National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws ; (NORML)
founding	1970
founder	Keith Stroup
Seat	Washington, DC
main emphasis	Decriminalization of cannabis as an intoxicant
Action space	United States
people	Steve Dillon, Nadine Strossen
Website	www.norml.org

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (abbreviated NORML [ ˈnɔrməl ], German: National Society for the Reform of Marijuana Laws ) is a not-for-profit organization in the United States that campaigns for the use of cannabis products without punishment.

structure

The organization was founded by Keith Stroup in 1970, with start-up capital of $ 5,000 donated by the Playboy Foundation . Since then, NORML has played a leading role in the legalization movement and has a grassroots network of 135 local chapters and 550 attorneys participating.

NORML's advisory board includes numerous celebrities such as Barbara Ehrenreich , Tommy Chong , Woody Harrelson , Bill Maher , Kary Mullis , Mark Stepnoski , Daniel Stern and the United States' Green Party .

activities

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws protest rally, Washington, DC , 2000

NORML calls for the legalization of possession and consumption, the cultivation of hemp plants for private use and the non-commercial transfer of small quantities to adults. Furthermore, NORML is committed to building a legal and controlled market for cannabis products. The main tasks of NORML are public relations and the organization of demonstrations , meetings , conferences and seminars . The organization also supports activists and people who have been accused or convicted of cannabis offenses.

When the Kellogg Company, known for cornflakes, canceled an advertising contract with swimmer and Olympic champion Michael Phelps in 2009 after he was seen consuming cannabis, NORML organized a consumer boycott against Kellogg.

Furthermore, in 2009 NORML ran the first US-wide television commercial for marijuana.

On February 15, 2010, a 15-second flash animation from NORML challenging the potential economic and financial benefits of legalized marijuana was broadcast by CBS on the grounds that it was too political to display on billboards in Times Square, New York to show refused. This drew criticism in the blogosphere and accusations of hypocrisy on Twitter, as CBS recently ran a pro-life and anti-abortion television commercial during the 2010 Super Bowl. Since then, CBS has changed its mind, and the advertisement was shown for the first time on the CBS Times Square Superscreen on Tuesday April 20, 2010.