Almost Time for Almost 4/20 Rally at the State Capitol

[Bunty]

Wednesday April 20th from 12:30 to 4:20PM is the time for the Almost 4/20 Rally at the Oklahoma State Capitol. It's to rally around the need for drug law reform in Oklahoma. It was originally scheduled for 4/20 until State Senator Johnson, originator of the SB573, the bill to legalized medical marijuana in Oklahoma, suggested moving it to the 18th when many more legislators would be at the State Capitol. Other details at http://okmedicalmarijuana.org.

[BBatesokc]

Legalize marijuana and then raise the tax on snack foods = double win for the state coffers!

[NoOkie]

Legalize marijuana and then raise the tax on snack foods = double win for the state coffers!

They'd have to start locking the Oreos up in cases like they do with condoms and razor blades.

[MDot]

Legalize marijuana and then raise the tax on snack foods = double win for the state coffers!

This made me laugh.

[Jim Kyle]

Wednesday April 20th from 12:30 to 4:20PM is the time

Do you really mean that as written? Of course, Wednesday is the 18th and the rest of your message indicates that Wednesday is the correct day, but at least a few folk are going to miss the point and show up on the 20th....

[Bunty]

Do you really mean that as written? Of course, Wednesday is the 18th and the rest of your message indicates that Wednesday is the correct day, but at least a few folk are going to miss the point and show up on the 20th....

Too late to change it. But the day is correct, Wednesday the 18th. It doesn't matter much, because considering how intense the apathy is in Oklahoma to reform laws against drugs, including marijuana, I don't expect any more than several dozen people to be there when speeches are being given. Maybe Ron Paul supporters would like to prove me wrong when a lot more than several dozen showed up for the Ron Paul rally. However, since the Almost 4/20 Rally is being held during working hours, that will work to keep the crowd down as much as the apathy.

[boscorama]

I support the fight against The War On People Who Use Pot/Cannabis/Weed/Marijuana/Chronic/Grass/Herb. You cannot keep kids off drugs by arresting grownups for pot, no matter how many harsh sentences are imposed.

[Bunty]

PRESS RELEASE:

Citizens Protest Drug War and Prohibition

April 18, 2012, 12:30 p.m. - 4:20 p.m., a public rally is scheduled on the South side of the Oklahoma Capitol Building! The purpose is to increase public and government support for drug policy reform. The rally is to protest the War on Drugs (prohibition) and the mistreatment of drug users.

There will be guest speakers, drug policy reform information and active visits to our elected officials.

The "War on Drugs" is increasing the market share and profits for the drug cartels.

The "War on Drugs" is overcrowding our violent, disease infested prisons.

The "War on Drugs" is causing sick and dying people to suffer (i.e. medical marijuana).

Prejudice and profit have dominated our drug policy for too long. It is time for us to take this struggle to the front lines! It is time for us to go directly to the public officials responsible for these laws and tell them what we want. It is time for us to demand freedom and equality. It is time for us to be treated better!

This event is organized by the Drug Policy Reform Network of Oklahoma (www.dprnok.net). Our main project is the Oklahoma Compassionate Care Campaign for medical marijuana (www.okmedicalmarijuana.org).

If you can't make it to the capitol Wednesday, please call your state senator and representative to tell them how you feel about the War on Drugs. It will be a powerful statement if we are visiting their offices and ringing their phones at the same time. You can easily find your legislators' phone numbers by going to www.oklegislature.gov and following the directions for "finding you legislators" at the bottom right of the homepage.

[oneforone]

I used to disagree with this movement. Now with the state of today's world, getting raped on my tax return and the true fact that politicians simply don't care anymore. It does not matter who gets elected in November were all going to unemployed and homeless before the end of the decade so we might as well have some fun in the meantime.

[kevinpate]

... I don't expect any more than several dozen people to be there when speeches are being given.

Maybe if you advertised free munchies?

[Maynard]

[TheTravellers]

Too late to change it. But the day is correct, Wednesday the 18th. It doesn't matter much, because considering how intense the apathy is in Oklahoma to reform laws against drugs, including marijuana, I don't expect any more than several dozen people to be there when speeches are being given. Maybe Ron Paul supporters would like to prove me wrong when a lot more than several dozen showed up for the Ron Paul rally. However, since the Almost 4/20 Rally is being held during working hours, that will work to keep the crowd down as much as the apathy.

