What's the deal with NY NORML?

I've been reading threw NORML, and seeing all these amazing changes happening all around the country. Even NJ (even though their law is out of control) has MMJ. However, it seems NY (and even more specifically NYC) are not doing anything. At one point Gov. Cuomo and Commish Kelly called for decriminalization, however, that was one day in the news, and dropped completely. Nothing ever came of that.

So I know Mass is coming up in Nov for MMJ, and I go to their website, and it's all nice, and very well done, and sophisticated, and full of information, rallies, etc.

I look for the NY norml chapters, and the one for NYC is parked by GoDaddy. LMFAO.

What the hell is going on in NY? Are people too busy to promote change? How come there are no rallies or meetings here to get things going here?

mod note: We have a forum for activism. Thread relocated.

the NYC cops no longer bust people for small quantities of bud after a random frisk on the street. the hassle factor is gone -- all's right in their world. i don't live there, just my opinion.

That's actually not true. They are still arresting people even after the order that told them to stop. Nonetheless, you can still get arrested if they wanted to arrest you cause the laws are on the books. We need full change.

The cops are still busting people for weed in NYC; Especially
young people in cars.
Civil servants can lose their jobs for a weed arrest.

Most ny stoners are wary of groups and rallies. I am.

I agree, I am too :-). But something needs to be done, LOL ;-).

Edit: Thank you Mods for moving this. Noticed that I posted it originally in the wrong forum when I scrolled down the forum list and saw the Activism forum :-).

To be fair, if you're driving and smoking you should be arrested in my opinion. Even if it's legal to use, you can't be under the influence while operating a vehicle.

That's the kind of crap that gives us a bad name. Enjoy cannabis responsibly!

my good friend went to school in queens. told me one of his roommates and his buddy were walking the street smoking a j and cops pulled up in a van not wearing uniforms, grabbed them and took them in. took a matter of seconds. his girlfriend was walking a little behind them and had no idea what was going on and started freaking out.

it is decriminalized, you get a ticket / fine if its under a certain amount, its just not legal is all.

Sorry if I come across as snarky here; but I disagree. Would you blink an eye at an elderly person driving a car? Or perhaps someone who takes a prescription medication like Xanax or percs and then drives? Would they deserve to be arrested? Because both of those are significantly more risk than anything someone with a small amount of marijuana in their system could possibly pose without the aid of other drug, but they are allowed to drive. I don't understand why a simple marijuana user deserves arrest and the life changing consequences that come with it over something so harmless.

You're not allowed to take certain prescription meds and drive. Older americans constantly have their driving privileges revoked. These things ARE dangerous so I can't argue your point, because it's 100% right. And I don't judge people either way so I'm not saying it's more or less harmful. But it's still wrong to be intoxicated and drive. Period.

And I do not disagree with that in the slightest; I'm just don't think that the effects of marijuana should be considered intoxication, especially when contrast with the drugs of which users are allowed to consume and then drive without consequence (like xanax for example)

Can't really drive around on Xanax either in most states, depending on your dosage and things like that. Different drugs do different things in different patients, and it's not really a debate I care to engage in. Marijuana is a mind altering substance that can and has impaired drivers, so, while I sympathize with persecuted cannabis users who enjoy responsibly, if you're vaping or smoking WHILE DRIVING, I don't consider it responsible or worth my pity.

Minus the driving issue, nonetheless, it's still illegal no matter what in NY. And that needs to change greatly.

I'll just bet good money, that come election time we're going to see lots of anti-cannabis News reporting, at the instigation of our Drug Czar, perpetrated as propaganda through our district attorneys and police, passed onto an unsuspecting public by the corporate news outlets.

What did Gill's message to the California law enforcement agencies last time say? "Do whatever it takes to make sure this doesn't pass," I believe.

newVaper420, thanks for starting this thread. as you can see, i too, am from NY. i live about 60 miles north of NYC. I agree that something should be done in this state but i worry that it may become too much like NJ if we did. NJ's law is very, very strict and limits who can get a doctor approval to patients with extremely bad forms of cancer and other very bad diseases. people that have illnesses like glaucoma (which Marijuana has proven to be effective for) and other less deadly diseases cannot get a recommendation from a doctor. I have ADHD, Anxiety, sleeping and appetite issues that i have been self medicating with MJ for years. i know it helps me and i have tried other "prescribed" drugs that made me worse. if NY gets a MMJ allowance like NJ, i still would be going to my friends underground to get my meds cause i would not qualify.

still i do believe something needs to be done in NY, but it needs to be done right.

You can fail an oral MJ test up to 2 days after cannabis use and a urine test up toone month after consuming cannabis.I guess that would mean every driver here who has partaken in herb recently is driving illegaly.The authorities are meant to need reason to test you but I m finding they don t and test everyone at random here where I live. the laws are unreasonable when it comes to MMJ.I will be in the US next week,its a shame I wont get to visit NY this time I will visit Calfornia though which should be an eye opener

The rest of the world seems to follow in Americas footsteps when it comes to applying changes to law so there are a lot of us here outside the USA interested in any positive developments for our community.

I wish you strength and courage in your e fight to free a simple but beneficial plant which saves lives.

I completely agree. NJ law is crazy as I stated. I have IBS, and they probably wouldn't prescribe it for me. As a whole, the country needs to legalize for recreational use. Alcohol and tobacco are legal. And they are far worse, in my opinion, and factually too. Alcohol can cause alcohol poisoning. That right there is deadly.

Anyhow, we can only hope.

Well, if no one else is running NORML in NY, at least we have a politician on our side.

http://blog.norml.org/2012/10/23/go...gislators-until-they-decriminalize-marijuana/

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has redoubled his efforts to decriminalize the possession of marijuana in public view after state legislators failed to act on the measure before the end of this year’s session. Amid discussions of a pay increase for legislators, Governor Cuomo told reporters this morning that, “I would not even consider, even consider a pay raise, unless the people’s business was being done in a thorough, responsible way.”

Included in his definition of “the people’s business” is the decriminalization of marijuana he had championed earlier in the year, along with an increase in New York’s minimum wage.

So after this election, I've finally figured out why a NY NORML doesn't really exist. I was like, why after all this time, have we not had this on our ballot like Colorado and Washington.

Well, unlike Colorado and Washington, citizens can not petition to have an initiative on the statewide ballot. The only people who can get stuff on the ballot here in NYS is the NYS Legislature. They are actually working to change that. Hopefully in 2014 we will be able to starting to get our own initiatives on the ballot. So we are looking at maybe 2016 the earliest, unless the state legislature makes some moves which I doubt. And that's if the first initiative passes.

thanks for the info