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Gramma’s FOR Ganja Organization
Declaration of Principles
(printable version)
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES
1.
We are convinced that de facto prohibition of the Cannabis sativa L. plant
species is fundamentally wrong,
a)
Because
it conflicts with the basic American principles of local home rule and destroys
the balance, established by the framers of our government, between powers
delegated to the Federal authority and those reserved to the sovereign states or
to the people themselves,
b)
And
because its attempt to impose total abstinence by national governmental flat
ignores the truth that no law will be respected or can be enforced unless
supported by the moral sense and the common consciousness of the communities
affected by it.
2.
We are convinced that de facto prohibition, wrong in principle, has been equally
disastrous in consequences in the hypocrisy, the corruption, the tragic loss of
life and the appalling increase of crime which have attended the abortive
attempt to enforce it; in the checking of the steady growth of temperance which
had preceded it; in the shocking effect it has had upon the youth of the nation;
in the impairment of constitutional guarantees of individual rights; in the
weakening of the sense of solidarity between the citizen and the government
which is the only sure basis of a country’s strength.
The
Gramma’s FOR Ganja Organization records these convictions and declares:
That this de facto prohibition of the
Cannabis sativa L. species of plants has demonstrated its adoption to be a
grievous mistake, persistence in which will constitute a continuing threat to
our country’s well being.
That in the removal from the Federal laws of
provisions, which should never have been put into it, lies the only reasonable
hope of relief from conditions, which have become intolerable.
That in our judgment the return to each state of its former power to allow the growth, sale and transportation of the Cannabis sativa L. species, within its own limits should be accompanied by adequate state regulatory enactment’s and responsive to the sentiments of the people and therefore capable of enforcement.
That such enactment’s would drive the crime breeding trafficking of the present day to the same extinction that has already met other prohibitive legislation.
That the Federal government, exercising its
power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce should protect each state in
the enforcement of its state laws according to its true function.
That the people of the United States who
have never had the opportunity to pass judgment upon this question should be
given such an opportunity and that therefore, that this may be accomplished in
an orderly way and in accord with legal procedure, we urge the Congress to
submit to conventions of the people in the several states rather than to the
legislatures thereof, a resolution for the repeal of this de facto prohibition.
Boston, Massachusetts, April 20, 2003
MASS CANN:
The
Massachusetts
Cannabis Reform Coalition (MASS CANN), the state affiliate of the National
Organization for the Reform of the Marijuana Laws (NORML), is working to build a
consensus for a more moral and rational public policy regarding all uses of the
cannabis plant.
NORML: The National Organization
for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
A Drug War Carol: Online Comics.
Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)
is the fastest growing student organization in the United States - and for good
reason. We represent the D.A.R.E. Generation: the students and youth
who grew up during a massive expansion of the War on Drugs.
For years, our names have been used to fuel this costly, un-winnable
war. As silence gets us nowhere, we proudly and emphatically declare
"No more!".
Green Aid:
The Medical Marijuana Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc.
is a California charitable corporation with 501(c)(3) non-profit tax status, per
the IRS.
All contributions to Green Aid are tax deductible to the full extent allowable
by law.
Reconsider:
ReconsiDer is a grassroots not-for-profit membership organization that was
incorporated in New York State by concerned citizens to provide a forum for
discussing alternatives to one of America’s greatest public policy
failures—the war on drugs. Our tax-exempt mission is to educate the public
about drugs and drug policies, including the problems caused by using criminal
sanctions to regulate the distribution of drugs and alternatives to the use of
criminal sanctions as regulatory policy instruments that are being employed by
other democratic nations around the globe.
The November Coalition: The
November Coalition is a non-profit organization of grassroots volunteers
educating the public about the destructive increase in prison population in the
United States due to our current drug laws. We alert our fellow citizens,
particularly those who are complacent or naive, about the present and impending
dangers of an overly powerful federal authority acting far beyond its
constitutional constraints. The drug war is an assault and steady erosion of our
civil rights and freedoms by federal and state governments. Check our
website for Upcoming Events.
MPP: The Marijuana Policy Project
works to minimize the harm associated with marijuana -- both the
consumption of marijuana, and the laws that are intended to prohibit such use.
MPP believes that the greatest harm associated with marijuana is prison. To this
end, MPP focuses on removing criminal penalties for marijuana use, with a
particular emphasis on making marijuana medically available to seriously ill
people who have the approval of their doctors.
Patients Out of Time: A compassionate,
science-based educational forum for the restoration of medical cannabis
knowledge.
Hemp Industries Association: The
purpose of the HIA is to represent the interests of the Hemp Industry and to
encourage the research and development of new hemp products. The
HIA and HIA Members: Educate the public about the
exceptional attributes of hemp products. Facilitate
the exchange of information and technology between hemp agriculturists,
processors, manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Maintain
and defend the integrity of hemp products. Advocate
and support socially responsible and environmentally sound business practices.
Americans for Safe Access:
ASA
is
an aggressive grassroots campaign working
to push the Bush administration off its anti-medical marijuana crusade and allow
states the right to choose and govern medical marijuana laws. We serve as a
catalyst for committed grassroots activists to work effectively with drug policy
reform groups and supportive local officials, and to unify medical marijuana
advocates, patients, and caregivers around a focused national strategy. We aim
to draw national attention to our struggle and build a nationwide network of
local activists committed to pushing back destructive DEA policies through
action. ASA’s stand on federal
interference with medical marijuana state laws is one of zero-tolerance. ASA
uses a variety of tactics including citizen lobbying, community outreach,
phone-in days, petition drives, public protest, media events and nonviolent
direct action in order to raise awareness and demand political change.
Vote Hemp: VOTE
HEMP is a non-profit organization dedicated to the acceptance of and free market
for Industrial Hemp. Industrial Hemp is non-psychoactive low THC varieties of
the cannabis sativa plant. Currently, it is illegal for U.S. farmers to grow
Industrial Hemp because it is improperly classified as a "drug" under
the Controlled Substances Act. Since changes in law require shifts in thinking
and this requires education in the facts, our primary goal is the education of
legislators and regulators, farmers and businesses, students and other concerned
citizens.
Families
Against Mandatory
Minimums: FAMM is a
national nonprofit organization founded in 1991 to challenge inflexible and
excessive penalties required by mandatory sentencing laws. FAMM promotes
sentencing policies that give judges the discretion to distinguish between
defendants and sentence them according to their role in the offense, seriousness
of the offense and potential for rehabilitation. FAMM's 25,000 members include
prisoners and their families, attorneys, judges, criminal justice experts and
concerned citizens. FAMM does not argue that crime should go unpunished - but
the punishment must fit the crime.
Drug Policy Alliance:
The Alliance is the nation's leading organization working to
end the war on drugs. We envision new drug policies based on science,
compassion, health and human rights and a just society in which the fears,
prejudices and punitive prohibitions of today are no more.
Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform:
We are convinced that National Prohibition, wrong in
principle, has been equally disastrous in consequences, in the hypocrisy, the
corruption, the tragic loss of life and the appalling increase of crime which
have attended the abortive attempt to enforce it, in the shocking effect it has
had upon the youth of the nation, in the impairment of constitutional guarantees
of individual rights, in the weakening of the sense of solidarity between the
citizen and the government which is the sole sure basis of a county's strength.
(Excerpt from WONPR Convention, April 23-24, 1930).
Real Cost
of Prisons Project:
An Activity of The Sentencing Project, a Washington, DC based non-profit
organization dedicated to reducing over-reliance on incarceration. The Real Cost
of Prisons Project is supported by a grant from the Community Advocacy Project
of the Open Society Institute.
