420 Campaign – The Committed Activist

Legalizing marijuana is a difficult challenge to pursue. There are many reasons why marijuana should be legalized, and there are a lot of arguments why it could be legalized. There are numerous obstacles to legalization, more than many activists are willing to acknowledge. Indeed many supporters of legalization tend to be overly optimistic about its inevitability, just as many others are cynically pessimistic about its chances. Both excessive optimism and extreme pessimism, though, merely provide excuses to avoid taking action to advance the cause of reform. What actions will you take to distinguish yourself from those who merely want to get high while watching and waiting for others to get the job done?

Every marijuana user needs to answer two questions: Do you want marijuana legalized? How high is your level of commitment to legalization? Getting high is the easy part. Staying high takes work.  Like any good buzz, a high level of commitment has certain requirements. It takes skill, shrewdness, and sheer determination to sustain. The committed activist, though, is determined to succeed, and willing to devote time to advancing legalization over the long haul, though thick and thin, realizing that dedication is essential to success.

Being a committed activist starts with being a good citizen. Register to vote and participate in every election. Identify your elected representatives and important executive officeholders in your local, state, and national government. Contact the legislators that represent you and let them know you are in favor of reducing penalties for marijuana possession, that you support providing legal exemptions for medical cannabis use, that you are in favor of developing hemp as an alternative agricultural crop, and that you support marijuana’s legalization. Visit the Web site of Project Vote Smart. Enter your zip code into the search engine on the home page – it’s in the upper left corner – and they will provide you with a list of these representatives and officeholders. Click on any name on the list and Vote Smart will provide you with information about their political positions, rankings, and contact information. Contacting these officials is often as easy as clicking an email link. Project Vote Smart provides considerable information of use to the committed activist. As their banner indicates, they are “The Voters Self-Defense System.”

The next phase in being a committed activist is to learn more about the issue. There are several sources of information about the legalization issue and efforts to advance the cause of reform available on the Web. The committed activist will be familiar with many of these resources, including the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), the Drug Policy Alliance Network, DrugScience.org, Patients Out of Time, Americans for Safe Access, Stop the DrugWar.org, DrugSense.org, Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, Common Sense for Drug Policy and Vote Hemp. These organizations are committed to the cause of reform. They provide comprehensive resources for learning about the legalization issue, related news, and important reform activities. If you’re looking for information about marijuana, marijuana laws, the impact of marijuana laws on our society, efforts to reform the marijuana laws, ballot initiatives, legislative efforts at the state or federal level, medical cannabis, industrial hemp or any other aspect of the legalization issue, then these organizations are your primary sources for information.

The committed activist is a good citizen who contacts their elected officials and representatives and encourages support for legalization. Even in the face of opposition they persist in educating politicians and officeholders of the merits of reform. The committed activist learns more about the issue in order to become more persuasive, more credible, and more effective in promoting reform to politicians and community leaders. The committed activist supports the efforts of reform organizations by participating in their programs and providing financial support in the form of memberships and additional contributions. These are all basic and fundamental activities that empower citizens and enhance their influence and ability to contribute to efforts to legalize marijuana.

But the committed activist also builds on this foundation through their own creativity, potential, and abilities. The committed activist supports current reform efforts and improves them through acquiring valuable skills and applying them to innovation and organization. You can start this process simply by sending a copy of this column to all your friends, by either copying its contents or just forwarding the link. After that, only you can decide what sort of contributions you can make to the movement.

Everybody has specific interests and talents that make them unique, and this diversity of input and support is what makes the marijuana reform movement a formidable force for change. Some folks are good at organization, others at research, others at graphic design and/or marketing, others at public speaking, and others at writing. There is plenty of work to do. What is your talent? What would you like it to be? The committed activist builds on good citizenship by acquiring skills, skills that develop their own potential and develop the capability of the movement to increase popular support for legalization. This is one of the reasons why students, for example, have a special and valuable role in the reform movement; they are already dedicated to skill acquisition through their own particular studies. Writing course papers, for example, is a valuable exercise that develops skills which can advance reform. The committed activist finds a way to contribute to the cause by developing and utilizing their potential to make a difference, by developing and applying their own skills and ability to make a difference.

The objective of The 420 Campaign is to promote activities to advance the cause of legalization, and to encourage you to participate in activities that will result in marijuana’s legalization in the United States. The 420 Campaign includes, for example, a list of the Top 10 Reasons Marijuana Should be Legalized, a Strategy for Legalization, and Instructions on Contacting your Congressional Representatives. The Cannabis Column provides analysis and commentary on legalization issues. Additionally, HIGH TIMES also supplies activism news and commentary from reform organizations like MPP, SAFER and NORML.

Are you a committed activist? How high is your level of commitment? Are you willing to make a commitment to contribute to the movement to legalize marijuana? Of course you are! The 420 Campaign provides a gateway for you to develop you commitment to legalization. You don’t have to become the ultimate activist to contribute to the cause. A few simple things like being a good citizen, keeping up with reform groups and their activities, supporting activities that appeal to you, and encouraging your friends to participate can make a huge difference in the capability of the reform movement to succeed. Building on these essentials over time, by enhancing your own skills, knowledge, and involvement, provides added benefits.  In any event, your commitment is the key to success for marijuana’s legalization. Take a stand and become a committed activist today!