Athens is key. “[UGA students] don’t realize that they have an economical and social impact upon this city for the four years that they’re here,” Marquette says. “We need to have a political impact upon this city.” He would like to see the university student body as a whole force political change through the vote.

As former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said to Congress in 1977: “Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marijuana in private for personal use.” This quote is the last text on UGA NORML’s promotional pamphlets, along with “We are fighting; We are winning.” Such optimism is shared among all of its members. The raw ideas of liberty and human rights fuel this fire – the torch that will be carried to the polls... and maybe spark that victory?