Here's a new twist on the Mother's Day marketing: The newly formed Women's Marijuana Movement wants you to send mom an e-card to ask her support for legalizing marijuana.
The Denver-based group is the latest effort to build coalitions to support legalizing pot. While Colorado and 13 other states allow marijuana for medical purposes, California and possibly Colorado voters could consider outright legalization this fall.
The new women's organization is affiliated with SAFER, a national organization that contends marijuana is safer than alcohol.
Jessica Corry, a Republican activist and Denver lawyer who represents medical marijuana patients, is a founder of Women's Marijuana Movement.
"For years I've sort of been the token Republican mom for legalization," Corry says. "This is about providing a platform for those women who felt they couldn't come forward publicly."
The organization's website offers testimonials from women who support legalization, a fact page, and solicitations for supporters.
But the key draw to the group's kickoff is the suggestion that women -- and men -- e-mail a Mother's Day greeting asking mom to support legalization.
The message begins: "Thank you for raising me to be thoughtful and compassionate, to think for myself and make good decisions, to respect my body and my health, to be considerate of others, and to be honest with those I love."
It argues that marijuana is safer than alcohol and includes a link to the book "Marijuana is Safer: So why are we driving people to drink?"
The group may have some educating to do. In Colorado, men comprised 74 percent of the 21,625 medical marijuana patients as of Oct. 31, 2009. In Oregon, almost 63 percent of the 32,929 patients with medical marijuana cards are men.
And women tend to oppose legalization of marijuana more than men, according to an Associated Press/CNBC poll conducted last month. In that survey of 1,001 people, 63 percent of women opposed legalization, compared with 48 percent of men. (The poll has a 4.3 percent plus/minus margin of error.)
Forty-one percent of women said legalization of pot would worsen crime, while only 25 percent of men had that concern. On the other hand, 52 percent of men said the cost of enforcing current marijuana laws is too high. Only 38 percent of women said the costs are too high.
A CBS poll of 858 people in late March and early April produced different results. Men favored legalization only slightly more than women, 45 percent and 42 percent respectively. Fifty-three percent of women said they opposed legalization, while 49 percent of men said they opposed it. (The margin of error for that poll was plus/minus 3 percent.)
Corry says legalization proponents hope to change one mind in 10 and she believes there's a segment of silent support among women. "There is much greater support for marijuana legalization than any public survey would indicate."
Joyce Nalepka, a Maryland resident and president of Drug Free Kids: America's Challenge, is among the mothers and grandmothers working against pot legalization. She joined the anti-drug movement in the 1980s and emphasizes the relationship between marijuana and harder drugs such as ******.
"They all started on marijuana," she says.
She's disappointed in the recent trend toward medical marijuana, and especially with the Obama administration's acceptance of marijuana for medical purposes.
"It's so discouraging for us to see," Nalepka says.
Meanwhile, Colorado's marijuana advocates may also have to overcome the latest missive from The Daily Show -- a hilarious look at the state's booming medical marijuana industry.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Politics Daily
Contact: Politics Daily
Copyright: 2010 AOL Inc
Website: Mixing Mother's Day With Marijuana
The Denver-based group is the latest effort to build coalitions to support legalizing pot. While Colorado and 13 other states allow marijuana for medical purposes, California and possibly Colorado voters could consider outright legalization this fall.
The new women's organization is affiliated with SAFER, a national organization that contends marijuana is safer than alcohol.
Jessica Corry, a Republican activist and Denver lawyer who represents medical marijuana patients, is a founder of Women's Marijuana Movement.
"For years I've sort of been the token Republican mom for legalization," Corry says. "This is about providing a platform for those women who felt they couldn't come forward publicly."
The organization's website offers testimonials from women who support legalization, a fact page, and solicitations for supporters.
But the key draw to the group's kickoff is the suggestion that women -- and men -- e-mail a Mother's Day greeting asking mom to support legalization.
The message begins: "Thank you for raising me to be thoughtful and compassionate, to think for myself and make good decisions, to respect my body and my health, to be considerate of others, and to be honest with those I love."
It argues that marijuana is safer than alcohol and includes a link to the book "Marijuana is Safer: So why are we driving people to drink?"
The group may have some educating to do. In Colorado, men comprised 74 percent of the 21,625 medical marijuana patients as of Oct. 31, 2009. In Oregon, almost 63 percent of the 32,929 patients with medical marijuana cards are men.
And women tend to oppose legalization of marijuana more than men, according to an Associated Press/CNBC poll conducted last month. In that survey of 1,001 people, 63 percent of women opposed legalization, compared with 48 percent of men. (The poll has a 4.3 percent plus/minus margin of error.)
Forty-one percent of women said legalization of pot would worsen crime, while only 25 percent of men had that concern. On the other hand, 52 percent of men said the cost of enforcing current marijuana laws is too high. Only 38 percent of women said the costs are too high.
A CBS poll of 858 people in late March and early April produced different results. Men favored legalization only slightly more than women, 45 percent and 42 percent respectively. Fifty-three percent of women said they opposed legalization, while 49 percent of men said they opposed it. (The margin of error for that poll was plus/minus 3 percent.)
Corry says legalization proponents hope to change one mind in 10 and she believes there's a segment of silent support among women. "There is much greater support for marijuana legalization than any public survey would indicate."
Joyce Nalepka, a Maryland resident and president of Drug Free Kids: America's Challenge, is among the mothers and grandmothers working against pot legalization. She joined the anti-drug movement in the 1980s and emphasizes the relationship between marijuana and harder drugs such as ******.
"They all started on marijuana," she says.
She's disappointed in the recent trend toward medical marijuana, and especially with the Obama administration's acceptance of marijuana for medical purposes.
"It's so discouraging for us to see," Nalepka says.
Meanwhile, Colorado's marijuana advocates may also have to overcome the latest missive from The Daily Show -- a hilarious look at the state's booming medical marijuana industry.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Politics Daily
Contact: Politics Daily
Copyright: 2010 AOL Inc
Website: Mixing Mother's Day With Marijuana
