On September 3 I spoke to 100-plus people—mostly White male businessmen—at their monthly meeting. The Club had asked LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), for whom I am an occasional speaker, for someone to make the case for marijuana. They were gracious hosts, and allowed four other Virginia NORML people to attend and enjoy a free lunch, but it was only a one-hour meeting so there was no time for Q&A and no way to judge their reaction, but the mere fact that they were interested is a good sign.

Fellow NORML Virginians,

Vote.

On November 3rd, vote. Pretty freaking please. Don't dare not vote.  Please.

Most of you will, I know. This is the blog for Virginia NORML - our audience is one of activists and activists vote and get others to vote. I'm choir-preaching. I don't care. I'll say it again: vote. It so very does matter. Especially in Virginia, and particularly especially for Virginia NORML’s single-issue cause.

I vote and I really want you to too. But that doesn't mean dung. You've got to want to get there for a few minutes on a Tuesday (November 3, 2015, between 6am and 7pm) to register your vote, and statistically, very few will. It's your choice not to vote (and I'm not saying anyone reading this won't, but statistically...), but that would be unwise.

Because it really does matter who your Richmond reps are.  Oh man it does. Now and in the future. It matters who represents you in your city or county, because they might go on to represent you in your state or country - whether you want them to or not.

It’s tough.  It's an off-off-year election, the worst kind to have for anyone with any progressive bents, and we have them all the time in Virginia. But that's why every vote matters, because there probably won't be all that many of them.

Things will change as a result of those very few votes, no doubt. Just how, though, is entirely up to who comes out to VOTE. So let it be us. Please, vote.

My lunch break had begun. I took a few swigs of iced coffee, three bites of a Cliff bar and opened the car door.  Pre-Op physical with my doctor was just a few minutes away. I checked in, and before I could sit down a voice chimes, “Mary Holladay...”

New Virginia NORML member Diane Holladay provided this report of her experience lobbying a staffer of Senator Kaine:

Dressed in black slacks, a Tibetan art T-shirt and sandals, I took a seat in the conference room and watched two very talented ladies patiently explain immigration laws and the “simplicity” of filling out the necessary forms.

Sitting in the back row was a young man dressed in a very handsome vested suit, gazing at the speakers and waiting for his turn.

At 12:05 Gaston Riveros rose from his chair and walking to the front, applauded the two ladies for sharing their vast knowledge and precious Saturday morning.  It was at this time that Senator Kaine’s assistant & caseworker opened the door to “office hours.”

Are you a Republican or conservative with values that include a desire for marijuana law reform?  Maybe you have friends that fit this description?  If so, please read on...

We must elect representatives to the Virginia General Assembly that understand basic things: marijuana prohibition is a failed policy, patients need legal access to medical cannabis, legalization and regulation will keep pot AWAY from more kids... and so on. In order to help Virginia elect the right candidates this November, Virginia NORML is endeavoring to ask each of the state’s incumbent representatives and declared contenders a series of five questions on their positions. 

We are seeking volunteers to set up a short meeting with a lawmaker, ask the questions, and report back to us the results. It's an action that EVERY advocate of reform should take at some point, since building a relationship with our lawmakers is crucial to gaining their support for our cause. If you can help with this effort, please contact our Policy Director, Ed McCann as soon as possible -- policy@virginianorml.org

Win Independence from Marijuana Prohibition by Supporting Virginia NORML Today!
 
Bottom line – Virginia CAN end prohibition within the next 2 years, but we need your help. Click here to accept the challenge!

Virginia NORML is pleased to introduce Pamela Novy as its new Executive Director.

Virginia NORML is not so much a traditional chapter as it is a framework for action that provides support and guidance for the state’s Regional Chapters. Meetings and events in the state happen primarily at the Regional Chapter level, while VANORML itself consists only of a Board of Directors -- a dozen folks from various chapters.  These volunteers lead a variety of Action Teams that engage other supporters from around the state.  If you are truly fired up to change the laws, we hope that you will contact us and join one of these committees -- there are ALWAYS interesting projects available, and the more help we have, the faster we will achieve our goals.

Please take a moment to read this, so you can effectively benefit from Virginia NORML’s social media efforts.