cannabisnews.com: Pro-Marijuana Group Sponsors Road Cleanup 





Pro-Marijuana Group Sponsors Road Cleanup 
Posted by CN Staff on March 05, 2003 at 08:40:52 PT
By The Associated Press
Source: Associated Press
Roseville -- A marijuana legalization group is helping keep Michigan's roads clean. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws has joined Michigan's Adopt-A-Highway program, sponsoring cleanup efforts on a two-mile stretch of Gratiot Highway in this northern Detroit suburb. Signs went up last month on the median of Gratiot announcing that the pro-marijuana group's Macomb County chapter is picking up litter along the road.
Donna Paridee, a New Baltimore homemaker and mother of three, said her chapter's cleanup campaign seeks to improve the image of marijuana legalization advocates. ``We are your neighbors,'' she told The Detroit News for a story Wednesday. ``We have jobs and families like everyone else.'' The Michigan Department of Transportation, which runs the Adopt-A-Highway program, does not make judgments on what a participating group stands for, spokeswoman Brenda Peek said. ``We don't get involved in that. The main thing is that they're working to help beautify Michigan,'' she said. Allen Johnson, president of the Crime Prevention Association of Michigan, which opposes the legalization of marijuana, said he sees at least one benefit to the anti-litter campaign on Gratiot. ``We can be sure all the marijuana butts will be cleaned up on that road,'' he said. Source: Associated PressPublished: Wednesday, March 5, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Associated Press NORMLhttp://www.norml.org Crime Prevention Association http://www.preventcrime.net Michigan Department of Transportationhttp://www.michigan.gov/mdot/CannabisNews NORML Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml
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Comment #10 posted by The GCW on March 05, 2003 at 18:26:16 PT
This is good.
It would be cool if all NORML orgs. made this a standard.420Perhaps the fine officer would like to conduct a count... the cig. butts and the cannabis butts...And does the fine officer smoke?
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on March 05, 2003 at 13:48:02 PT
News Brief from Snipped Source
Holy Smokes! Pot Fans Take High RoadBy Mike Wowk, The Detroit NewsROSEVILLE -- Michigan's Adopt-A-Highway program has a new partner: the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Signs went up last month on the median of Gratiot at 12 Mile and 14 Mile roads announcing that the pro-pot organization's Macomb County chapter will work for free to pick up litter on that two-mile stretch of road. Donna Paridee, a New Baltimore homemaker and mother of three, said her chapter's cleanup campaign is, in part, an effort to counter the stereotype that NORML is made up solely of pot-smoking burnouts who live to get high. "We are your neighbors. We have jobs and families like everyone else." The Michigan Department of Transportation, which runs Adopt-A-Highway, does not make judgments on what a participating group stands for, spokeswoman Brenda Peek said. "We don't get involved in that. The main thing is that they're working to help beautify Michigan." Safety training is required to adopt a highway, but approval is largely cursory. Allen Johnson, president of the Crime Prevention Association of Michigan, which opposes marijuana law reform, said he sees at least one benefit to the anti-litter campaign on Gratiot. "We can be sure all the marijuana butts will be cleaned up on that road," he said. The signs on Gratiot give little clue to the group's identity. They read "NORML of Macomb Co." "When the city was making up the signs in January, a lady from the public works department called and asked me, 'Who is this Norm L?' " Paridee recalled. http://www.detnews.com/2003/commuting/0303/05/a01-100731.htm
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on March 05, 2003 at 10:48:49 PT
Hi Michael!
You are very welcome. I like ideas like this one. I really like the folks at NORML. They are good people. 
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Comment #7 posted by afterburner on March 05, 2003 at 10:45:44 PT:
NORML Chapter Helps Beautify Michigan.
"The main thing is that they're working to help beautify Michigan," Michigan Department of Transportation spokeswoman Brenda Peek said. Outstanding!Maybe they'll get the connection that repealing Prohibition II would also beautify Michigan.ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question.****************************************************************************Stay tuned for a Preview of tomorrow's Canadian TV program:Host: "The recent decision to decriminalize marijuana has sparked a debate in faith-based communities. Some feel it was long overdue. Others believe where there's smoke, there's fire." Female guest: "There's absolutely a contradiction with what the government is attempting to do."Male guest: "Cannabis is something that definitely opens doors of perception in different ways and is a connection to spirituality."Host: "Can smoking pot help you to reach the highest state of enlightenment?"360 Vision - Thursday at 8pm ET/PT only on Vision TV. [2003.March.6]
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Comment #6 posted by Michael Segesta on March 05, 2003 at 10:26:34 PT:
The seed.....
This article was the seed for more media attention. WJR, a local AM radio station, has asked for an interview on the Mitch Albom show, which is syndicated nationally, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. In addition, a radio station in Flint wants a "drive time" interview tomorrow morning.Nichalos and all of you at national NORML --- MANY THANKS!!! You guyes got the ball rolling by sending the press release and we could not have done this wihtout you. Keep on keepin' on, man:) LOLAnd other chapters -- this highway thing is a great idea and I don't see how you could lose adopting one.And also, thanks to Donna Paridee, one of our directors at Macomb County NORML, who had the idea to adopt the highway and has followed through on getting volunteers to scour it and all the media demands recently.Finally, thanks FoM, for posting this.
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Comment #5 posted by 420toker on March 05, 2003 at 10:15:54 PT
I reject the notion
I reject the notion that anyone who wants to change anything related to marijuana law be considered a cheech and chong style pothead. I dont know anyone who wants to get stoned so badly as to check a hand roll butt to see if there may be pot inside. Hopefully it will just show the further demonstrate the complete ignorance of the "crime prevention" orginizations.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on March 05, 2003 at 09:55:57 PT
It's biodegradable
No filters so if someone did throw a roach out it would just return to nature. 
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Comment #3 posted by BigDawg on March 05, 2003 at 09:54:37 PT
YES!
This is the best thing I've seen in quite awhile. Very smart move. 
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Comment #2 posted by darwin on March 05, 2003 at 09:48:18 PT
This is a nice touch.
This is the kind of activism that will win over the hearts and minds of the uninformed voters. I love it.
As for Allen Johnson, I challenge him to count the number of joints he can find versus the number of beer cans and bottles.
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Comment #1 posted by druid on March 05, 2003 at 09:13:06 PT
huh?
Allen Johnson, president of the Crime Prevention Association of Michigan, which opposes the legalization of marijuana, said he sees at least one benefit to the anti-litter campaign on Gratiot.``We can be sure all the marijuana butts will be cleaned up on that road,'' he said. Who throws out a perfectly good roach or "marijuana butt"?
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