On February 1st last year almost a dozen individuals, many who were meeting each other for the first time, gathered at Buck’s Deer Saloon discuss forming a NORML chapter in San Antonio.  There have been San Antonio NORML chapters in the past, starting as early as 1991, but I am not familiar with the why the chapters did not succeed.  It is important to San Antonio NORML to include our members and supporters in as much of our activities as possible.  It is important for us to be in involved in community services, fundraisers, events, etc.  It is also important for us to have our own events, fundraisers, public meetings, quarterly member meetings.  We need dedicated individuals willing to dedicate their time to locate, create, organize, and/or coordinate these community activities and volunteer their time.  We need people who are willing to speak up in a room of strangers and say “I support marijuana legalization… Do you?”  We need an organized committee called our Freedom Fighters who are dedicated to passing out NORML flyers, the 420Dude’s business cards, packets, brochures, recruiting businesses and sponsors, seeking donations, taking surveys, and a variety of other creative services.  NORML is about people who believe it is wrong to prosecute an adult for possessing and using marijuana.  We believe marijuana is a harmless medicine that should not be kept from the sick and dying.  We believe that marijuana should be cultivated in the United States for fuel, food, clothes, food, paper, and a variety of other uses. 

There are 3 types of people to convince marijuana is an important topic to discuss and marijuana laws are important to change: 1) Marijuana users 2) Those afraid to break the law 3) Those who were brainwashed by our government’s propaganda and lies.  The first type is the easiest to convince. If someone smokes marijuana, they already know how great it is and have probably already done their research.  Marijuana users just need to be convinced to join to be a member, meet some new people at some public meetings, come to some events, and spread the word… the rest will fall into place.  Those afraid to break the law may want to smoke, but they are scared of the criminal penalties that NORML and other activists are trying to change, making them worth trying to recruit for the cause.  These type of people maybe less likely to come to a public meeting, but it is not unusual to get a membership or generous donation.  The 3rd type of people is the hardest to convince, but I have seen it happen.  People who have been brainwashed by government propaganda and lies do not even want to listen… until it affects them personally.  For example, I know a retired Constable that actually worked with Lamar Smith who a year ago was anti-marijuana.  After getting skin cancer and meeting someone who was able to convince him to use hemp balm on the cancer, the cancer was GONE after only 5 days.  He admits the cannabis mixture saved his life and has even attended a public meeting. 

It is not enough just to convince people to discuss marijuana, they need to vote for it too.  Vote against representatives and bills that oppose marijuana reform, vote for representatives and bills that are for marijuana decriminalization and legalization.  San Antonio NORML also stresses the importance of voting and is trying to help other Texas NORML chapters with a political campaign called “Reaching Out to Our Reps”.  This campaign consists of making and sending informational packets regarding decriminalizing/ legalizing marijuana, medical marijuana, and industrial hemp to our members and representatives.  We will then have a team follow up with each representative to record their stance on marijuana.  This information will be published on our website and distributed throughout San Antonio with the help of our NORML members and supporters.

Why should you be a part of the marijuana movement happening around the country?  People have discovered that they have been deceived by the government, and Americans are not only being denied a profitable industrial plant, but citizens are also being denied a medicine.  Regardless if someone wants marijuana legal for profit, medicine, or recreational use, it is a harmless plant that has never caused one single death in history.  It has been used for many purposes including medicine and relaxing for thousands of years.  The time has come to free marijuana and all of the non-violent criminals locked up for it, and we need people like you to make this happen. 

Have you ever been told you have failed a drug test when you knew you were clean?  Drug tests have been known to produce false-positive results in 5% to 10% of drug test results if the drug test is administered by a testing lab that meets federal standards, but according to statistics about 85% of drug testing labs do not meet federal standards.  If you are tested by a testing lab that does not meet federal standards, your chances of testing false-positive range from 4% to over 50%.  A false-positive result happens when a substance is mistaken for another compound.

There are currently over 250 over-the-counter medications and prescription drugs that can cause false-positives.  Marijuana false positives can be the cause of taking Ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin, Pamprin, Naproxen, and Aleve just to name a few. So when you are asked by the police, doctors, or employees if you take any over-the-counter medications… say “Yes”, and remember these medications.  Amoxicillin, tonic water, kidney infection, kidney or liver disease, and diabetes can make you test false-positive for cocaine.  There are over 20 medications that will make you test a false-positive for amphetamine, and it is no myth that poppy seeds can make you test false-positive for opiates. Over-the-counter anti-nausea medications that contain phenergan and promethegan can make you test false-positive for LSD, and over a dozen medications as well as kidney and liver disease or diabetes can make you test false-positive for ecstasy. So if you are a marijuana or drug user remember that before you admit to using a substance make sure you have reported the Advil or whatever medication you choose to say you’re on to the administrator of the test. 

Drug tests did not become popular in the United States until 1981 after a plane crashed into the carrier deck of the U.S. Navy’s USS Nimitz killing and injuring dozens of personnel.  Drug testing was administered immediately, and the results revealed drug use among several enlisted persons and officers.  As a result, the Secretary of the Navy instituted an intensive drug testing program.  After the Navy’s drug testing policies began, other branches of military services soon started implementing testing.  It wasn’t until 1989 that President George Bush Sr. adopted the drug testing policy into the White House Drug Control Strategy.  Some have argued that drug testing violates our Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which is suppose to guard against unreasonable searches and seizures, along with any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause. Probable cause is defined as “a reasonable belief that a person has committed a crime.”

Question… what do cops consider reasonable?  Is it reasonable for cops to have people give their blood without consent? According to the “no refusal” policy, a cop can have a warrant issued to have you forced to give your blood. Excuse me! Isn’t that breaking the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution?  The Fifth Amendment is suppose to protect individuals from abuse of government authority in a legal procedure.  Forcing people to have a needle stuck in their arm without their consent is abuse, and as of October 24th, 2011 Bexar county and San Antonio adopted the “no refusal” policy 365 days a year.  The county was given a $1.4 million grant from the Texas Department of Transportation for the “no refusal” policy to be an everyday constitutional raping of people’s rights.

Depending on how much marijuana is consumed it can usually be detected in blood tests within 6 hours of consumption.  It generally disappears completely after 22 hours, however THC metabolities stay in the blood for 2-3 days to up to 2 weeks depending on usage. Alcohol can be detected in a blood test 12-24 hours after consumption.  Most other drugs can be detected 1-5 days in the blood after ingestion.

Although there are over-the-counter drugs that can possibly get you out of failing a drug test, a blood test is very accurate and expensive not to mention invasive to human rights. The “no refusal” policy should be stopped immediately.