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.