I'm pretty into activism, and I would love to be there, but I'm hourly with no paid vacation/sick time, so I'd lose 4 hours of pay, which I can't afford to. Apathy in intense in OK for not just drug reform, but a whole lot of other things - it's just amazing sometimes when I talk to people here and they have no idea what I'm talking about because they're just clueless ("If it doesn't affect my life personally, I don't care" is the attitude of a lot of them).

I really like this campaign and this particular slide:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...gn_To_Regulate

[Bunty]

The highlight of the event was when Mark Woodward, a top guy at the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs appeared and got confronted by a couple dozen angry rally goers. A couple of them directly facing him were a couple of young guys, each in a wheel chair wanting medical marijuana legalized. Some strong words were exchanged for as long as a half hour, but didn't get too ugly. Several video cameras were present, so the exchanges might get on YouTube. Woodward was the guy who last year asked legislators to pass a new law allowing up to life in prison for making hash. It was passed.

Nothing is likely to change at the State Capitol getting anything done about the overly harsh anti marijuana laws. There are some Democrats who want change, but are blocked by Republican rule. So if Oklahoma wants medical marijuana to be legalized or recreational use of marijuana decriminalized, it will have to do it via a voter referendum done through the petition process. Arkansas currently has a petition for legalizing medical marijuana underway for the November election. Half of the signatures needed.have been collected. It has until July 6th to get the rest of them.

[BBatesokc]

Welcome to 4/21 - National Random Drug Testing Day!

[boscorama]

You can drop the "Republican rule" silliness, at least when it comes to drug policy.

DPRNOK seems over-represented by ideologic intolerance, there being only one Kool-Aid for people who use pot. What if one of their marijuana patients were to express sympathy for conservative causes? Diversity, anyone?

[Bunty]

You can drop the "Republican rule" silliness, at least when it comes to drug policy.

DPRNOK seems over-represented by ideologic intolerance, there being only one Kool-Aid for people who use pot. What if one of their marijuana patients were to express sympathy for conservative causes? Diversity, anyone?

I'm sure Democrats at the State Capitol who support marijuana law reform, including legalizing medical marijuana, know of Republican rule all too well. They probably don't mind it all that much since it's a hot button issue they don't need to be out front about, because it would just automatically get shot down by the Republicans, if they tried, though, it was brave of State Sen. Johnson in coming out with SB 573 to legalize medical marijuana.

Surely, DPRNOK is concentrated on reforming drug law policy in Oklahoma and no other causes liberal or conservative.. The ideological intolerance is concentrated amongst Oklahoma legislators and leaders of state drug policy, such as Mark Woodward, who can't accept the idea that marijuana as a gateway drug has been discredited. If marijuana worked so well as a gateway drug, then the number of cocaine and heroin users would be much closer to that of marijuana users.

FOX 25 was possibly the only OKC TV news source that covered the rally: http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/top_s...vid_5049.shtml

[oneforone]

I find it rather odd that everyone is screaming ban tobacco while at the same time screaming legalize marijuana.

I don't agree with legalization however, I would support lessening the penalties for users and sticking it harder to those that produce and distribute illegal drugs.

Here is a question for those that say marijuana is harmless. Would you allow a surgery team to work on you after they shared a big fat joint? I wouldn't. Its a mind altering drug that more people enjoy because most police officers look the other way or just let people go with a warning. My dad got stopped in the 70s on the way to concert The cop told him roll a one joint. The cop let them keep the joint and made them dump the rest on the road. The cop told them to enjoy the concert. He went back to his car and took off.

I know the culture because I grew up around it. It's not any safer then any other drug. My brothers use set him on a life of crime and he is still in and out of DOC custody to this day. People are killing each other every day however that does not mean we need to make it legal.

[NoOkie]

I find it rather odd that everyone is screaming ban tobacco while at the same time screaming legalize marijuana.

I don't agree with legalization however, I would support lessening the penalties for users and sticking it harder to those that produce and distribute illegal drugs.

Here is a question for those that say marijuana is harmless. Would you allow a surgery team to work on you after they shared a big fat joint? I wouldn't. Its a mind altering drug that more people enjoy because most police officers look the other way or just let people go with a warning. My dad got stopped in the 70s on the way to concert The cop told him roll a one joint. The cop let them keep the joint and made them dump the rest on the road. The cop told them to enjoy the concert. He went back to his car and took off.

