03-14-2013 Meeting Minutes for Northern Wisconsin NORML

Due to technical difficulties, the video from the March 2013 meeting is not available. Next month, regular video/audio should resume.

3-14-2013 Meeting Minutes for Northern WI NORML

Rich opened the meeting at 5:40 pm.
Board Members in attendance:  Rich, Nox, Jay, Jessie
14 other members were in attendance.

Jay read the treasurer’s report.  We had 12 new members for the month of February.  Overall it was a great month for the chapter.

We did not have a Februrary meeting due to snow.  Jay voted that we waive the reading of the Meeting Minutes from the January meeting.  Nox seconded it.   Moving on.

Rich discussed the drug law reform panel held in Oshkosh on February 13th, 2013.  Rich and Jay both spoke there, as well as our chapter’s attorney, Kirk Everson (http://www.erattorney.com/). Several mainstream media channels aired information about the forum.  Details and video about the event are available on our website (http://www.northernwinorml.org/).

Rich and Jay discussed the Slightly Stoopid concert in Milwaukee this month. Northern WI NORML tabled at the concert, collected a couple hundred signatures, handed out information, and had a good response.  There were over 2000 people there. Rich actually saw someone in the crowd with a Northern WI NORML T-shirt.

Jay would like to see a Northern WI NORML booth at a state county fair.  Some legwork has already been done.  If anyone would like to work on this project, please see Jay.  Some events do not want cannabis related vendors, but would accept a table featuring Industrial Hemp.

Rich has submitted Jay Selthofner as a candidate to receive a legislative citation from Joan Ballweg, our local legislator, and we are awaiting a response.  In the past, Joan has been a co-sponsor of legislation on the issue, and has spoken with Jay many times on the issue, so we are hopeful that she will respond favorably.  More details to come.

JC Paustian of Just Act Natural, a store down the street from Harmony Cafe here in Appleton, wrote an article for the magazine “Nature’s Pathways’ discussing hemp.  (March 2013 issue, page 14).  Jay suggested that we try to get an article in this or other magazines as well.

April 20th, Elizabeth will be setting up a table at the Farmer’s Market – if anybody would like to help with that, call Rich at 920-659-2052.

Elizabeth went on camera to discuss the Farmer’s Market, as well as the Eco Expo on May 11th.  Rich would like to do the Answers to Energy Expo.  Jay and Nox both seconded that idea.  Rich will contact them tomorrow and set it up.  Rich has done this expo before, and thought it would be a good idea to do again.  She also discussed the Big Green Sustainable Music Festival on August 17th (10 am to 10 pm).  She will coordinate getting the booth for this year.  There will also be workshops available, so if someone wants to try to speak at a workshop, that would be a great idea.  If there are any volunteers who would like to help, please speak with Elizabeth.

NORML Jay found some hats for the chapter to order.  They are made from 100% hemp.  They are really nice hats.  For more information, visit our website or facebook page.

National NORML has called for action to contact our representatives and ask them to support house resolution 449 Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2013.  You can follow the links on our website (http://www.northernwinorml.org/) or at http://legis.wisconsin.gov/Pages/waml.aspx.

Sens. Mich McConnel, Jeff Merkley, Rand Paul, and Ron Wyden introduced State Senate Bill 359 to amend the US Controlled Substances Act to exclude Industrial Hemp from the definition of Marijuana.

Saturday May 4th, from 2pm-7m, SE WI NORML will hold a march in Milwaukee.  Meet up at Kilbourne Park at 2pm, leaving at 2:45.For more information, visit http://www.sewisconsinnorml.org/.

SE WI NORML also plans to show the film Breaking the Taboo at the Miramar Theater on Friday March 22nd. They have quite an evening planned with speakers and other events.    Our chapter could do something similar if we wanted to.  We discussed getting a theater to play it, versus a library, or a university room, etc.  NORML Elizabeth offered to help coordinate that with anyone who wants to help with this project.

Rich discussed taking a survey in 2013. He would like to survey Wisconsinites regarding their preferred method of medicating with cannabis (smoking from a pipe, water pipe, rolling papers,, vaporizing, eating, etc) and other related questions.  For more information or to help, see Rich.

Rich is requesting book and movie reviews of cannabis related entertainment for our website.

Jay was approached by a professor and a student that want to delve into the reasons and impacts of patients who are moving from non-medical states to the upper peninsula of Michigan to participate in the medical marijuana program.  The information you provide will be kept strictly confidential.  Please contact Jay if you would like to be connected to this study.  You can find more information at:  http://www.jayselthofner.com/2013/03/press-release-participants-needed-for-university-of-wisconsin-medical-marijuana-research-project/

Jay also discussed that it is a budget year.  We need to reach out to our legislators regarding cannabis, hemp, and the budget.  Any angle you want to take is fine.  But we specifically do want to change the controlled substances act in Wisconsin.  The public defenders office has asked that the issue of decriminalizing 25 grams or less and removing the felony charges for this amount.  We should voice support of this.  July 1st the new budget will be passed, so there is a timeline.  Jay wants to really focus on the Republican party, since they have not been supportive of reform in the past, and could be educated better so that they can hopefully support it in the future.

Jay also discussed that more people in Wisconsin are applying for Oregon cards, CA cards, Michigan cards, etc.  Even though Wisconsin does not have a medical marijuana law and still criminalizes marijuana for all reasons, it still could offer some protection in court due to changing laws and the national discussions going on around the topic.

Jay opened the floor to questions, comments, etc at 6:29 pm.  We had a question about how one becomes an Oregon patient.   We also mentioned the Ben Masel project as one way of getting your OR card.  For more information, visit http://www.benmaselproject.com/.

Linda discussed her Moms for Marijuana chapter.  Last year, the national chapter did a quilt.  Linda had made the Wisconsin patch for the quilt.  She asked them how we could get the quilt displayed here during Harvest Fest in October.  They will only let chapter leaders request the quilt.  So, Linda started a chapter of Mom’s for Marijuana.  She has made 3 quilt squares alltogether so far.  She sent two in for the unity panels.  However the other two squares won’t be added until August.  You don’t have to be a mom or even a woman to join the group or the chapter.  We encourage everyone to join the Fox Valley Moms for Marijuana chapter, go to the facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/515226405165358/ and also visit the website for the national chapter at http://momsformarijuana.com/.

Rich made a last call for comments.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:37pm.