• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • 5 DOUBLE-U’S
    • MASTHEAD
    • DISTRIBUTION
    • ADVERTISE
    • SUBMISSIONS
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Boston's Only Newspaper

READ CURRENT STREET ISSUE

DIG Year End 2020

ROLLING DEBATE: DISPATCH FROM THE MASSCANN/NORML SONS OF LIBERTY ROAD TRIP

Written by CHRIS FOYE Posted May 5, 2016 Filed Under: COLUMNS, The Tokin' Truth

Photo by Jenuinevision
Photo by Jenuinevision

 

Every person who has ever been an activist in the United States has envisioned themselves taking the fight to our nation’s capitol, Washington DC. It’s the Madison Square Garden of social reform, groomed from decades of actions ranging from civil rights protests to veterans bringing awareness about the unseen scars of war to the fight for equality with our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.

 

And most recently, for me at least, the fight to end the prohibition of cannabis.

 

Last month, marijuana warriors from all over the country converged on Washington with two goals in mind: reform and civil disobedience. Following the call of the local reform group DCMJ, members of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition (MassCann/NORML) left our home state, where we are deeply engaged in the fight to legalize on the November ballot, to join the larger fight for cannabis freedom. With the strong possibility of legalization on the horizon, MassCann has been asking important questions about the future scope of reform and will be broadening to include New England-wide issues, as well as direct involvement in federal reform.

 

Back to our DC trip: Under the current Controlled Substances Act, there are five “schedules” for drugs and chemicals that can be used to make drugs. Schedule I is reserved for drugs that the DEA considers to have no “currently accepted medical use.” Marijuana has been classified as Schedule I for decades, grouped together with other substances like heroin and LSD. Many reformers call for the out-and-out descheduling of cannabis; but whether the feds reschedule or deschedule, either move could erode once and for all any arguments that prohibitionists have left. As of now, much of the blatant public ignorance stems from the ability for know-nothings to shrug and say, “There hasn’t been enough testing.”

 

It’s not enough to just show up to a party. So for our Sons of Liberty road trip, we rented a 15-passenger van and filled it with activists from as many state NORML chapters and related organizations as we could find with 48 hours’ notice. Among those who joined our ranks: military veteran/activist Stephen Mandile; caregiver and baker Mary Beth of CannaBeth Consultants; and Dr. Uma Dhanabalan of Uplifting Health and Wellness, who flew down at the last minute.

 

Revised Article and photos fara1hiphop gmail.com Gmail
Photo by Jenuinevision

 

Our trek started down I-95 with Rhode Island NORML reps Mark Ward and Arthur McCarthy hopping aboard. Sleep was made more comfortable thanks to medible donations from Beast Coast Bacon and the Hardy Consultants, after which the van rolled into Philadelphia to meet activists including New Jersey NORML member Ricardo Rivera. Rivera advocates tirelessly for his daughter, Tuffy, who suffers from Lennox Gastaut Syndrome, a rare and catastrophic form of epilepsy. Plus Marine Corps veteran/activist Mike Whiter and PhillyNORML member and Freedom Leaf Editor Chris Goldstein, fresh off his federal probation for cannabis activism, with the latter’s Panic Hour co-host NA Poe. Had we been pulled over, it would have made for an interesting police report, to say the least.

 

Things kicked off in DC at the DCMJ offices, located just a few blocks from the White House. Activists rolled out a 51-foot joint, at which point police stopped the procession. A temporary standoff ensued, but protesters ultimately appeased the government by deflating said enormous doobie in order to move closer to President Barack Obama’s front lawn. With a beautifully simple PA system on a handcart powered by car batteries, DCMJ opened up the mic to advocates.

 

As the 4:20 pm light-up in peaceful civil disobedience approached, there was an ever-growing police and secret service presence, including dozens of cruisers and paddy wagons on standby. But as the smoke rose, the sky did not fall. There were no mass arrests, and no young people were dragged through the streets. There were two $25 fines, as per DC law, both of which were paid for by Philadelphia’s Poe in the spirit of solidarity.

 

Days after the action, Keith Stroup, the national director of NORML, sparked an age-old philosophical debate by publicly deriding the protest, calling it “misguided and counter-productive,” among other things. As the founder of NORML, his opinions do hold weight, though to some they also seem hypocritical since Stroup himself has participated in simple civil disobedience. It’s important to consider whether direct action and demonstrations are viable tactics that help facilitate change, and if certain actions compromise by breaking the law. In the meantime, during the days immediately following the DC protest, the DEA announced that the agency plans to decide whether marijuana should be reclassified under federal law in “the first half of 2016.” Coincidence? I like to think not!

 

Chris Foye is a former Army airborne engineer and longtime Boston reform activist. He has served on MassCann/NORML’s Board of Directors since 2011 and is one of the event coordinators of the Boston Freedom Rally.

