cannabisnews.com: NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- January 6, 2005 NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- January 6, 2005 Posted by CN Staff on January 06, 2005 at 16:14:06 PT Weekly Press Release Source: NORML Allen St. Pierre Assumes Helm As New NORML Executive DirectorJanuary 6, 2005 - Washington, DC, USAWashington, DC: Allen St. Pierre officially took over this week as Executive Director of NORML, replacing NORML founder Keith Stroup, who headed the organization from 1970 to 1979, and again from 1995 to 2004. Stroup, 61, had announced last spring that he would be stepping down as head of NORML at the end of the year. He will remain on the NORML staff on a part time basis. "Allen St. Pierre was the board's first, and only, choice to replace NORML's founder R. Keith Stroup," said Stephen Dillon, chairman of NORML's Board of Directors.St. Pierre has served with the NORML organization since 1991, and was appointed Executive Director of the NORML Foundation in 1997."Frankly speaking, there simply would be no NORML today without Allen's presence and dedication to the organization and the marijuana law reform movement," Dillon said. "Allen's forgotten more about marijuana and marijuana policy than most scholars will ever know about the subject matter. Allen has traveled the United States, Canada and Europe effectively and passionately advocating for marijuana law reform and has faithfully and professionally represented NORML, marijuana consumers and marijuana law reform, over 4,000 times in the major media since 1991."Stroup added: "Allen has been with NORML for 14 years, serving as the number two person for much of that time. He is a dedicated, hard working, bright and committed individual who has earned the right to take his turn at the helm. I have depended on Allen for much of the work we have accomplished during my second term at NORML, and I am confident his energy and new ideas will provide a needed boost to the organization."St. Pierre began his tenure as Executive Director by calling on feedback from NORML's membership, and laying out plans to broaden the organization's base by reaching out to ethnic minorities disproportionately impacted by marijuana prohibition, and by initiating a series of small, regional advertising campaigns."Input from NORML's supporters is crucial for the national office's staff, NORML's 115 chapters, the 350 lawyers who comprise NORML's National Legal Committee and me to effectively represent the interests of cannabis consumers and the general public," St. Pierre said. He added that the organization is releasing soon a series of comprehensive reports analyzing the social and economic ramifications of marijuana law enforcement in all of the counties in all 50 states.For more information or to schedule a media interview, please contact: media norml.orgDL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6398Exhale, Stage Left http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20085.shtmlSave The Date: NORML Announces 2005 National Conference In San FranciscoJanuary 6, 2005 - Washington, DC, USAWashington, DC: NORML is pleased to announce that the 2005 National NORML Conference will take place March 31-April 2 at the Cathedral Hill Hotel in downtown San Francisco.Featured speakers at this year's event will include new NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre, best selling travel author, television host and NORML Advisory Board member Rick Steves, Drug Policy Alliance Executive Director Ethan Nadelmann; as well as physicians, nurses and healthcare specialists, medical cannabis patients and activists, legal experts, hemp industry leaders, High Times Magazine's editors, cultivation experts, authors, members of NORML's board of directors and many others.According to NORML's new executive director Allen St. Pierre, "This year's conference marks NORML's return to the Bay area, which was host to NORML's highly successful 2002 and 2003 annual gatherings, and will offer attendees a unique opportunity to network with other marijuana law reformers.""This year's reduced hotel room rate, coupled with free parking for hotel patrons in one of the most 'cannabis-friendly' cities in America sounds like a prescription to me for fun and education. If a person is serious about changing America's misguided cannabis laws, the annual NORML conference is the gathering place for medical cannabis patients, cannabis consumers and concerned citizens."Lodging at the Cathedral Hill Hotel for conference attendees is available at a specially reduced rate by calling 1-800-622-0855 or by visiting: http://www.cathedralhillhotel.com/ and referring to the code 'NORML'.Complete conference information - including a full listing of speakers, panel discussions, and after-hour events - will be available shortly on the NORML website.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6399Source: NORML Foundation (DC)Published: January 6, 2005Copyright: 2005 NORML Contact: norml norml.org Website: http://www.norml.org/CannabisNews NORML Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by FoM on January 12, 2005 at 20:25:40 PT afterburner I read it in my e-mail I get from California Norml. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by afterburner on January 12, 2005 at 20:22:32 PT Did Anyone Else See this Article? Situation NORML by Fred Gardner 09 Jan 2005 http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n058/a02.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on January 11, 2005 at 14:01:47 PT afterburner Here it is! Wouldn't it be nice!http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread20108.shtml#41 [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by afterburner on January 11, 2005 at 13:42:52 PT Congratulations to Allen St. Pierre I'm sure in his new position as NORML's new executive director he will continue to work hard to make NORML a force to be reckoned with despite scant funding. Thanks to NORML's founder R. Keith Stroup for his many years of service.Now, if it doesn't offend anyone, I'd like to insert a little "lite" cannabis humor [It seems that FoM has deleted her comment about pooling our resources and buying the biosphere. Did I miss it?]:me: "Would you spend two years in the biosphere if you could not leave it during that time except for dire emergency?"relative: "If it was filled with 'pot,' yeah."So, we have found the reason why the biosphere was unsuccessful! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment