After all the victories we’ve seen in the realm of marijuana law reform and the recent election, it is now time to act! According to the NORML blog, “The election of Barack Obama, coupled with Democrat control of both the House and the Senate, presents a unique and critical opportunity for federal marijuana law reform.” A vast majority of you voted to change the laws regarding marijuana arrests; now is the time to make sure your vote doesn’t go unnoticed.

Obama’s transition team has established a website recently with an agenda of things to be addressed once Obama is in office. Looking at the current list, I was upset to see that Marijuana Law Reform is not even mentioned. Thankfully, the website has a page asking for OUR ideas to help solve challenges facing our country.

That means it’s up to us to get Marijuana Law Reform on the list! All you have to do is go to the page linked above to contact Obama and his transition team, and demand change of the current marijuana policy. Thanks to the wonderful people at NORML, you can even include the three suggestions below:

1. President Obama must uphold his campaign promise to cease the federal arrest and prosecution of (state) law-abiding medical cannabis patients and dispensaries by appointing leaders at the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the US Department of Justice, and the US Attorney General’s office who will respect the will of the voters in the thirteen states that have legalized the physician-supervised use of medicinal marijuana.

2. President Obama should use the power of the bully pulpit to reframe the drug policy debate from one of criminal policy to one of public health. Obama can stimulate this change by appointing directors to the Office of National Drug Control Policy who possess professional backgrounds in public health, addiction, and treatment rather than in law enforcement.

3. President Obama should follow up on statements he made earlier in his career in favor of the decriminalization of marijuana by adults by calling for the creation of a bi-partisan Presidential Commission to review the budgetary, social, and health costs associated with federal marijuana prohibition, and to make progressive recommendations for future policy changes.

As if this hasn’t been said enough – This is the time for change! I cannot urge you enough to write this letter to the President Elect and get Marijuana Law Reform on the agenda. You already showed that it’s what you want by voting for it in the election – Now is time to make your voice heard and tell them why and how!

To expand on my previous post, on November 4, 2008, nine out of ten marijuana-related ballot initiatives were passed.

…In the American People, that is. At least somewhat.

Not only have we just made history by electing the first black man as president, but we’ve made even more progress on the law reform front.

For the first time in history, a decriminalization initiative appeared on the statewide ballot in Massachusetts, and voters passed it by a huge majority. This initiative will rid all penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana and replace it with a fine of one-hundred dollars. This fine can be paid through the mail, much like a traffic ticket, without the need for attorneys or court appearances.

Another huge step was taken in Michigan, where voters passed MPP’s medical marijuana initiative, making Michigan the thirteenth Medical Marijuana state. Michigan is the first state in the Midwest, and the second largest in the country, to permit the use of medical marijuana by seriously ill patients.

According to an email I received from Rob Kampia, the Executive Director of the MPP, “As a result of tonight’s victory, almost one quarter of the nation now resides in states with medical marijuana laws.”

For the first time in a very, very long time, I am proud to be an American citizen. Maybe this all means everyone is getting their shit together and the sand out of their vaginas. Here’s to hoping…