Anthony Johnson Fighting for Freedom in Oregon

The following is from the 420th Collectors Issue of High Times; Page 108

SHOWING SOME INITIATIVE

Oregon's Anthony Johnson authors a medical marijuana ballot initiative.

This month's Freedom Fighter, Anthony Johnson of Oregon, is the perfect role model for college students to emulate if they wish to turn a passion for cannabis and a dedication to civil liberties into meaningful change. Johnson got his start in political activism with the University of Missouri NORML chapter, and later helped found the university's SSDP chapter. Johnson also became president of his law school's ACLU chapter and championed the case of a man later spared from death row.

In 2003, Johnson (along with NORML board member Dan Viets) authored a municipal ballot measure to decriminalize and medicalize marijuana, which ended up losing but still garnered 43 percent of the vote. Undeterred, in 2004 Johnson split the effort into two separate measures. The decriminalization measure eventually passed with 61 percent.

Afterwards, Johnson moved to Oregon and practiced law for two years with NORML lawyer Leland Berger. In 2006, he was hired as political director of the cannabis-law reform organization Voter Power and co-authored the dispensary initiative that would become Measure 74, the Oregon Regulated Medical Marijuana Supply System. Even without the usual attention and big-money donations that accompany a major statewide initiative, Johnson rallied activists to collect the 86,000-plus signatures needed to qualify it for the Oregon ballot in 2010. - Russ Bellville

The Green Anthem

We the People Want our Weed Let Freedom Ring! Let Freedom Ring! Some want to Party Some truly Need but we all Agree We OUGHT TO BE FREE!! Let Freedom Ring! Let Freedom Ring!

Vote yes for Marijuana

Several states including New York are engaged in a heated debate over amending state laws to allow for distribution of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Californians and Nevadans have pressed for outright decriminalization, regulation and even have some government officials singing the to the tune of the potential revenues such actions could legitimately create. The movement is gathering momentum. If we can get enough people to the polls to vote yes for marijuana in California and Nevada together we can achieve something that has been waiting for 80 years, something that the free love generation never could, something that might signal a shift in the entire American mindset. Let freedom ring. Get active and get to the polls this November.

Pot o' Gold

New York State democrats are pushing to legalize medical marijuana. They profess that the herbs medicinal properties can help many serious illnesses like cancer but confess an ulterior motive. They propose that the $15 million that they can generate annually in licensing fees are a nice start on bridging the $9 billion dollar budget gap. The Republicans claim that the Democrats budget proposal is full of 1 time fixes. Will partisan politics ever come the the realization that the real arguments should be about compassion and freedom. They will never be able to maintain a tidy budget...more from the source here.