If you are in Pennsylvania, I encourage you to attend the following event:
We’re proud to work with organizer Les Stark to host a large pro-cannabis rally in the State Capitol. More than 500 people have already signed up to attend The Keystone Cannabis Reform Rally on March 31 in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. The event will emphasize the urgent need for cannabis and hemp reform in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. After the rally, members of Philly and Pittsburgh NORML will be lobbying elected officials – we urge any interested attendees to join us.
Event Details
March 31st, 2014
10:00 AM
State Capitol Building, Harrisburg, PA
Main Rotunda
Speakers will present the case for immediate passage of Senate Bill 1182, the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act. They will also address the economic and environmental benefits of allowing farmers to grow industrial hemp as well as the necessity of establishing a legal, regulated market for adult consumption of cannabis.
Some of the featured speakers will be:
- John Hanger - Democratic candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania
- Ed Rendell – The former Governor of Pennsylvania is preparing a letter to be read in support of reform.
- State Senator Daylin Leach – Current congressional candidate and sponsor of Senate Bills 528 and 770, and co-sponsor of Senate Bill 1182
- Josh Stanley – Cannabis expert from Colorado and creator of the Charlotte’s Web strain featured in Sanjay Gupta’s special “Weed”.
- Lolly Bentch Myers – From Pa. Advocates for MMJ, activist and mother of Anna
- Les Stark – Hemp Historian/Activist and Author of Hempstone Heritage, a book about the history of the hemp industry in Pennsylvania
- Erica Lynn – Activist/organizer
- Dana Ulrich – From Pa. Advocates for MMJ and Legalize For Lorelei
- Staff Sgt Mike Whiter – 11 year Marine Corps veteran of Kosovo and Iraq; Co-Chairman of PhillyNORML
- Shawn Patrick House – Hemp entrepreneur and owner of Hempzels
- Patrick Nightingale, Esq. – Executive Director of PittsburghNORML; Law Enforcement Against Prohibition speaker
- Roger Ford – CEO for Patriot Bioenergy Corporation based in Kentucky, Kentucky Hemp Growers Co-Op and West Virginia Hemp Growers Co-Op
“Legalization and taxation of marijuana will allow doctors to prescribe medical cannabis, will stop the massive waste of taxes, will generate new tax revenues and will attack the schools to jail pipeline,” said keynote speaker John Hanger.
Former Governor Ed Rendell agrees and calls Hanger’s 3-step plan for reform “brilliant”. State Senator Daylin Leach says, “Prohibition is such a cruel, irrational, destructive policy. It’s support among the public is collapsing. I think it’s an issue where the tide of history has turned and the tipping point has been reached”.
Recent polls done by Quinnipiac University and the Mercyhurst Center for Applied Politics have shown 85% support for medical cannabis and strong support for overall reform.
Organizer and hemp historian Les Stark says, “We will demonstrate that there is a large, respectable, informed movement in this state to reform our laws on cannabis and hemp. Some of us believe in industrial hemp. Others are strictly concerned with medical cannabis. Still others want all around reform that includes the full legalization of cannabis. Each issue can be considered separately on their own merits but united we raise our voices in the call for compassionate reform”.
The rally will begin at 10:00 AM in the Rotunda of the State Capitol building in Harrisburg on Monday, March 31. More information can be found on the Facebook event’s page for the Keystone Cannabis Reform Rally. We hope you’ll join your fellow citizens in this united call for cannabis law reform.
Source: Philly NORML