CHRIS FOYE
More from author
  • CHRIS FOYE
    https://digboston.com/author/chris-foye/
    SPECIAL GUEST DISPATCH FROM THE BEAST COAST SECRET CUP IN MAINE

Filed Under: COLUMNS, The Tokin' Truth Tagged With: Boston, cannabis, Marijuana, MassCann, medical marijuana, NORML, Obama, Protest, Schedule I, Scheduling, Washington DC

WHAT’S NEW

WU ASSERTS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ARTS IN HER CAMPAIGN

WU ASSERTS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ARTS IN HER CAMPAIGN

STREET MEDICS BOLSTER PROTESTS IN MORE WAYS THAN YOU MAY REALIZE

STREET MEDICS BOLSTER PROTESTS IN MORE WAYS THAN YOU MAY REALIZE

HOW ONE MASS TOWN TOOK EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES TO APPEASE A CONTROVERSIAL COP

HOW ONE MASS TOWN TOOK EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES TO APPEASE A CONTROVERSIAL COP

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HONORED, SPEAKERS ADDRESS RACISM

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HONORED, SPEAKERS ADDRESS RACISM

FORMER MASS GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE PREDICTED VIOLENCE BEFORE ASSAULT ON CAPITOL

FORMER MASS GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE PREDICTED VIOLENCE BEFORE ASSAULT ON CAPITOL

PRISON HORRORS BY THE NUMBERS

PRISON HORRORS BY THE NUMBERS

Primary Sidebar

HEMPIRE FREEDOM PACK 25% OFF

FEATURED EVENT

Most Popular

  • APPOINTED SOMERVILLE OFFICIAL SPURS OUTRAGE WITH TWEETS FROM DC MOB SCENE by MARC LEVY
  • Aerial View Parkman Bandstand at Boston Common. CC BY-SA 4.0 2017 by AbhiSuryawanshi. NO HONEYMOON FOR BIDEN: 1/20 PROTEST ON BOSTON COMMON, 4 PM by MATTHEW ANDREWS
  • VIDEO: COP WHO BRAGGED THAT HE HIT PROTESTERS SHOWS HOW BAD APPLES THRIVE IN BOSTON by CHRIS FARAONE
  • PRISON HORRORS BY THE NUMBERS by SARAH BETANCOURT
  • IT’S HARDER THAN EVER TO FIND A BATHROOM IN BOSTON. WHAT’S THE CITY DOING ABOUT IT? by ZACK HUFFMAN

READ CURRENT MEMBER EDITION

DIG Member 1.9 – 11/26/20

READ CURRENT STREET ISSUE

DIG Year End 2020

Footer

digbos

HOW ONE MASS TOWN TOOK EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES TO A HOW ONE MASS TOWN TOOK EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES TO APPEASE A CONTROVERSIAL COP https://digboston.com/no-justice-how-officials-in-one-mass-town-took-extraordinary-measures-to-appease-a-controversial-cop/ #ArlingtonMA #police #reform #cop #racism #controversy #BlackLivesMatter #Massachusetts
Ghost kitchens simply don’t have a need for host Ghost kitchens simply don’t have a need for hosts, servers, bartenders, bussers … What happens to those #jobs if virtual kitchens continue to flourish? https://digboston.com/ghost-story-virtual-kitchens-appear-to-be-the-next-big-thing-but-at-what-cost/ #restaurant #labor #work #Boston #Massachusetts #coronavirus #COVID19
“I don’t think we’re going to wake up on Jan “I don’t think we’re going to wake up on Jan. 7 in the same country we went to bed in on the 6th.” https://digboston.com/former-mass-gubernatorial-candidate-predicted-violence-before-assault-on-capitol/ #politics #Massachusetts #national #Capitol #WashingtonDC #MAGA
RADICAL AND RELEVANT: THE LIFE OF HARRY BRILL http RADICAL AND RELEVANT: THE LIFE OF HARRY BRILL https://digboston.com/radical-and-relevant-the-life-of-harry-brill/ #obituary #organizer #radical #sociologist #democracy #politics @UMassBoston @BklynCollege411 @UCBerkeley #Boston #Massachusetts #NewYorkCity #Berkeley #California
NO HONEYMOON FOR BIDEN: 1/20 #PROTEST ON BOSTON CO NO HONEYMOON FOR BIDEN: 1/20 #PROTEST ON BOSTON COMMON, 4 PM https://digboston.com/no-honeymoon-for-biden-1-20-protest-on-boston-common-4-pm/ #opinion #progressive #left #action #inauguration #Boston #Massachusetts
Light and sweet and hoppy, we’re loving this lat Light and sweet and hoppy, we’re loving this latest incarnation of a #beer that’s been in the making for months. https://digboston.com/video-jacks-abby-x-boston-celtics-pride-and-parquet-hoppy-lager-unboxing-tasting/ #fun #video #review #Boston #Massachusetts
Jostling for position and influence are the disadv Jostling for position and influence are the disadvantaged candidates, existing industry participants, and municipalities … https://digboston.com/the-road-to-home-delivery-pt-5-dogs-in-the-fight-identifying-the-players/ #cannabis #politics #analysis #Massachusetts
The candidates will be interviewed about the upcom The candidates will be interviewed about the upcoming race. https://digboston.com/wu-and-campbell-to-speak-at-mayoral-candidate-webinar/ #politics #mayor #campaign #Boston #Massachusetts
Participants took to the streets in the hope of sw Participants took to the streets in the hope of swaying the Biden administration. https://digboston.com/on-national-day-of-action-protesters-call-for-eviction-moratorium/ #housing #justice #protest #national #Boston #Massachusetts
“They refuse to respond to this humanitarian cri “They refuse to respond to this humanitarian crisis where people really need them. We’re just ignoring this problem and it’s getting worse and worse.” https://digboston.com/its-harder-than-ever-to-find-a-bathroom-in-boston-whats-the-city-doing-about-it/ #politics #unhoused #homeless #bathroom #public #health #Boston #Massachusetts
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Submissions

Advertise

Privacy Policy

Customer Service

Distribution

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an e-mail blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: [email protected] To reach Editorial: [email protected] For internship opportunities: [email protected]