I know the culture because I grew up around it. It's not any safer then any other drug. My brothers use set him on a life of crime and he is still in and out of DOC custody to this day. People are killing each other every day however that does not mean we need to make it legal.

I wouldn't allow a surgery team to work on me if they shared a few glasses of scotch before the procedure. That's a silly argument. As for your brother, would he have been set on his course if pot was legal? Would he have just gotten stoned off his gourd and ate a lot of oreos instead of ending up in jail? Some people just "go bad" for lack of a better term and will find something to do. Hell, I've got a kid that might go down that path and he's not involved in drugs at all. It has as much to do with the person as the crimes.

[kevinpate]

Bunty, no offense meant, but if the highlight of the day was a couple of folk got into a strong words chat with Woodward, that sounds a bit dull for a rally.

[onthestrip]

I find it rather odd that everyone is screaming ban tobacco while at the same time screaming legalize marijuana.

I don't agree with legalization however, I would support lessening the penalties for users and sticking it harder to those that produce and distribute illegal drugs.

Here is a question for those that say marijuana is harmless. Would you allow a surgery team to work on you after they shared a big fat joint? I wouldn't. Its a mind altering drug that more people enjoy because most police officers look the other way or just let people go with a warning. My dad got stopped in the 70s on the way to concert The cop told him roll a one joint. The cop let them keep the joint and made them dump the rest on the road. The cop told them to enjoy the concert. He went back to his car and took off.

I know the culture because I grew up around it. It's not any safer then any other drug. My brothers use set him on a life of crime and he is still in and out of DOC custody to this day. People are killing each other every day however that does not mean we need to make it legal.

No one is advocating that pot can be used anytime anywhere. You still wouldnt be able to operate machinery, drive under its influence, or preform sugery. There would obviously be restrictions on its use. And people dont want tobacco banned, they just dont want to be subjected to smoke in public places.

[Bunty]

I find it rather odd that everyone is screaming ban tobacco while at the same time screaming legalize marijuana.

I don't know who wants to ban tobacco like marijuana. I think most people know banning tobacco would be stupid and foolish, because we don't have enough prison beds to put nicotine addicts.

As more and more people become aware that reasons for banning marijuana were largely based on racism and outdated corporate fears from hemp, banning it will be realized as a mistake that should be corrected by legalizing it. Doing so will allow more research on it to better understand its good as well as bad aspects upon the body.

[Bunty]

Bunty, no offense meant, but if the highlight of the day was a couple of folk got into a strong words chat with Woodward, that sounds a bit dull for a rally.

It at least represented a delightful break from pubic apathy on the subject.

[Jim Kyle]

People are killing each other every day however that does not mean we need to make it legal.

That same argument could have been applied to alcohol in 1931, before the Prohibition era came to an end. The Volstead act that criminalized the sale of alcoholic beverages within the USA gave us organized crime and open gang warfare. Among its legacies were Al Capone and Murder, Inc., not to mention dozens of movies and TV shows about that era. Even repealing it and bringing alcohol back to a legal but controlled status failed to fix all the damage.

The "War on Drugs" has had similar results. How can rational people fail to see the parallel, and the eventual outcome?

Oh, I forgot for a moment -- zealots aren't rational!

[Bunty]

People are killing each other every day however that does not mean we need to make it legal.

I've never heard of anyone turning to a foul or violent mood after smoking pot. I've never heard of so much as a woman whoring for pot.

It's ironically interesting that people are opposed to legalizing pot, because they fear it might turn people psychotic, yet, no one seems concerned that a high percentage of schizophrenia sufferers smoke tobacco. Studies, though, then to associate increased risk for schizophrenia with pot smokers. The earlier in life they start smoking the higher the risk. So there you go with a good reason to legalize marijuana, assuming the idea that kids can get joints easier than something legal, like alcohol and cigarettes isn't an urban legend.

People like Woodward might say don't legalize marijuana even for medical purposes, because it contains over 400 chemicals. But do such people realize we better be more concerned about cigarettes containing over 1000 chemicals?

[BBatesokc]

I've never heard of anyone turning to a foul or violent mood after smoking pot...

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?se...cal&id=8564404