We live in a country where our government is “of the people, by the people, for the people.”
In the current political climate, these words have never rung truer. Protesters have taken to the street World Wide to fight for their beliefs to be heard and represented. A majority of these global protests were ignited from online advocates.
Large social movements like the Women’s March and the March for Science were fueled from online advocates sharing their opinion and educating the population. A strong advocacy campaign requires unity, a willingness to step out of your comfort zone and knowledge of the subject you are fighting for. In order to capitalize on the momentum of the “cannabis revolution” YOU must act.
The World needs to know that you believe Cannabis should be legalized.
What’s nice about modern times is, you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your home to make your voice heard. While large organized marches capture the media’s attention, there are several actions that can be just as effective.
If enough people take action, we can have REAL WORLD CHANGE at the local, national and international level.
This article is organized to show you specific actions you can take:
- General Actions
- Local Actions
- National Actions
- International Actions
General Actions
Listed below are actions you can take that will benefit the cannabis revolution on a local, national and global level.
Educate Yourself
Nothing is more harmful to the cannabis revolution, then ignorant activists. Of course it is fun to get stoned out of your mind, while sitting on the couch listening to Bob Marley. The problem is that it’s been fun to get stoned for years!
Society has now accepted the use of cannabis as a recreational drug. Society isn’t likely to accept the FUN argument until they actually try cannabis. Therefore this approach is probably not going to bring about desirable change.
Prior to taking to social media or any online forum make sure you research the subject. There are several legitimate studies done on the benefits of Cannabis. Take an hour to research the subject and really understand what you are fighting for. There are tons of websites and organizations dedicated to informing the public on the benefits of cannabis use. Remember, an educated opinion is an effective opinion.
Tweet it, Post it, Snap Chat it, My Space it, Vine it, Instagram it… You get the point
Let people know that you are an advocate for the legalization of cannabis in every way possible. Share positive news articles, write creative poems, make a funny video, do anything that will make your post about the benefits of legalizing cannabis go viral. While the entertainment value should be high, your post should also be informational.
As your online posts gain more attention, you are more than likely to receive some positive and negative feedback. Don’t shy away from negative feedback; in fact you should get excited when you see someone comment on your post in a negative manner. Why? This is an opportunity for you to change someone’s opinion and recruit more activists who support the cannabis revolution.
When replying to negative feedback, give a calm, well-researched answer. The best part about being an online activists is that you can take as long as you want to research and reply to a comment. Provide a link to a source that supports your response. This allows the World see that intelligent, well-read activists are supporting the cause. With enough intelligent, well thought out posts, people will see cannabis activists as people for fighting a cause they truly believe in. Again, the key here is quality & volume, every single well-researched response and post helps the cause.
Local Actions
Your individual actions will be most effective at the local level. Promote yourself as a cannabis activist and demonstrate that you are proud to be fighting for what you believe in, to your community
Contact your local representatives
Send an email or call your local congressmen and senators. These are the people who have the ability to change local and state laws that are banning recreational use.
When you first reach out to them there are a few things you will want to do.
- First, introduce yourself include things like your age, the area you live in (so they know that you are one of their constituents), your job and anything else to let them know who you are.
- Secondly, indicate that you are writing them as a cannabis activist. Make sure to include why you support legalization and again include facts that support your claims.
- Next, cite the State or local legislation and tell them if you agree or disagree with the current legislation. Praise positive movement towards legalization. It also helps to know how and if they voted on cannabis related legislation. This demonstrates that you have done your research and are committed to making a change.
- Finally, make recommendations on how they can learn more about the benefits of cannabis and some actions they can take to show support for your activism. If you are a member of an activist group, invite them to your next meeting. The main goal is to create a dialogue about the issue and ensure that your local representative knows that his or her constituents support legalization.
Don’t know who your representatives are? There are several websites and apps available to look up your representative and his or her contact information.
We recommend you download the Countable app. It allows you to look up your representatives and provides you information on how they voted on each issue.
Join an Activist Group
Unity is essential in all aspects of the fight for legalization. While being a part of an activist group probably requires you to go to meetings, it will help you be even more impactful in taking actions at home.
There are several activists groups that have local chapters.
Two impactful organizations are the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Law (NORML) and Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP).
If there isn’t a local chapter in your area then start one! You can hold online chat room meetings, host meetings at your house or even just create a webpage for your group to post ideas on. It’s amazing what you can do with an internet connection. lap.
National Actions
While individual actions are most impactful on a local level, a unified movement is most impactful on a national level. As you gain experience as an activist, try branching out to make a difference nationally.
Contact State Representatives
This is very similar to contacting your local representatives only it needs to be handled a little differently. Senators and Congressmen have to satisfy a much larger constituency than local representatives. Therefore, while I’m sure they care what your individual opinion is, they are mostly concerned what the majority of their voters believe in.
The best way to get individual attention from your State representatives is by going through your local representatives. If your letter, or phone call or e-mail is endorsed by a local representative, then it is more likely to be seriously addressed, then if you cold call. Additionally, the state representatives need to see that this is a widespread issue; therefore, the more people who contact the representative, the better.
Initiate an online letter campaign and try to get key figures to join the campaign.
Cannabis Caucus
This goes in line with contacting your state representatives, but tell your congressman to join the cannabis caucus if they are pro-legalization. This group has been formed to discuss sensible marijuana laws and ease the tensions between state and federal cannabis laws. Make sure you let your congressmen know that you want your regions ideals represented when forming the basis for new cannabis legislation
Donate
This pretty much goes without saying, but donating to an advocacy group is one of the most effective ways to make an impact. Most of these advocacy groups have been around since the 1990s and have extensive experience in promoting the liberal agenda. While personal involvement is great on a local level, national change is typically championed by a few key activist groups. Non-profits like NORML and MMP rely on these donations to continue moving forward.
International Actions
Cannabis is a global issue. Nations deal with the same legalization issues that the United States has been dealing with. Promoting international cooperation and the sharing of information could help expand the cannabis industry worldwide and reduce the issues associated with the illegal drug trade.
ENCOD
The European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies (ENCOD) is a European Organization that supports over 140 European NGOs fighting for just drug laws. Their focus is to protect people who are detained or treated inhumanely due to unfair drug laws. An organization like this helps promote transparency and holds nations accountable for the actions they take. By spreading the information they distribute and donating to their cause, you can help government officials throughout the World gain insight on what a World where Cannabis is legalized and flows freely would look like.