Posts made in October, 2013

NORML Partners with Family Law & Cannabis Alliance (FLCA)

Posted in Blog

NORML Partners with Family Law & Cannabis Alliance (FLCA)

Press release originally posted October 24, 2013 on the NORML Blog.  Written by Sabrina Fendrick, NORML Director of Women’s Outreach.  Thank you, Sabrina! It’s no secret that there has been a proliferation government agencies across the country removing minors and infants from their home, based solely on the fact that a parent is a cannabis consumer, and the false presumption that the presence of marijuana poses a danger.  This even occurs in states with a legal medical marijuana program, or where marijuana possession is no longer a criminal offense.  Some of these experiences can be incredibly traumatic to the child, as well as the parents, as officers have a tendency to use aggressive and sometimes militaristic tactics while engaging with these families. NORML receives dozens of calls and emails every month from devastated parents who have lost custody of their children to state agencies, and we remain committed to providing support and resources to those forced into these unfortunate circumstances.  In light of such efforts, we are pleased to announce that NORML has recently partnered with the newly formed Family Law and Cannabis Alliance (FLCA), founded by longtime drug reform activists Jess Cochrane and Sara Arnold.  The FLCA is an informational clearinghouse that provides educational resources, advocacy information and legal referrals geared  toward reformers & affected families on the crossover of marijuana laws & the child protection system. Sabrina Fendrick, Director of Women’s Outreach said, she is “looking forward to working with the Family Law and Cannabis Alliance to raise awareness about the devastating effects, and sometimes dangerous practice, of child services in removing children from their safe and loving homes for the mere fact a parent is a cannabis consumer.  It is time to end this destructive policy, and put an end to marijuana prohibition once and for all.” Click here for more information on the Family Law and Cannabis...

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See you in Denver!

Posted in Blog

See you in Denver!

Co-founders Sara Arnold aka Sahra Kant & Jess Cochrane will be in Denver from this Wednesday, October 23rd until Sunday, October 27th for the Drug Policy Alliance Reform Conference.  Come say hello and talk to us about FLCA!   Please also attend our panel on Saturday, October 26th from 3-4:30pm in room Governor’s Square 15.   From our facilitator, Lynn Paltrow of National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW): Recognizing How Child Welfare Systems Promotes and Expands the “War on Drugs” While extensive attention has been paid to the ways in which the criminal punishment system is used to advance the war on drugs, virtually no attention has been paid to the civil child welfare system — an equally insidious and destructive mechanism for expanding the war on drugs and undermining low-income and families of color.   To learn more about this vital issue and what can be done about it please join us on Saturday, October 26th from 3-4:30pm for a Roundtable discussion.   From the conference Program Book, available to all attendees: “Overlooked Punishment: The Drug War’s Insidious Reach Beyond the Criminal Justice System” This session will explore the history and expansion of civil laws and policies that act as a vector for drug prohibition and address the following questions:  In what ways are child welfare laws a mechanism for the war on drugs?  How has drug war propaganda been used in the child welfare system?  How do Family Drug Courts reinforce myths about drug use and parenting?  After legalization in Colorado & Washington, in what ways will abstinence-only ideology be used to punish people?  What drives racial disparities in the child welfare system?  In addition to these questions, the session will highlight successful challenges to the expansion of drug war policies in the child welfare system. Facilitator: Lynn Paltrow, Executive Director, National Advocates for Pregnant Women, New York, NY Co-Panelists:  Sara Arnold  Co-Founder, Family Law & Cannabis Alliance, Clinton, MA;  Jess Cochrane:  JD/MPH Candidate, Family Law & Cannabis Alliance, Boston, MA;  Carl Hart, Ph.D.,  Associate Professor, Columbia University, author of High Price;  Emma Ketteringham: Managing Attorney, Bronx Defenders;  M. Kay Teel, PhD, LCSW, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine.   See you...

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