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Pros And Cons Of Marijuana Decriminalization

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Policy is principles that guided the government. Policies are very important and they can be changed by various individuals for example an interest group. Interest group is characterized by a group of individuals or organization that seeks to change public policy. According to Thomas “interest group are also called special interest group or pressure group.” Interest groups all share the want to influence government policies so that they could benefit. “They attempt to achieve their goals by lobbying that is, by attempting to bring pressure to bear on policy makers to gain policy outcomes in their favor.” There are various types of advantages associated with interest groups. This inspires individuals to join the groups. For example, material, …show more content…

NORML still continues to lead the fight to legalize marijuana. Now they “serves as an informational resource to the national media on marijuana-related stories, providing a perspective to offset the anti-marijuana propaganda from the government and serves as the umbrella group for a national network of citizen-activists committed to ending marijuana prohibition and legalizing marijuana. (NORML.org)” Also there is NORML foundation which serve to educate the public about marijuana policies and provide legal assistance to victims of the current law. The sister foundation, NORML foundation was founded in 1997 and all donations to the foundation are tax-deductible. “The NORML Foundation sponsors public advertising campaigns designed to inform the public about the costs of marijuana prohibition and the benefits of alternative policies (NORML.org).” The NORML PAC was formed in 2001 and is referred to as the political arm of NORML. The PAC “provide campaign contributions to office holders and candidates for public office who support NORML-friendly public policy and legislation. (NORML.org).” Since 2001, it has contributed a total amount of $79,000 …show more content…

According to Meehan “Stroup said that after five decades of working in the belly of the beast to affect change around marijuana policy, he is reasonably optimistic about the future of pot.” The government along with society has being a big challenge for marijuana users through punishment of detainment and others. Users of marijuana believe that they have the right and freedom to use the drug. NORML will continue to operate until there is no penalty towards marijuana users for the uses of marijuana. As the problems against marijuana users increases NORML was no longer a minority group for recreational interest they became dedicated to legalizing marijuana. More researched revealed that marijuana could be used for medical purpose, more people are using the drug in U.S. When the bill was passed in 1970s NORML became recognizable and gained more respect. This proved that marijuana was for the people and that policies should reflect that. After their victory NORML wanted to go even further they wanted to educated the public and removed the stigma around the drug. Also, according to Duckett “For 18 years it has been waging a battle with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to make it possible for people to obtain marijuana for therapeutic reasons, such as to ease intraocular pressure caused by glaucoma and the nausea of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.” In 1988

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